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SGA President speaks on increasing visibility, connecting with students and the upcoming election cycle

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In an interview with The Paisano last week, Student Government Association (SGA) President Jasmin Paquet-Durand Ford reflected on the past year, recounting the organization’s triumphs, changes in its constitution and working to bridge the gap between the university and students.

“I would say overall, the past year has been wonderful. It has been challenging on a personal level [and] it [has] been challenging on an organizational level … but I am really proud of everyone in the organization,” Paquet-Durand Ford said.

Visibility on Campus ship is through tabling. The organization also co-hosted a watch party for the UT Austin vs. UTSA football game last semester. According to PaquetDurand Ford, this was a great way to connect with students in a more informal setting.

“[The watch party] was about creating that sense of community and belonging as we all come together and [saying] ‘Oh, by the way, we are student government,’ as an afternote,” Paquet-Durand Ford said.

The organization’s liaisons have also been beneficial in keeping the organization informed about various departments or organizations at the university while also conveying information from SGA back to their respective departments and organizations.

“I think [social media] only goes so far, but for this generation, [in] today’s day and age, that is definitely one of the most effective ways for us to engage with students,” PaquetDurand Ford said. Elections and Student Voter Turnout Apart from day-to-day engagement, student voter turnout for SGA elections tends to be considerably low compared to the university’s total student population. A total of 744 students — 2.45% of the student body — participated in SGA’s spring elections last year.

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In the wake of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s top priority Senate Bills, UTSA’s Faculty Senate gathered to discuss academic freedom and tenure, among several other talking points.

This past Friday, Carlos Martinez from the Office of the President spoke to the group about Patrick’s proposed senate bills in the Texas Legislature and UTSA’s place in those discussions. In addition, UTSA has a representative, Jason Hassay, in the state capital that communicates on behalf of the university.

While faculty expressed their concerns and confusion about the university leadership’s silence on the proposed senate bills attacking critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity and inclusion ,

Martinez urged caution and to avoid speculation.

In speaking about the outcomes of bills and when they would be finalized, Martinez expressed that it is a process.

“We likely will not know the end result of this until the middle to the end of May,” Martinez said. “The strategy of ours is very thoughtful [and] deliberate.”

Martinez frequented the term “energizing the other side” when describing the discussions that might occur around the bills and their future outcomes.

“There will be an attempt to energize the other side,” Martinez said. “Be thoughtful and deliberate about how and when you respond.”

In her interview with The Paisano last year, PaquetDurand Ford expressed the desire to increase Student Government’s interaction with students.

Having joined SGA during the pandemic, when many of the organization’s operations were conducted online, Paquet-Durand Ford explained that coming back in person benefitted the organization’s visibility and engagement with students.

One of the ways that the organization has worked on increasing engagement under Paquet-Durand Ford’s leader-

Currently, SGA has several liaisons, including a student veterans association liaison, a student athletics liaison and a student disability liaison.

“They have done a lot in terms of bringing that infor mation to us and keeping us in the loop, and also [shar ing what we do] with their colleagues,” Paquet-Durand Ford said.

Finally, the organiza tion has increased its social media presence over the last year.