the end-of-year student talent show, and Junior/Senior. The Involvement Directors lead the dozens of student organizations on campus. The Campus Community Directors put on annual events like The Banana Project — an event in which thousands of bananas are offered to the student body with the requirement of leaving an encouraging note for someone else. These student leaders work together to create the campus community that students have come to expect. Though many of the roles are responsible for creating experiences for the students, the SGA President and Vice President have the unique responsibility of serving as the liaison between students and administration. There is so much work in the SGA office that goes unnoticed. Hundreds of emails, dozens of meetings — it can be exhausting at times. But it’s the impact on the student body that encourages the SGA team. “Thei r job i s to represent the student body to administrators. They meet with Jon Wood (Vice President for Student Life and Christian Ministries) weekly to share what they’re hearing from the student body,” said Brian Burns ’95, Director of Campus Experience. “They also represent Cedarville to the students. Maybe it’s updating the students on how we’ve changed our parking policy or Residence Life.” SGA serves administration by communicating weekly with the students by email and in SGA chapel, delivering announcements to boost student morale, and supporting the mission and vision of Cedarville. The goal of SGA is not to promote personal agendas or combat administration. Instead, the SGA President works closely with administrators like Burns and Wood. This close working relationship not only benefits the student body as a whole, but it builds leaders out of those humbly willing to learn. What this looks like day to day has changed over the years and looks different with each President. Regardless of how they choose to lead, you can’t talk to an SGA President without the words “servant leadership” coming to mind. Whether they say it directly, or it’s delicately laced between their words, this is truly the one thing each SGA President has in common. While most students only see the SGA President on the chapel stage once a week, this represents just one small piece of a much larger commitment. “I think about 10% of SGA was seen on the chapel stage. The other 90% really was behind the scenes on vision casting, talking with the administration, leading the team, and seeking solutions for the student body,” explained Ryan Smith ’19, 2018–2019 SGA president. ON THE STAGE In addition to weekly meetings with the SGA team, administration, and different groups across campus, the SGA President and Vice President have the weekly responsibility of leading SGA chapel, perhaps the most visible part of the SGA experience. The first time an SGA officer steps onto the chapel stage is before they’re even elected. SGA election chapel in the spring gives running parties the chance to introduce themselves. Once elected, it becomes a weekly responsibility. The Chaplain delivers a sermon every week, while the President SGA campaigns all boil down to the same purpose — advancing the mission of the Gospel first, encouraging students, and supporting the vision of Cedarville. 12 | Cedarville Magazine
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