Morgan State University’s Student Government Association (SGA), has one main goal: to ensure a positive academic experience for the student body.
But how exactly do they make this happen?
SGA is modeled after the United States government with a president, vice president, chief of staff, secretaries, treasurers and royal court members. But regardless of title or position, each member contributes to the organization’s overall mission.
According to Morgan’s Office of Public Relations, both the SGA president and vice president have been paid from the university’s annual SGA budget after SGA members in 2014 advocated for compensation. They claimed that their leadership positions were “very time consuming and demanding” and deserved payment.
Brooke Foyles, current SGA president and senior nursing major, discussed what her duties entail on a regular basis.
“As president I’m supposed to oversee the student body, the student government association and the branches of SGA,” she said. “I work to fulfill my constitutional duties, whether that be overseeing the execution of legislation and events, [or] making sure that the students are properly represented.”
Kayla Clark, SGA vice president and senior sociology major weighed in on her responsibilities as second in command.
“I try to help Brooke as much as possible,” she said. “The main difference is that I’m the president of the senate and we have meetings once a week. Essentially, we prepare legislation and we approve and discuss different things that the student body would like to see.”
Morghan Blair, freshman class senator and political science major discussed not only her duties but how legislation works within the organization.
“As a senator in SGA my goal is to pass meaningful legislation to benefit the student body, and assist the president and vice president in any way,” she said. “ SGA makes legislation regarding different departments on campus. For example, I’m in the student affairs committee, so all of my legislation will be catered towards the student affairs sector.”
Throughout the semester the administration has planned several events that support Morgan and the surrounding neighborhoods. Some have included movie screenings, blood drives, and an all night “AIDS Lock-In” to educate people about HIV and provide on-site testing.
Other members of SGA say events are what they enjoy most about their positions. Leah White, also a freshman class senator, spoke about her favorite event.
“My favorite was definitely the AIDS lock-in,” she said. “The night was fun and it was long, but it was also a [for] a great cause and I thought it was very informational. I learned so much from all of the tables that I went to, and they passed out things for everyone to be safe; [but] they were also spreading knowledge which I think is super important.”
Though the organization was created to be the voice of the Morgan community, some students have disagreed with the way they have represented the student body. The university’s SGA candidate election process has raised some eyebrows, along with misconceptions about the organization’s purpose.
Frustrated students logged onto Fizz, an anonymous social media app for college students, to voice their complaints.
“What does SGA even do,” one user wrote. “Until SGA stops the voting process, there will never be change. Everything is a popularity contest,” wrote another user.
According to White, SGA has a process when considering student feedback. “Whenever we get negative comments, we take them in and we talk about it and decide what [could] be done better,” she said. “We like constructive criticism, but if it’s just hate for no reason then we just ignore it and continue to move forward in a positive way.”
Foyles explained that although it’s hard to please everyone, SGA considers the students’ wants and work to get their voices heard by the school board.
But the movers and shakers of SGA don’t work alone. Student leaders say the relationship between SGA and their overseeing office, the Office of Student Life and Development, has always been a positive one.
“Our relationship is really good,” said Clark. “They’ve been very encouraging particularly about what they need to see, and [how we should] move forward with certain things or what needs to be changed,” she said.
While the association has many moving parts and responsibilities, people have wondered about the requirements for obtaining a position in SGA.
“[Students] must have a 2.7 cumulative gpa and be ready and committed to the student body,” said Foyles. “[Plus] making themselves available to hear every perspective, even though it may not be the perspective you like. SGA is the advocacy branch and we’re tasked with making sure that not a year goes pass when something doesn’t happen or has not changed for the student body.”
