In order to reach these higher goals, we must reach out for more help. The first item on my agenda will be to better my relationship with faculty, especially the Faculty Senate. For far too long, the SGA has not cooperated and partnered with the Faculty Senate, and I intend to reach out my hand to any faculty that will meet me halfway. I have already met with a few faculty senators and received their feedback on how to form a better relationship between the SGA and the Faculty Senate. I vehemently believe that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish when student leaders and faculty work together. The new Academic Affairs Cabinet will have faculty liaisons to increase that communication.
Second, our team will work on a “Repeat and Replace” initiative. Many institutions allow students to repeat a few previously failed courses and replace the failing grade with the new grade. This policy, commonly referred to as “Academic Forgiveness,” is a common sense solution to allow students that performed poorly in a few courses to ameliorate their bad grade and better understand the concept of the course.
Third, we will work with the Honors College to provide more major-specific Honors courses. For instance, we want to increase the number of Honors-level nursing, education, communication and social work courses. Too often I hear from students who leave the Honors College because they do not have enough time in their already rigorous schedule to take numerous honors electives. Instead, we should work to increase the number of Honors Courses that go towards students’ majors, and thus allow the Honors elective courses that students do take to be more meaningful.
Fourth, we are going to collaborate with the advising departments across different colleges to increase communication between students and advisors. Several weeks ago, several members of the SGA lead by Alexa Campbell and Reagan Hattaway, conducted a survey of students about the advising process. We will use the results of this survey to work with the advisors on our campus. Our advisors work hard each and every day to help us all move forward in our academic careers.
Finally, we are going to restructure the Academic Affairs Cabinet to be more efficient. We are going to divide the cabinet into three main sections: Student Resources, Faculty Liaisons and Policy Work. There will be a Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of each of the three sections, and all of the deputies shall coordinate with the Chief of Staff and me to advance our goals. We are going to augment the cabinet while also minimizing the span of control, and this new structure will increase our ability to serve our students.
As we move forward, I will make the following promises to all of you students. First, I will remain in Tuscaloosa throughout the summer to prepare for the next school year. Second, I will maintain consistent hours within the SGA office in order that students know definite times they can walk in and visit me. This policy was started this past year in the SGA, and I want to continue this excellent concept. Third, I will require my top staff to issue bi-monthly reports to me that detail the work that they are doing and progress they are making. These reports will be open to the public and will allow the student body to keep my staff and me accountable.
These past two years at the Capstone have been nothing short of eye opening. Working with students, meeting with faculty and partnering with administration have prepared me for this job. Most importantly, I believe that I have the experience to build a magnificent team that will serve you all best. Together we are going to make progress on our campus, and always remember: I will never stop running for you.
Ross D’Entremont is a sophomore majoring in political science and finance and pursuing a masters in political science. He is running for SGA vice president of Academic Affairs.
