Student Government: Where have our fearless leaders gone?
Keely Lyons, Staff Writer
Finding the whereabouts of the student government this year is like trying to uncover an endless enigma. You will hear faint mutterings of it, but you will never find it. Since the major surge of COVID-19 and a new transitional phase, the office of student engagement has been hard at work to determine the best plan for the fall semester.
The student government is a group of students either appointed or elected to office to stand as the voice of the student body as a whole. In an effort to allow the student body to freely voice and express their concerns, the office of student engagement is determined to create a plan that will become more successful than past student governments. Jared Thomas, assistant vice president for student engagement said, “If the student body has a concern they voice it to the council, and then the council has an opportunity to voice that concern to the university and call for a response. At North Greenville, some years it has been very strong and other years it has been very weak and nonexistent.”
In the past, the student government has been run congressionally and has become more parliamentarian but there was not a lot of clear guidance on what the role was here, said Thomas. He said, “Part of my job is to be an advocate for students and listen to the student body and observe issues that students encounter and find solutions. We wanted to launch the new student body counsel this semester, but then we had the huge covid spike this past January.”
Instead of calling it “student government” the title will be changed to “student body council,” as it fits the culture North Greenville is trying to promote, Thomas said. The plans are still being refined as the fall semester approaches. As the new government model is molded, the main shift is the student body council will feel more like a committee in nature, allowing the elected officials to conduct meetings where the student body voices their thoughts and they are recorded and passed from the council to student engagement for presentation.
Those who have served in the past have had the opportunity to gain special experiences and those in the future will still have the chance to gain important life skills. Ciara Mace, senior and former active student body treasurer said, “Student government is a great opportunity to be involved on campus and gain professional skills. It also teaches you how to work effectively in a team atmosphere, thus preparing you for your future career.”
The office of student engagement hopes to restore the knowledge student-wide that they want to hear the student body and that their voice matters. Thomas said, “This, I hope, will come across as a partnership between the student body and campus ministries of student engagement.”
While the protocol for election is still being discussed, the presentation and heart behind leadership are paramount in the new model. Thomas said, “The committee is not about power. I want this to be voiced as ‘the people on this committee want to serve you. They want to serve the student body.”
*Featured Image: A past symbol of the Student Government Association of NGU. Photo courtesy of the SGA Instagram.
