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In last week’s SGA elections, senior Omar McMillian was elected to serve as the next senior class president. Defeating his closest opponent by a staggering 55 votes, McMillian won by a greater margin than any other winner in the class president category.
On this victory, McMillian said, “I was taken aback by the support the student body showed as a whole, and truly honored by the dedication an immense amount of individuals put into seeing that this victory be made possible.”
McMillian described his platform as “horizontally motivated” and wished to clarify that there is no hierarchy involved in his title. “I am first a student. What this means is that I am always approachable, always obtainable, and always responsive in my dealings with my constituents. ... I have been recently elected the recognizable figure of the senior class, but it isn’t a job that’s done alone. With participation through communication, I believe the senior class and I are one.”
Junior class president-elect, Jessica Hoyle, offered a similar explanation of her position: “I am a student like the thousands of [other] students that I am on campus with daily, and I understand and expect the same things that they all do. Whether that is football, better parking, lower tuition cost and many other things.”
“The expectations I have for myself are to approach every situation with as much passion and desire as possible,” said Hoyle, who won by a two-vote margin. “I also understand that being elected as junior class president, those ... that voted for me expected that I would be able to help meet their needs; and even the juniors that maybe voted a different way or perhaps not at all will now look to me to make a difference. ... I am truly honored and blessed to have been elected.”
Newly-elected freshman class president, Jake Smith, spoke along the same lines as Hoyle, asking for “any freshman student who has a new idea, a concern, or would just simply like to see a change occur to speak with me about it so that I can bring the issue to a higher source, with hopes of resolving it.”
Fabian Elliott, one of four elected to the Freshman Senate-at-Large, also offered his attention to the freshman class. “I am not an uptight person and I can relate to many of the problems of the typical student,” he assured. “I hope to be able to contribute to the students of UNC Charlotte in a positive way.”
Sophomore Kevin Metcalf, who, like Hoyle, won the office of his class’s presidency by two votes, hopes in the coming year to encourage students to be more active in campus life. “Get out and experience what UNC Charlotte has to offer,” he said. “Everyone needs to get involved more and help out. It’s that desire and participation that makes college so much more enjoyable. With this thought in mind, I plan to set forth and achieve this with full steam ahead.”
Metcalf isn’t the only class president-elect with plans for specific initiatives they would like to set in motion. “My first and [main] goal as president of the freshmen class is to bond and unite our class,” Smith said. “I hope to accomplish this through pro-active gatherings for freshmen, athletic events, as well as simply encouraging freshmen to become more acquainted with their peers on campus.”
Smith also has plans to raise money for the future football team at UNC Charlotte. “I have some ideas and contacts for future fundraisers at places such as the Bank of America Stadium during Panthers games, the Bobcats arena during Bobcats games, and also at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. I feel that reaching out to the people of the city of Charlotte will bring us great success with these funds, because frankly, the majority of Charlotte residents want to see this university have a football team just as much as we do.”
Omar McMillian’s plans to include assembling a group to advise class presidents on key issues affecting the student population, and to promote the visibility of the Young Alumni Association with graduating seniors and continuing seniors as part of his agenda for next year. McMillian describes the Young Alumni Association, which was chartered at the beginning of July, as an organization that will assist graduating seniors with vital post-graduation elements, such as networking, career building, and local job employment.
As a final word Metcalf proposed uniting not only the freshman class, but also using that experience to unite the entire student body. “Everyone is unique in their own individual way, but together we can make UNC Charlotte great.”
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