The Blue and Gold Table Talk took place Oct.2 in the Deese Ballroom. The students of N.C. A&T used the opportunity to get off Sidechat and hash out their thoughts and ideas about campus in person with A&T faculty and leaders.
The event was prepared by the Student Government Association Student Body President, Jasmine Amaniampong, with the help of the Ujima Administration. This event allowed students to talk to the leaders of various departments across campus to voice their questions, issues and suggestions.
Some speakers included Kevin Maxwell, the access coordinator for the Office of Accessibility Resources, Dr. John Lowney, the executive director of Housing and Residence Life and Chief Jermaine Cherry, the chief of police.
“I believe I bridged the gap between the students and the campus police successfully,” Cherry said. “We talked about real-life issues, such as A&T being an open campus, and as we know, that comes with a security cost.”
Students were pleased with the event’s turnout and appreciated the opportunities to provide constructive criticism to faculty members.
“This was an interactive event with leaders that we got to give raw feedback to and receive raw feedback. I think events like this should continue. I appreciate everybody for hearing our thoughts,” said Voston Heidelburg, a junior agribusiness student.
Heidelburg also touched on some underrepresented majors at A&T and looks forward to the potential of bringing more attention to different concentrations.
“Agribusiness is very under-resourced and should be highlighted more,” Heidelberg explained. “I know everything has a process, but I hope the concerns I expressed are taken into action.”
Marcus Scott Jr., the 17th Mister A&T, was also in attendance. He was pleased to see students speaking up about their concerns and mentioned initiatives he would advocate for in the future.
“With us being the advocates for the student body, I was glad to see the students advocate for themselves,” Scott Jr. said. “An issue that stuck out to me was that the students and organizations want more accessibility around campus, and I will advocate for that in the future.”
Department leaders and officers were also present at the event, such as the Vice Chancellor for Information Technology, Tom Jackson, and none other than Chancellor Harold Martin.
“We prioritize and invest to grow and advance our university. I already knew that our students [were] very smart, but they had a lot of maturity [in] their conversation. The answers and solutions of the students were selfless and simply phenomenal,” Martin said.
Martin continued expressing his pride in the students’ engagement and opinions on the university.
“At my table, I asked everyone to imagine that we were chancellor for a day,” Martin said. “What do you see as opportunities for our university, and how would you solve them? What would you make as a priority?”
The event received great reviews from the students and leaders involved, along with excellent notes and solutions for the near future of A&T.
The next SGA event will be the Week of Service With Mister and Miss Junior, Brentavious Boyd and Jaci Cameron. The events are from October 15th-October 20th at various locations. The sign up-link is the SGA’s Instagram bio.
