By Rebekah Crozier
The Student Government Association’s elections for the 2021-2022 school year occurred on Monday, March 22. The student body voted for the Student Executive Board, class officers and senators.
The results of the election were announced the day after elections took place, with the exception of Vice President for Senate and the last remaining Senate seats. Run-offs for these positions occurred on March 24.
The Student Executive Board positions voted on were SGA President, Vice President for Senate and Vice President for Events. The student body elected Tyler Kendall, junior Communication Studies major, as SGA President for the upcoming school year.
“It’s such an honor to serve in this position. I’m just excited to really help to advocate for students who want to see changes on campus,” Kendall said.
When asked what his hopes are for next year, Kendall said that he wants to focus on growing the other leaders in SGA as individuals and in their leadership skills. He also desires to boost communication with the student body.
“I’d love to see communication and transparency increase between the student body and SGA. Sometimes I think students have been left to not really know everything that’s going on,” Kendall said.
Cole Powers, sophomore International Relations major, was elected Vice President for Senate in the run-off election on Thursday. Powers is excited to serve both the student body and the SGA senators. He plans on making sure that the Senate puts thought into their budget decisions and that the Senate Committees represent the student body well.
“I want to help unite all voices from around Samford’s campus, prompt senators to take action on behalf of the student body and work for results that will ensure lasting change at Samford,” Powers said.
The last candidate elected for the Student Executive Board was Caroline Coleman, the new Vice President for Events. Coleman is a junior Political Science and Journalism and Mass Communication double major. She is excited for next year when the Student Activities Council will most likely be able to plan in-person events like previous years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are a lot of freshmen that haven’t experienced Samford events in the way that we usually have them,” Coleman said. “I’m excited for students to gain a sense of normalcy back.”
Now that the SGA elections are over, the new Student Executive Board can focus on preparing for the upcoming school year. There will be a swearing in ceremony for the new members at the end of the spring semester. Along with the new class officers and senators, the SGA members have big plans for next year as the university plans to return to normal operations.
