Three of the winners from yesterday’s SGA elections explained that there is more to running for office than just buttons and posters.
The SGA Student Executive Board Members of the 2018 Spring SGA Elections were announced on Tuesday, March 27 in an email addressed to the undergraduate student body. James Hornsby was elected President of SGA, Heath Padgett was elected Vice President of Senate, Cameron Dobbins was elected Vice President for Events and Angel Sims was elected Vice President for Development.
According to SGA’s website, SGA candidate applications were open from Feb. 26, 2018, to March 1, 2018. However, qualifying for the candidacy is only the first step in serving under a branch of SGA.
SGA representatives are elected by the student body to be a voice for their constituents. Those elected serve as a liaison between the administration and the students through communicating how to better student life on campus.
“The cool thing about SGA is we don’t tailor just to greek life or athletics, but to the concerns of all of the student body,” newly-elected Vice President for Development Angel Sims said.
There’s more to running for office than just trying to get elected. They said a candidate’s heart has to be in the right place.
“You do not need to run for these positions to build your resume or for personal gain,” SGA President James Hornsby said. “You do this as an act of servitude.”
“I wanted to be in SGA because I wanted to make an impact on Samford’s campus,” Sophomore Class President Hope Dawson said. “Being on Senate has helped hold me accountable because I wanted to represent them well.”
When asked about her responsibilities as a senator, Dawson said her top priorities were talking to constituents and letting them know what was going on in SGA. If her peers voiced their concerns, she committed to addressing those concerns in senate.
“We passed a resolution to put ice machines in Evergreen,” Dawson said. “It has yet to be enacted. We’ve also worked to strengthen the relationships between commuters and those on campus.”
Not only do representatives in SGA try to address the concerns of the student body, they said they also try to influence their peers positively by advocating for students to speak up for what they believe in.
“I love this university so much, but there are some issues that can be resolved,” Hornsby said. “One of the biggest things I want to do is to advocate for students and encourage them to speak up whenever they see something, whether that be undercooked chicken in the Caf or a pothole in the road at Samford. In order to improve those issues, we first have to begin with conversations.”
Conversing with their fellow peers remained the biggest priority for all representatives in SGA. Fixing those problems remained the most pressing task for those elected.
“Getting those concerns addressed are made through resolutions, which are suggestions to the administration,” Sims said. “When multiple people come to us with concerns, that’s when things get done.”
Besides voicing student’s concerns, SGA also supports students through funding.
“We help the student body because we provide funds for student clubs,” Dawson said. “We help various organizations on campus form, and we plan events on campus such as, Lighting of the Way, the dodgeball tournament for the sophomore class and the gingerbread house-building competition.”
While running for SGA remained a big goal for many, representing their school in a positive light and fostering fellowship between students on campus remained the ultimate responsibility of every candidate.
“If you are running for a position today, your goal should be how to make Samford a better place tomorrow,” Hornsby said.
Anna Grace Moore, News Writer
