By Parker Judy
After the Student Government Association elections last spring semester, the Auburn University at Montgomery student body came under new leadership. After Marie Reuter was elected as President and I was elected Vice President, we immediately began planning our course of action for the new administration. This course was founded on a vision for greater transparency with students and reorganization of our own internal operations to more adequately represent every student. In order to accomplish this vision, we unveiled the specific plans to the entire Student Government during the retreat that took place weeks before the fall semester. The Executive Council met on the first morning , and President Reuter discussed the agenda for the two-day retreat. Once the new Senate and Cabinet were formally welcomed, and we were all introduced to one another, we all loaded up the bus and headed to our retreat destination: the Alabama 4-H Center, a camp located on the glittering Lay Lake in Columbiana. As we approached the remote location, there was excitement along with the awkwardness inevitable in an assembly of strangers. After settling into our rooms, Secretary Caleb Conner led us in an icebreaker that quickly dissolved all tension. We clicked, and now that we all had been given the opportunity to know one another on a personal level and fill our stomachs in the mess hall, it was time to get to work. Despite the fact that only a few of the members ran for their positions during campus-wide elections, all of them were noticeably aware that they represented a specific population of AUM students and were expected to do a job. President Reuter began putting our duties into perspective by focusing us on the reasons why we belonged to the SGA. The consensus was that we were all participating to unify our diverse population of students by volunteering ourselves as visible, accessible and vocal problem solvers, advocating for a more enjoyable atmosphere of learning and extracurricular activities, and strengthening our campus spirit.
To accomplish those goals, we were aware that as AUM’s Student Government we must communicate with students in a more efficient manner. Therefore, we established Transparency, Sustainability, Traditions, and Homecoming Committees open to non-members with the intent on making sure we did just that. In addition, a master calendar of upcoming events was created to keep us organized and deliberate in our actions. Now that a clear and unmistakable identity for the entire administration had been set, President Reuter split the Senate and Cabinet into separate groups in order to more precisely define the roles and expectations of each individual member. As Vice President, I focused the Senate on how to address policy issues governing campus life and the manner in which they would be supporting the students in each academic school. In conjunction, the Cabinet was guided by Chief of Staff Jonathan Segars in the elements governing event planning and representation of targeted student population. Once these responsibilities were made clear, Parliamentary rules of order were established, and the methodology behind passing amendments, billsand resolutions was defined.
A significant portion of information had been consumed in a short amount of time, but the mannerisms and feedback of the assembly proved that there was a clear comprehension of our mission and responsibilities. Even though this was our first group meeting, there was official business that needed to be covered. Therefore, we conducted our first Senate meeting, and multiple members were sworn in by Chief Justice Chris Searcy. One of these was Treasurer Blanca Olivarez, who encouraged the Senate with a bold statement about her plans for the Appropriations Committee and her ability to properly divert funds to student organizations.
The meeting was a success, and we rewarded ourselves with a rudely-built campfire, tasty s’mores and informal conversations. After the campfire, we proceeded into a late night filled with storytelling, card games and the pelting of President Reuter with an inflatable beach ball. The following morning we rose early, ate a hearty breakfast and carried out team building exercises in the woods. Student Affairs Director and SGA Advisor Lakecia Harris brought the retreat to a close by reminding us of all we had learned over the two days. She encouraged us to be consistent in our efforts during the busy year and unhesitant in our support of you, the Warhawk Nation.