Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of a name.
The SGA was awarded the Social Change award at the Southeastern Exchange Conference this weekend in Norman, Oklahoma, where SGA leaders from 16 SEC schools networked with one another and exchanged ideas.
The SGA earned the award for OneUA week, an initiative that began in 2020 under former SGA president Demarcus Joiner.
“The intent of this week was [that] amid a politically tense year, SGA’s commitment to unity and diversity would be emphasized through a weeklong series of campus-wide events promoting healthy dialogue,” Morgan Patrick, SGA press secretary, said.
This past year, OneUA events included the Hallowed Grounds Tour, Tide Talent, a roundtable with female leaders and a Black History Month pop-up shop.
“OneUA week served as a testament to the commitment of the entirety of the student body towards creating a campus environment defined by inclusion,” said Aubrei Grisaffe, SGA vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Grisaffe said that OneUA week featured endorsements from 89 different student organizations in 2024.
“I do not share these numbers to prove the week’s success, but to highlight the reality that without collaboration and support, we would not be able to have the same campus-wide impact through our OneUA week initiative,” Grisaffe said.
Former SGA VP of DEI Bella Loia helped grow OneUA week through her work revising the DEI passport system, which rewards student organizations whose members attend DEI events on campus.
“Without her commitment to the principles of campus unity that OneUA week seeks to promote, SGA would not have been able to [relay] this message to the 1,000-plus student participants that checked in at one or more of the 16 events,” Grisaffe said.
Grisaffe said that this year, she plans to expand OneUA week by beginning outreach efforts earlier in the semester and encouraging the SGA DEI committee to host more events.
“The Student Government Association is proud to hold the award for Social Change at the Southeastern Exchange Conference and looks forward to continuing the growth of OneUA week in the year to come,” Patrick said.
