By Erin Mccoy & Glypie Grider

 

Student Government Association officers are University of Louisville students’ loudest voices in the administration. The Cardinal set out to find out what that voice would be saying in 2006-07 as newly-elected officers prepared to take office at the end of the past year.

SGA officials seem well aware of their constituency, and junior political science major Brian Hoffman, 2006-07 SGA executive vice president, said the decisions the new administration makes will depend on direct interactions with the student body.

“It is my primary goal to restructure student government so more students can be involved and play a part in directing the overall mission of our student government,” Hoffman said. “This includes the active solicitation of students who are under-represented in SGA, and who might not otherwise be a part of the process.”

Newly elected SGA President Darrell Messer, a senior engineering major, agreed that student involvement is a substantial goal. “I consider SGA the ultimate tool to fight for student rights, and when the opportunity to run for its spot opened up for me, I couldn’t pass it by,” he said.

Last year’s SGA President, Bill Brammell, who graduated in last May with a degree in political science, also made student awareness campaigns a large focus of his administration’s work. The incoming officers will have to focus on continuing those efforts if they hope to fulfull Messer’s goals.

“I want to make SGA more available to students and a bigger part of their day-to-day lives,” Messer said. “From weekly e-mails informing students of upcoming activities to a blackboard shell where students can e-mail officers or senators while checking class assignments, SGA should connect with students.”

Hoffman said a more focused student senate could result in a more proactive governing body that could enact the changes it aspires to effect. “I have a very simple message for all of the newly elected Senators. It is my vision that every senator will choose just one issue that interests them, and go with it. Often the senators try to tackle too many issues and end up accomplishing little along the way,” Hoffman said.

Messer said the size of the senate may be decrease slightly in an effort to improve efficiency. “I don’t believe that a small reduction in the size of the senate will make it any less representative of the student body. By making the senate smaller it’s easier for those involved and for the student body to hold those people accountable,” Messer said.

Both Messer and Hoffman say that the new administration has been meshing well. Most of the elected officers knew each other before the SGA campaign, having met through other student government-related functions. Messer said he and junior political science major Justin Tooley, vice president of services, got to know each other much better on the campaign trail.

“Ashley [Howarth, a senior chemistry major elected academic vice president,] is particularly thoughtful and pleasant. Brian is quite a character, with a unique and charming wit. Justin is full of energy and excitement,” Messer said. “I think our backgrounds and unique experiences provide us with our own perspective to bring to the table. Generally I hope that they take ownership over their area of focus, that they identify the student interests within their purview and work to further them.”

No matter how well the administration meshes, being part of the top four isn’t an easy job. It requires large helpings of leadership and time management skills. Hoffman and Messer each said that they are up to the task.

“The only disadvantage of being a junior when I take office is that I will still have a normal class load, as opposed to a senior who may only need a few credits to graduate,” Hoffman said. “Nonetheless, I am confident in my time management skills and will be able to devote a great deal of energy to SGA.”

Messer said he planned out his schedule for next year to “maximize my ability to lead Student Government.”

He also has worked to prepare the new administration for a different type of leadership than they have seen in years past. “Generally I consider myself a ‘transformational leader,’ rather than a ‘transactional leader’ or a ‘functional leader.’ Essentially that means I try and create a vision or mission statement for an organization, then do my best to convey that to others,” Messer said.

Messer’s vision centers around creating a more cohesive campus environment. “The underlying theme in my efforts as SGA president will be building community.” he said. “I admit it sounds trite, but bringing students together into an extended family will eclipse any new building or extended service SGA could ever secure for students. A student body that has a sense of belonging, of joint struggle and cheer, has enormous benefit to the individual student,”

That this vision is shared by all four of the top SGA officials seems a good start on a theme of unity.