The student body president at Florida A&M University — and member of the FAMU Board of Trustees — is an economics major from Brunswick, Georgia by way of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In between those two locales he has lived in other states and cities such as Washington D.C. and Mobile, Alabama.
He was a well rounded student before college. He was a two-sport athlete playing baseball and football. He also had a passion for the arts — and still does. McClinton is well acquainted with singing and playing the piano, and has had a heart for music since he was a young child.
Once stepping foot on “The Hill,” McClinton immediately volunteered to serve his university. Prior to his current position within the Student Government Association, he served in the Student Senate for three years. His debut position was securing one of the eight freshman seats. He proceeded to serve within the Judicial Rules Committee his sophomore year, and then served as the Organization and Finance Committee and Budget Committee chairmen his junior year.
After the McClinton and Carrington Whigham, his vice president candidate, claimed victory, McClinton intended to hit the ground running and begin fulfilling his presidential duties. His intentions are to “make the campus environment more inclusive.” He wants the students to feel the utmost comfort even during the troublesome times of COVID-19. He wants to assure the student body that their voices are heard.
He said he has heard their pleas and complaints of homophobia, sexism, discrimination, and even sexual assault and has already taken the proper steps to find a solution for these issues.
Improving campus culture and student life is also on the agenda for McClinton and his team. Providing the university with communication channels that allow transparency and providing continuous updates that prevent students from being out of the loop.
McClinton wishes to present a campus that is both encouraging to its students and supportive. His team set an example and has catered to some of our women’s sports teams and invested in the improvements of their locker rooms.
Whigham spoke highly of McClinton and his efforts. “I think Xavier’s work is phenomenal. His work ethic and character go hand in hand — you don’t have one without the other. Xavier will always go above and beyond the expectations that need to be met.”
Jabari Knox, a recent political science graduate of FAMU who served as the chief of staff for the McClinton/Whigham administration, emphasized how “humble” McClinton is. He believes McClinton is “politically aware,” and more than ready to, “lead and inform.”
“The next SGA president will have a lot of shoes to fill, but I do see potential people for the role,” Knox said.