Spring campus elections bring new leadership, new voices
March 14, 2023
By Samara Garmon, Staff Writer
It was a tough fight among candidates for the Spring 2023 campus elections season. Several races resulted in runoffs, but a few were clear winners after the first ballot. The Student Government Association announced Xavier’s first woman since 2017 to win SGA president, and a new Mr. Xavier and Mr. Junior. Throughout each of the candidates’ journeys mixed with debates and spirited campaign activities to promote their candidacy, student leaders said it was important to remember that leadership should be about service.
“It feels surreal! I’m honestly just overwhelmed with gratitude, but I also feel the gravity of the position and all that I am responsible for,” said SGA president-elect Kennedy Carey-Prescott. “I am eternally thankful to the student body for selecting me to be in this role, and I am confident that, as a Xavier family, we can make this next year the most fulfilling experience,” Carey-Prescott said.
The SGA serves as representation for the student body with elected members who provide leadership to help resolve student issues while improving student life on campus.
“I didn’t necessarily take steps to become Mr. Xavier. Initially, I just wanted to get involved on campus so I looked at organizations and also decided to volunteer more,” said Jaden Crump, the new Mr. Xavier.
“Eventually I decided to step up and take leadership positions in those various volunteer and activity-based organizations so that I could give back to both the student body and the community. The role of Mr. Xavier just made sense because I wanted to make the biggest impact that I could,” said Crump, a biology pre-medicine major from Mississippi.
Crump said he was initially a very shy and timid kid when he first started his journey here at Xavier. Over time he felt like he wanted to do more, but didn’t know how. He started to get involved by volunteering, and then he worked his way up to joining student organizations.
He also had the mindset that he wanted to find a way to make campus a better place, and impact students on campus. Crump said was determined to find a way to give back to the community and the student body, and now with his position as Mr. Xavier, he can create the vision he wants to create on campus.
Chamberlain Newman was also one of the candidates who won his race for Mr. Junior without a runoff. Newman said his goal is to make an impact on campus while being an influential role model to other students. He surrounds himself with a great group of supporters that helped him with his campaign for Mr. Junior, he shared.
“It feels great to be elected by my class to serve as Mr. Junior. I feel honored,” said Newman, who is a biology pre-medicine major from Texas.
“I am looking forward to being a positive influence on others and making a tremendous impact on campus. I plan to promote positivity and personal development here at Xavier University of Louisiana. I have several major events and ideas planned,” Newman said.
