Jaylin- Hankerson Strappy
Florida A&M Student Government Association consists of student leaders advocating for the student body. SGA’s main priorities include pushing for higher involvement from the student body while also working to address the concerns of students and implement changes for the betterment of the student body.
SGA at FAMU mirrors state and federal government, with legislative, judicial, and executive branches with a few distinctions.
In addition to serving as one of SGA’s prominent faces and representatives, the president also serves as a member of the FAMU Board of Trustees as the sole representative for current students. The legislative branch only consists of a Senate that meets at least once weekly to draft, present, and pass laws to enhance the student experience.
The judicial branch, consisting of a traffic court and Supreme Court, serves as labs for aspiring law professionals while allowing FAMU students to be judged in front of their peers on specific issues rather than administration members.
SGA plays a vital role on the FAMU campus. Senate Pro Tempore Jaylin Hankerson-Strappy, a fourth-year political science scholar, says there are vacancies in all three branches.
Strappy says there is one vacancy for an associate justice position within the judicial branch, a deputy attorney general vacancy in the executive branch, and two senior senate seat vacancies in the legislative branch. Strappy thinks the lack of interest from students to run for positions and the stigma SGA receives is causing the vacancies.
“Some people say SGA is very messy, political, and gets no work done,” Strappy said. “Whenever there are Senate meetings, it is always sad to see hints of messiness based off personal feelings or personal feelings that lead to problems in the Senate meeting.”
Strappy says that to resolve the issue, SGA would have to include better training on what a student leader is and the importance of working for the betterment of the students. He also believes that more interaction with the study body would benefit the relationship between SGA and students.
Madam Chief Justice Klarissa Appiah, a fourth-year criminal justice and psychology scholar with a pre-law minor, says that in addition to the vacancy on the Supreme Court, the entire Law School Circuit Court (LSCC) is also vacant. Appiah states that filling the LSCC is not a new issue.
“The LSCC is a vacancy that we consistently have trouble filling,” Appiah said. “I believe this is because of the disconnect with the main campus and satellite campuses at FAMU.”
Appiah also says that the FAMU Law School may need to realize why the LSCC is vital on its campus. Appiah also believes that the university culture could resolve this issue of a consistent relationship with both campuses.