WILL KARR
Staff Writer
In recent years, many students have felt like their voices have not been heard on campus. This semester, the Student Association (SA) is striving to amplify student opinions.
“The big goal for Student Association at least for this year is rebranding and really getting a control on things. The goal right now is to create force and return us to who we once were on campus,” Jah-Quail Griffin said.
Griffin is a senior social work major, as well as the vice president and student executive of SA.
“For me, I’ve always felt like I had to uplift my community, no matter where I went,” Griffin said. “… If I can be in a position to make some change or to advocate a little bit, I am going to put myself in it.”
SA is an organization dedicated to advocating for the needs and voices of students on campus. This past summer, the group helped furnish the Blue Devil Den, which is located in Williams Center S220.
SA, which is not affiliated with the Faculty Student Association (FSA), operates independently from the State and college. The group consists of a combination of full-time staff members and student executives like Griffin. Students may feel more comfortable voicing their concerns to a fellow student rather than to an administrator.
This semester, the SA offices have moved from the first floor of the Williams Center to the second floor to become more visible and approachable to students.
“When the offices were downstairs, they were so tucked away,” Griffin said. “No one really knew where the office even was. Some people didn’t even know that we had an office.”
This semester, Griffin and other executives are eager to welcome students into the new office space.
“[The other SA executives and I] have been trying to make sure that people feel wanted, and like they can come into the new office to talk with us. Students have the free will to come in and have a conversation,” Griffin said. “I may be the vice president of SA, but I’m still ultimately a student at the end of the day.”
Although Griffin is working to make the group more open to students, he acknowledges that it may not have always felt accessible.
“Previous executives may have made it seem like maybe they were in a position of power and people really couldn’t talk to them,” Griffin said. “That’s why I try to make it really transparent that I don’t want there to be any hierarchy. I’m here to just convey what everyone is saying. The students in SA are always ready to hear people out and to make sure they are really being heard.”
Griffin sees himself as a conduit who speaks on behalf of students rather than for them.
“The most important point that I always try to make is that it’s always about the student voices. We as executives are having these opportunities and being put in these rooms where we can really convey that message.”
– Jah-Quail Griffin, vice president and student executive of Sa
“The most important point that I always try to make is that it’s always about the student voices,” Griffin said. “We as executives are having these opportunities and being put in these rooms where we can really convey that message.”
Executives are members of the University Senate, which gives them the opportunity to take student feedback directly to administrators, who have the power to make changes.
“At this school, sometimes there can be a big issue that students care [about] deeply and faculty aren’t really with us,” Griffin said. “… Sometimes I feel like there is just not enough support … it would be nice to have more support from the administration and faculty.”
SA hosts open general body meetings on Thursday’s at 6 p.m, where they address and gather student opinions. At the University Senate meetings, they advocate for issues and topics to be placed on the agenda for discussion and dialogue. Both meetings are open to all students.Overall, they serve as intermediaries, helping to facilitate communication between students and administrators.
“We just want people to know that we are always here for them, and we’re really trying,” Griffin said. “There’s a lot of work that is being done behind the scenes to make the Student Association and campus better.”