Inside Xavier’s SGA: Bridging the Gap Between Students and Leadership
March 20, 2024
By Shawniece Mitchell, Staff Writer
Xavier’s Student Government Association on Tuesday, Mar. 19 hosted its State of the SGA Address to discuss its future plans and efforts for the remaining semester and upcoming school year. The meeting included refreshments for guests and an address given by SGA President, Kennedy Carey-Prescott, about her expectations for Xavier as she begins to wrap up her tenure at Xavier.
“I want to see more collaboration, more communication. I want to see everybody more connected. Also, just projects to keep the campus beautiful and make it look lively and happy,” Carey-Prescott said.
President Carey-Prescott discussed SGA’s affairs, gave an in-depth explanation of its budgeting for school events, and previewed some of its plans to improve student life. Some improvements include putting a bigger lounge area in the University Center and making Flex Bucks accessible through ApplePay. Carey-Prescott also reassured students to express any needs not being met by the University but also encouraged students to have faith that SGA is working to better their experience at Xavier.
“I urge you all to be patient with our student leaders, remembering first, that we’re students also and additionally know that a lot of work takes time and sometimes everything cannot be said as it is happening. Know and have faith in those that you have elected to do their jobs,” she said.
According to Carey-Prescott, SGA aims to monitor and maintain the quality, standard, and overall prosperity of the school through the student body. Some students believe SGA has been doing a good job at caring for the school, and the meeting was a good way for the organization to understand and connect with students.
“I was more aware of what goes on behind the scenes of SGA, and I liked that it kind of bridged the gap of communication between the community and SGA. And, as far as I’m concerned, I think they’ve done pretty well and they’ve been active, so I think everyone’s just been doing fine,” said Jered Wilson, a senior biology/pre-medicine major from Texas.
However, some students want to see more from both Carey-Prescott and SGA as a whole. Understanding that they are tasked with heavy burdens, a group of students still believe that more can be done and that some class councilmembers are not doing as much as they should.
“I believe that SGA is a mixture of a plethora of people, so I do believe some people have done better than others,” said freshmen Jaya Meeks. “A lot of them say it’s not their responsibility or they can only do so much, but when I see other people doing more, I’m seeking more from everyone.”
Overall, the State of the SGA Address was an effort by SGA to combat the distance and distrust between the organization and the student body. The event brought a light of vulnerability and truth to SGA as President Carey-Prescott showed some of their behind-the-scenes efforts and expressed their loyalty to Xavier students.
