The newly elected Turner Administration of the Student Government Association is ready to make moves as the “Head of S.T.A.T.E.”

The executive board for the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year consists of rising seniors and juniors who all have a view of bringing Structure, Transparency, Action, Totality, and Excellence (S.T.A.T.E.) as the Five Star Plan of action that the administration will follow. President Canisha Cierra Turner; Vice President of Internal Affairs Isiah Guinyard; Vice President of External Affairs Ryan Marcus; Alexis Cash, Treasurer; Tiffany Carson, secretary; AnJanette Hunt, Chief of Staff; Gitory Bartell, parliamentarian; Ambirya Neal, Miss A&T and Anthony Fitzhugh Mr. A&T make up the nine person governing body.

“I have the best E-board in the land mainly because they are intellectually sharp, hardworking, and come from a variety of branches on campus. I like to say that we come from the people,” said Turner. She expressed that the E-board is at a plus due to the fact that they all come from different areas of campus life such as Couture Productions, the Honors Program and many other organizations. Turner continued, “We are personable and relatable. That puts us in a positive light.”

The administration chose the “Head of S.T.A.T.E” motto as it gives the aura of the importance and supremacy of our entire university and its students. They want the students to take pride in their education, leadership, and most importantly, pride in the comfort in knowing that they have the ability to ensure success beyond the walls of A&T. Turner added, “We are what extraordinary looks like.”

“Our first plan of action is to bring structure back into SGA first, and then everything else will fall into place.” said Turner. She addressed that next year, the administration has to be the connecting link between the upper administration and the students. Moreover, the E-board will need to remain visible next year, along with implementing and executing campus-wide forums and State of the Campus addresses regularly.

Cash and Carson spoke on forums that can assist with the visibility and implementation for next year that will focus on financial aid/literacy and budgeting so that students can obtain pertinent information for the coming year. They also mentioned that implementing a quarterly forum throughout the year educating students on the inner workings of the student government association will be a focus.

“Our office is always open for students to come in, chat with us, have lunch, and voice their concerns. We have an open door policy,” said Cash. “You can talk to us and let us know how you feel and we can handle it and make sure the proper people hear those concerns because that is our job,” she added. Along with the secretarial responsibilities, Carson wants to make Aggies N Poets bigger and better next year with more room for students to attend and join in on the intimate setting the event brings every year.

Guinyard added that the Senate will take a more visible approach as well to fit in with the “Head of S.T.A.T.E” plan. He plans to not only finish the constitution and make sure that it is one cohesive document, but to also make sure that students know who their senators are in their respective schools and colleges. “We want students to know who their senators are so they can address their concerns to the senators so that they may bring them to SGA then upper administration,” he said. “We want to get out informally and just sit and listen to the concerns of our students. It is very important that we get out and not just hear the concerns of the students, but also act on them.”

In enhancing the totality of the university, the Turner Administration looks to Marcus, Fitzhugh and Neal to make sure that big events such as Homecoming, Aggie Fest, and community service events are brought to the students. Of course homecoming is a big time event that students look forward to, so Marcus wants to make next year’s GHOE the best yet.

Fitzhugh wants to bring a campus-wide field day and a nutrition forum for the students geared toward healthy eating and living. In addition, he wants to bring back Black Shadows Day, which is a mentoring program where students of the university team up with high school students and show them what a normal day for a college student looks like. “That was a big program that Carla and Todd {former Mr. and Miss A&T 2011-2012} did my freshman year,” he said.

Neal explained that she wants to bring in her upcoming non profit organization entitled, “Crowning the Queen In You,” that focuses and helps with issues that a regular student goes through in their every day lives. “You would never know what someone is going through at home, so this can help with sitting him or her down and letting them know that everything will be okay,” she said. She is trying to launch an annual scholarship through the organization for both a female and male student at the university.

Appointed E-board members, Hunt and Bartell, want to put their hands in the mix next year when it comes to planning, organization, and executing all that SGA does next year effectively. “Organizing, scheduling, and planning will be the main focus for next year in making sure that we execute our forums and plans for the student body,” said Hunt.

The last star in the Turner Administration’s Five Star Plan is excellence. “We want to make sure students understand that there is life beyond A&T and it starts in the classroom. It is all about scholarship,” said Turner. In their views for next year, they all want to run SGA with three concrete words in mind: governance, advocacy, and action. “If things come to us and they do not fall under those three categories, then we will not touch it,” said Turner. “That is the true function of student governance here at North Carolina A&T.”

Official plans and activities could not be disclosed at this moment, but everyone expressed their sincere desire to continue the legacy set forth by so many great Eboards that preceded them. Together, they vow to be the voice of the student body. Turner echoed, “We were elected by the students, for the students. So it is our job to serve our student body the best we can. It is all about them.” When asked if any of them had any last words before entering into their new term, they all said unanimously, “Lets get it!”

• Erik Veal, Editor-in-Chief