The new executive officers for the University of Alabama Student Government Association took the oath of office Tuesday and were inaugurated for the 2014-15 academic year. The SGA officers for the upcoming school year said they have high aspirations not only for the SGA but also for the University as a whole.
Many of the new SGA officers’ goals focus on fostering a more inclusive campus and a more productive student association by informing campus about the SGA behind the scenes.
“My main goal personally within SGA [is] for us to collaborate and work together as executive members,” said Laura Gregory, SGA vice president for academic affairs. “I also would really like to see the SGA collaborate with other organizations on campus.”
Gregory said she is hopeful about the new school year and wants to make an effort to unite the students on campus. She campaigned for the creation of a textbook exchange for students, an academic mentoring program and an honor campaign across campus. But above all, she said, her real hope is to see SGA working with organizations across campus to produce results.
(See also “2014-15 SGA election results“)
“I definitely want to see SGA partner up with other organizations on campus,” she said. “That is the best way we can create these changes that students want to see.”
Gregory said she plans on implementing her initiatives over the course of her year in office and will begin by meeting with students and administrators to help cultivate her ideas.
Mary Wills, former executive secretary and campaign manager for SGA President Hamilton Bloom, will now serve as Bloom’s chief of staff. She said she will work closely with Bloom to help ensure his goals and visions for the SGA are carried out.
Wills discussed several new initiatives Bloom plans to take on during the course of the next year. She said they want to move away from smaller projects that lack campus impact and move towards implementing larger, inter-office projects to produce sustainable results.
“We want to do a lot larger scale projects by working together and hopefully impact the student body in a more relevant way,” Wills said.
Wills said she will continue her external scholarship base project from the previous year. The SGA has partnered with MIS students to create the database, which will be completed by the end of this school year and will officially launch next fall. Wills said another project Bloom has talked about is working with taxi services for students to reduce drunk driving.
“We want to work with transportation and partner with existing cab companies and come up with a flat rate from the University to Greensboro,” she said.
Drunk driving is a problem whether or not students want to admit it, Wills said, and the SGA wants to ease the stress of getting home as much as possible. Wills said Bloom is also working to create a one-time student non-academic misconduct forgiveness policy. Receiving a SNAM during the early years of college can prevent students from internship or study abroad opportunities. The proposed plan is to allow one-time forgiveness if the student successfully completes a probationary period. Therefore, the assumed mistake would not have to follow the student through his or her college career.
(See also “Alabama law to require breathalyzers for convicted drunken drivers“)
“I am just really excited about this administration already,” Wills said. “It is a really close group, and that is just going to increase our ability to work with each other. At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to, is how can you best serve the student body and produce the most outcomes.”
Andrew Gross, vice president for financial affairs, said he wants to focus on three main initiatives: expanding the need-based scholarship program, increasing the SGA endowment fund and creating a campus-wide marketing campaign teaching the student body the many benefits provided by SGA.
“I want to really get the word out there about the scholarships and the funding and all of the things that we provide through the SGA,” he said.
Gross said he plans to advertise the need-based scholarships to more students, so more students have the chance to be affected by those funds. He said he also plans to increase the endowment fund by adding a silent auction in addition to the date auction the SGA sponsors every year.
The silent auction, Gross said, might feature football memorabilia, and all proceeds from the auction would benefit the endowment fund.
“I am so excited and honored to take part in this upcoming year,” Gross said. “And I am really excited to make an impact on campus. I love The University of Alabama and I want to give back to it.”
(See also “Low participation in SGA elections a disservice to UA“)
