The FAMU SGA newly elected leaders said they have ambitious goals for 2002-2003.
Andre Hammel, 20, political science student from Mitchellville, Md. and Tisa Holley, 21, a physical education student from Temple Hills, Md. said they try not to limit themselves.
“We’re visionaries,” said Hammel, president elect.
“When they were campaigning they said they wanted to do things that can’t possibly be done in a year,” said Trisha Gale, 22, an education student from Fort Lauderdale.
But the goal is not to finish everything, said Hammel. It is to get things started.
“When I talk to past SGA presidents,” he said. “They say ‘Do something that outlives your term.'” This is the goal with the on campus barber shop/beauty salon, said Hammel. He said the salon would support economic development for the university, encourage entrepreneurship, and promote the growth and economic maintenance of black businesses.
Hammel and Holley said one of their main goals is to renovate the William H. Gray Center.
They want it to be a 24-hour student lounge with televisions and a study area, they said. The center, which is located in the middle of the female dorms, is now a vacant structure. Most of the proceeds from the April 18th Jadakiss and TI concert, primarily sponsored by Hammel and Holley, will go toward the Gray Center renovation.
Hammel said he is also working on diversifying the campus ATM and food services. He said by fall he hopes to have another ATM machine on campus and would eventually like to see fast food restaurants like “McDonald’s” on campus.
Increasing student morale is Holly’s main priority. “We would like to see an improvement in student participation. It seems like the same people are doing everything,” Holly said. To change that, Holly said she will further open the lines of communication and plan more SGA sponsored activities, Holly said.
Offering students activities is an important function of the SGA but the responsibilities don’t end there, said Hammel.
Next semester the SGA will start a three-point voting campaign to address voter registration, voter education and voter turnout, said Holly. The plan will go beyond campus to the surrounding communities, she said. This campaign will piggyback on the SGA’s efforts to open the on-campus voting polls to the community, she said.
Next year Hammel and Holly will make $10,000 and $8,000 respectively. But they both said they did not seek their positions for the salary.
“If you are in it for the money, don’t do it,” Hammel said. He said he gets the most satisfaction from planning and/or hosting a successful event.
“We want people to know that we’re here to serve,” said Holly. She said she wants SGA members to be the kind of people who she would feel comfortable talking to if she weren’t in SGA.