Welcome Back Shocker Nation,

Just as we have experienced over a year since the rise of the global pandemic; our lives have changed forever. Together, we have faced loss of people, time, and experiences. Lessons of quality over quantity, adaptability, self-care, teamwork, love, grace, and much more were made clear during this global crisis.  

After a year of being your Student Body President, I am overjoyed to say that Shocker Nation has proved to come out stronger and more united than ever. These tough times presented us with the opportunity to experience college in a different way, but no matter how unique or difficult the situation was, we always found a way to unite and move forward together.

I pay my respects to the previous leaders of student government that worked day and night to ensure the safety of our students in collaboration with the University. Without those students’ voices, students would not have had the space or the voice to engage in decision making to combat this pandemic. I thank our SGA leaders for their services and sacrifice to the greater campus. This is shared governance in action!

As we slowly move through the pandemic, we all must do our part to combat the virus. The University has adopted a mask requirement in classrooms and labs. I encourage you all to continue to wear your mask in an area where social distancing is not possible. In addition, I urge you all to get vaccinated and play a part in slowing down the spread of COVID. Here’s a heads up: Student Health Services is offering the vaccine for free!

As students, we have the responsibility to keep each other safe. As student leaders, SGA has the duty to ensure that you have the resources and education to do this.

This summer, SGA and the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance announced the requirement to complete a Title IX Training. If you have not done so yet, please complete this training today! A hold will be placed on your student account that will prevent you from registering, requesting documents, etc., until this requirement is competed. The due date is October 24th. If you have any questions about this, please contact [email protected].

This requirement, spearheaded by SGA is designed to ensure that we as students can act appropriately in challenging situations that us as individuals, or our fellow peers might find ourselves in. This campus is ours to create the culture for, so it’s going to take all of us to ensure that we are creating a safe and secure campus for us all to thrive in. 

When Student Body Vice President Kamilah Gumbs and I announced our candidacy, we sought out to create a Legacy of Change. The commitments and obligations involved in this job are ones that we are proud to take; and eager to lay out. With that, we invite you to attend our second State of the Student Body Address on September 1st to hear about our plans for the 2021-2022 academic year!

Together, as a student body, we must continue to engage on the campus, develop our sense of beginning, and strive to leave this place better than we found it.

The Student Government Association is excited to welcome you to campus this fall! Campus is thriving and the spirit of Shocker Nation is alive. Go out there, attend your classes, meet new friends, actively participate in events and join organizations, support our student-athletes, attend fine arts events, challenge your thoughts, and create an inclusive environment for all of Shocker Nation. See you all soon! Go Shocks!