Student Government Association to become more accessible to students

Newly elected President Mimi Vance prepares for the upcoming academic year by focusing on new goals

Cate Zenzen | 05/05/2020

While the spring semester of 2020 presented many changes and challenges, campus clubs and students groups at Lipscomb University continue to prepare for the fall semester. From their homes across the world, students virtually voted to elect the Student Government Association to represent the student body in the 2020-2021 academic year. SGA will continue to help sustain the spirit and morale on campus, advocate for the concerns of students, serve as a catalyst for academic, social and spiritual growth, and promote the Christian values and principles of the university. 

Mimi Vance, a senior Law, Justice and Society major and Political Science minor from Chattanooga, TN was elected to serve as president in the upcoming year. Vance has been a member of SGA since her freshman year, serving most recently in the position of Secretary. In her new position, she is most excited to work with recent SGA elects who have not been part of the organization before. 
 

“I wanted to run for President because over my three years of SGA, I’ve seen a lot of things we’ve done really well and a lot we can improve on. I’m thankful I’ve seen it for three years from the inside of the organization, but am really excited to hear from and work alongside senators who have not been on SGA before. I think with the combination of these old and new voices, we can make important, sustainable, and creative changes at Lipscomb,” said Vance.

Vance chose five tenets to focus on in her time as president: connection, transparency, accountability, community and stewardship. She believes these core ideas will better establish the role SGA plays within the bigger context of Student Life. A focus on connection in particular will allow this organization to work alongside other on-campus entities such as the Student Activities Board, the Office of Intercultural Development, and social clubs. 

“Transparency and accountability go together. To me, that looks like publishing our budget and meeting notes, and keeping our social media updated for students. However, with increased transparency, there comes a need to also increase accountability. I want students to feel like they can come to me, the other Executive Officers and their class senators with their questions and concerns,” said Vance.

To put her goals in action, Vance has decided to implement SGA office hours. The Student Life Office established a physical office for the organization last year, and Vance hopes to use the space more in the coming year. She promises to be in the office at least a few hours a week to make it easy for students to share their ideas. The space is also conveniently located across the hallway from the office of Prentice Ashford, SGA’s faculty sponsor, who will be available for students as well. 

The community aspect of SGA is what Vance considers to be the fun part. She plans to create new events and maintain favorite traditions for students to enjoy. Vance is also excited to use the resources accessible to the organization to not only financially sponsor SGA events, but those hosted by other student organizations as well. Traditionally, representatives from these clubs formally requested support from the Senate, but Vance hopes to make this process easier for every group on campus. 

“We want to create a portion of our budget that is more easily accessible to University recognized campus organizations. Each student organization will be able to obtain up to $200 a semester from SGA without having to propose formally in front of our Senate. We hope this will encourage smaller student organizations to be creative and host events that will pull outside students into their organizations,” said Vance. 

Vance will serve alongside executive officers Dexter Woods, vice president, Rylee Russell, secretary, and Grant Lander, treasurer. Dean of Community Life Prentice Ashford serves as faculty advisor. 

The Lipscomb Student Government Association is composed of 32 senators represented by freshmen through senior students. Meetings are held every other Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Club 1891 by the mezzanine area of Bennett Campus Center. All are welcome to attend.