Student Government Association President Tyler Kendall said he is very excited for the upcoming school year, and he already feels encouraged by the progress made so far.
In an interview with The Crimson at the end of the spring semester, Kendall said he wanted to increase communication between students and SGA. When asked how he plans on accomplishing this, Kendall said senators are the key to bridging the gap between the student body and SGA leadership.
“Senators are some of the biggest and most primary student leaders, or student representatives, on campus because they do get a lot of say in funding and different resolutions that are passed on campus,” Kendall said.
SGA is also utilizing social media to update students more than ever before. In addition, SGA is working to set up an announcement board outside the SGA office to post updates.
One of Kendall’s biggest focuses for this year will be student engagement.
“Coming off of last year when we really didn’t have anything, our biggest goal for the year is student engagement because 50% of students here have no idea what a normal year looks like,” Kendall said.
Kendall and the rest of SGA plan on offering as many opportunities as possible for students to get plugged into the school and the community outside of Samford. Kendall said he will work alongside the Student Activities Council to plan events for the student body. He said he is encouraged by the success of Family Weekend and Connections Weekend.
Kendall said he also wants to ensure students are engaging in the larger Birmingham community.
“There’s a lot of outside help within the Birmingham community that just has done so much for our university and for our community,” Kendall said. “So, giving back to them and finding different opportunities to present to students to go out into Birmingham and give back to that community is also something that’s very important to us.”
Another of Kendall’s objectives this year is Honor Code education. A new initiative to educate Samford students on the Honor Code will be led by SGA Chief Justice Josh Chiodo. Kendall said he does not want ignorance to be a reason a student receives an Honor Code violation.
“We want to make sure every student is educated about the entire Honor Code, but especially on the parts that directly affect them,” Kendall said.
After a year with very few activities and very little student involvement, Kendall, along with the rest of SGA, hopes that this year will make up for it.
Staff Writer
