Tuesday afternoon in the front yard of the Gorgas House, rows of chairs awaited an audience of newly elected SGA senators, executive council members, and the SGA president, who were inaugurated into office as the former members relinquished their tenure.
James Fowler, the elected president for the 2010-11 academic year, delivered a speech to an audience of SGA members, their families and administrative employees.
Fowler spoke about the need for an increase in transparency, accountability and inclusiveness.
In his speech, Fowler said that he wants to invigorate the student body into developing a keen interest in its student government, and he mentioned a quote of Helen Keller to illustrate the danger of apathy.
The quote reads, “Science may have found a cure for most evils, but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all – the apathy of human beings.”
Lindsey Smith, a senator in graduate school for political science, said Fowler expressed a desire to offer students a “seat at the table of inclusion.”
After the inauguration, an awards banquet was held at Bryant-Denny Stadium to honor the achievements of this year’s SGA.
Allison Crawford, the now-former SGA chief of staff, delivered the welcoming address to an audience seated in a sea of crimson and white table cloth.
Crawford said she began to understand this year the critical importance of having a governing body on campus for students to rely upon.
“It amazes me to count the positive changes of the four administrations [I’ve worked through] that have affected student’s lives,” Crawford said.
Anne Elizabeth Davis, the SGA spokeswoman, led the audience in prayer.
After the sumptuous dinner, various SGA officers of this past year’s administration bestowed awards upon faculty members and SGA members.
For instance, Meg McCrummen presented the “Outstanding First Year Councilor” award to David Wilson, a member of the First Year Council, a group of fifty freshmen who represented their residence halls.
Steven Oliver, this past year’s SGA president, presented the Robert S. Vance Award, which honors service in the SGA, to Davis.
Crawford received the John H. Preston Award, the recipient of which is selected by the SGA Senate and receives $5,000.
Kathleen Cramer, senior associate vice president for student affairs, recognized the SGA officers of Oliver’s administration, and Tim Hebson, dean of students, handed the awards to the various officers as they walked to the platform to be honored.
Daniel Odrezin, executive advisor to the SGA president in 2007, then roasted Oliver in a comedic, but praising, speech.
Odrezin mentioned the accusations of Oliver’s campaign deploying laptops to bars to get students to vote for him online in the 2008 election, the SGA’s community service trip to Pasadena, Calif., which Odrezin referred to as a “ride to Beverly Hills,” and his arguments about the “subject to” clause in the SGA constitution.
Still, Odrezin praised Oliver as a friend and as a diligent president who accomplished much during his tenure, such as the textbook rental program.
Finally, Oliver delivered his last speech as president.
Oliver began his speech by noting how excited he felt when last year’s election sparked a massive voter turnout.
He thanked his fraternity, Sigma Chi, and his campaign team that helped him through the election.
Oliver said that he would have never thought that as an out-of-state student on a campus of 29,000, he would serve as SGA president.
He said that he benefited from his experience as president by learning how to deal with situations that arise but cannot be foreseen.
Last, he praised each member of his administration one by one, and wished for Fowler, who he called the “biggest SGA nerd I know,” to have an excellent year.
