The Student Government Association inaugurated Tamia Smith, 2023-2024 administrative vice president for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee, as president for the 2024-2025 academic year Thursday in Carter Hall.
Smith was the only person to run for the position.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank Adrianna,” Smith said. “Her guidance, leadership and heart helped me out a lot when I came in.”
Smith said the 2023-2024 academic year was her first year participating in SGA. She said Adrianna Garcia, 2023-2024 SGA president, and the other staff members helped answer her questions when she joined.
“I also want to thank the 2023-2024 executive board,” Smith said. “You all have been so amazing and have persevered through so many things and always came out so strong through the end.”
Smith said both the previous and current SGA members will make her feel comfortable in her new role.
“I am so blessed to be given the opportunity to be your 2024-2025 SGA president,” Smith said. “I’m so excited to not only know the new members of SGA, but to also connect with the student body as a whole. My number one goal is to help USI feel connected to their student representatives. This means all students.”
Smith said she also has goals for SGA’s 2024-2025 general assembly members. She said she wants to continue creating “diverse spaces” on campus as she transitions into the role of SGA president.
“This year, for our GA, I would like us to work and create a diverse space for students of all races, ethnicities, genders and sexualities on campus so everyone is seen and heard,” Smith said. “We’re going to do some great things this year, and I’m super excited to hear all of your great ideas.”
She said being AVP of the EDI committee and working alongside Garcia will help prepare her for her new role.
“If my goal is diversity, I’ve already kind of been thrown into that, so I already have a bunch of new connections, working for the faculty, especially going into my role in my first year of SGA,” Smith said.
The 2024-2025 SGA elections ran April 5-12 and included changes to ensure students have an equal chance to apply. Changes included a detailed biography for each candidate and rank elections.
Garcia said the previous ballot for SGA president included only the photo of a candidate and their name.
“So people really don’t know who they’re voting for or what to expect when that person takes that office,” Garcia said.
Garcia said including biographies for the candidates helps voters know “what” and “who” they are voting for.
“I felt like it was more just popularity last year, which I don’t think is fair,” Garcia said.
Leonna Benton, chief justice, runs the associates, works with the appeals and runs the elections for SGA. She also looks through SGA applications to ensure each candidate is eligible for the positions based on the required standards.
Benton said for the rank election, students and faculty choose their top three preferred candidates, whereas, in prior years, voters could only select their primary choice. Benton said this led to ties and runoffs in previous years.
Benton said the transition to rank elections was in hopes of preventing another run-off election following the 2023-2024 election.
“We thought it’d be easier to do rank elections this year,” Benton said.
Garcia said she felt bad for her opposing candidates who did not win during the 2023-2024 SGA elections.
“I feel like they didn’t really get a chance because there was no biography,” Garcia said.
Garcia has been on the SGA staff since her freshman year. Before inaugurating Smith, Garcia gave her final report to the SGA staff members in attendance.
“I first want to say thank you all so much for such an incredible year,” Garcia said. “This year has blessed me with so many different opportunities and allowed me to create incredible bonds with each and every one of you. I am so proud of all of you for your contributions and growth as individuals that I have been able to watch throughout this whole year.”
Garcia said both long-standing and newer SGA members helped change the organization to “shape it into what it is today.”
“You all have worked so hard for this organization, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it,” she said.
Garcia said she has enjoyed her time at the organization and as SGA president.
“It’s been actually amazing,” Garcia said. “I’ve had so many amazing opportunities, met so many people, got to network with different people at different events. It’s just been probably the best experience I’ve had at USI so far.”
Smith said she wants others on campus to know they can talk to SGA.
“I feel like there’s been kind of a gap between the student body and SGA, so I really want to bridge that gap so people can come together to talk to SGA about anything else,” Smith said.
