Since arriving on campus at The University of Alabama, my biggest goal has been to be able to say that I made a positive difference by the time I left. SGA has always been my passion. Since my freshman year, I have served as a first year councilor, commerce and business administration senator and my current position, vice president for external affairs.

No matter what position I held, my mission was always the same: to work every single day to serve The University of Alabama and its students to the best of my ability. It is for this reason that I chose to run for Student Government Association President. As president, I would have the opportunity, resources and staff to continue to foster positive growth throughout campus. If elected, I will focus on three C’s that are pivotal to the success of this institution: campus, city and community.

One of my main priorities, if elected president, is to continue to improve on student engagement, especially with the increasing amount of students on campus. Just recently, the president of the Environmental Council came to me about starting a fund to provide for student-driven initiatives, especially ones that would save the University money in going green. After setting up a meeting with the University Vice President for Financial Affairs, we were able to get $100,000 allocated each semester to aid future University green initiatives.

Often times, the best projects that I have been a part of in SGA are ones where students come to me with an idea that they are passionate about and want to find solutions; my door would always be open for any student to come to me with a project that he/she would like to accomplish for the betterment of the University and its student body.

Along with the escalating student population, I also plan to increase engagement among the influx of student organizations as well. This is an initiative that has seen significant progress under our current administration, and I plan on buttressing that progress and utilizing those projects that are successful. The Delegates Program, a program that pairs SGA representatives with two delegates from a student organization, has dramatically increased the SGA’s ability to reach out and engage student organizations to find out how we can assist them; it is projects such as this that I will continue to utilize in order to meet needs of the student body and to improve the student experience here at the Capstone.

Another one of my main priorities if elected president would be the city. In my time as the vice president for External Affairs, I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with several city officials including Mayor Walt Maddox, the Tuscaloosa Chief of Police and the University Chief of Police. Through these relationships, we were able to partner with the city in addressing several issues.

One issue in particular that is extremely important to me is safety, both downtown and on the Strip. Together with President Matt Calderone, we put together a Strip Safety Committee to concentrate on finding short-term and long-term solutions to improve student safety. As President, I would continue to work with city officials to provide the safest environment possible. The relationships that I have established with city officials will allow us to continue to partner with the City of Tuscaloosa in improving student life at the Capstone in a very positive way.

My final priority, if elected president, is the Tuscaloosa community – a community made up of more than just students. As vice president for external affairs, I made significant efforts to bridge the gap between the University students and the rest of the Tuscaloosa community. I will work to do this through a Community Representative program that educates students on their role, rights, and responsibilities as a member of this community and acts as a resource to those students.

Because I have considerable experience in numerous facets of the SGA and the continued passion to alter and improve student life at The University of Alabama, I feel confident that I am well-qualified to serve as the next Student Government Association President. Whether elected or not, however, I will always do my part in cultivating the best University of Alabama possible. I am running for SGA President because I want to serve. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will make it my goal to work every single day to serve all 33,602 students.

Jimmy Taylor is running for the SGA President position. He currently serves as the SGA Vice President for External Affairs.