Florida A&M’s Student Government Association receives mixed reviews from students every day. When we see results from SGA students are all for the representation.
But when something doesn’t go in our favor, we are quick to bash these individuals, our fellow students.
It is true that student representatives carry a lot on their shoulders. SGA’s responsibility should consist of handling all the needs of the student body, and that should be the extent of its power. If an issue does not affect the students in any way, then SGA members are not liable or responsible for it.
FAMU’s SGA works hard to reach out to the students but many students are not reaching out to them, and telling them what they want and need at this university.
They not only reach out to students through social media, but they also hold open meetings where the students are welcome to sit in, express their concerns, and ask questions. It is the students’ fault for not taking advantage of this. If SGA has no idea what you want, how can you expect them to take it into consideration and work toward achieving it?
If it wasn’t for our diligent officials, we would not have the University Commons as a 24-hour study facility as we do now. This is a great example of how SGA took student complaints about not having a 24/7 library. They stepped up to the plate to give us something we need.
Students are forgetting that they have a voice too.
If you don’t make requests and make complaints, you will never see results.
For example, a former student senator is pushing for SGA to fund a late-night shuttle service to off-campus apartment complexes. This is an issue that I’m sure many students have voiced behind closed doors, but never brought in meetings.
It doesn’t take a title or office to speak up for your rights and needs. It takes one student to stand up and use his or her voice to get us what we deserve as FAMU students.
I’m the type to look at the big picture. If it wasn’t for SGA, students would be underrepresented and we would not be given the privileges and opportunities we have now.
These individuals are people we elected. Without us, they would not be in the positions they currently hold, so if you don’t like who is representing you, maybe you should have been asking to hear their platform instead of voting for whoever had the best breakfast starters on “The Set.”