Grambling State University’s Student Government Association plays a major role in representing the students at our university.
The role of Grambling’s SGA is to enhance the lives of students, by making sure they represent the student body in important matters that are discussed by the administration. The members of the body may change, but the goal of student representation remains the same.
Last month the association took a trip to a conference in Savannah, Ga. to gain information on how to be more efficient student leaders for the student body.
SGA’s trip to Georgia was a conference for SGA bodies from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to attend.
During the trip representatives from Grambling’s SGA vast amount of information that could be taken and enforced by each university.
Senior Class President Devin Smith, a Lake Charles, La. native, thought the trip to Georgia was useful and contained information that could help the student government as a body.
“It covered a lot, such as planning campus events, sexual assault prevention, balancing Greek life, and leadership as a body,” Smith said. “This trip also served as a networking opportunity, with almost 500 students from 45 different HBCUs across the country.”
The number of students and schools in attendance was something Smith took advantage of, not just from the standpoint of networking, but learning and growth as well.
“With that many people there, I got to learn new ideas from people who attend other schools,” Smith said. “We as HBCUs like to help each other become great altogether, we just want to see everyone be successful.”
Smith plans to also be successful in being a newly elected senior class president. Though this is his first time serving in a presidential role, Smith feels like he is well equipped for the job.
“My goal as Senior Class President is to bridge gaps among students and real life,” Smith said. “Many senior graduates are thrown to the wolves because they lack things such as financial literacy skills, proper business etiquette, just to name a few. I want to emphasize on the ‘adulting’ skills to our students so that students won’t struggle.”
Chief of Staff Ashley Dabney, a junior from Gainesville, Ga., took this trip as something that would transform GSU’s SGA into the best version of itself. She feels as if this trip to her native state can help the body eliminate its own mistakes.
“We were given the opportunity to attend breakout sessions that provided tools to strengthen our Student Government as well as our personal lives,” Dabney said.
Dabney believes that constructive criticism is beneficial to the improvement, not only of individuals but organizations as well. She advocates for change and growth in all aspects.
“We faced reality with some of our own problems to be able to fully lead our respective intuitions,” Dabney said. “This year I took away the importance of change and growth. I now understand that it is okay to try new things and be innovative to solve problems. Even when I don’t have the answers, someone on my team can perform the task.”
With growth and change being at the forefront of the minds of Grambling’s Student Government Association, this same change must be in the culture of the students. SGA plans to emphasize these ideas to the student body as a whole so that growth can manifest its way throughout Grambling’s campus.
