The SpringHillian Volume 108, Issue 4
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
SGA Election Ends with Dernlan-Morgan Amelia Hoffeld and Caroline Weishaar | Reporters After two weeks of prepping and campaigning, the Spring Hill College Student Government Association (SGA) 2019 presidential and vice presidential elections resulted in juniors Cade Dernlan and Griffin Morgan winning as president and vice president, respectively. Both elected members agreed on their feelings and concerns about being new members of the SGA team, Vice President-elect Morgan said, “We know there will be a learning curve, but I think we are both ready for that challenge.” The two of them expressed their determination for crossing the bridge to learning the ropes of the job. Dernlan explained that any of their concerns has become motivation to fulfill their roles and platform, he added, “I’m excited to encounter challenges that we
have yet to consider and we are looking forward to finding new and innovative ways to tackle those challenges.” When questioned about how they plan on achieving a better relationship with the administration, Dernlan said, “We look forward to collaborating with Kevin Abel (Vice President of Student Affairs). But really, we want to ensure that students and faculty are both heard by the administration.” He explained his intentions to establish better relationships with multiple school programs in his hopes to “ensure that all organizations on campus operate in a more synergetic fashion.” The two elects hope to fulfill their progressive platform by implementing new initiatives, Morgan proceeded to explain, “The most passionate thing for us is the student mentorship program. We really think it will help
out and it’s a pretty endemic problem we have here.” Looking into the future, after the 2019 term concludes, the elected candidates would like to see increased campus involvement, on-campus enrollment and higher retention rates. During the upcoming weeks, the new cabinet will shadow under the present SGA cabinet. Dernlan and Morgan elaborated on their chosen cabinet for the new term, emphasizing that their cabinet will include a diverse group of experienced individuals of different involvements. Dernlan expressed that they “are excited to introduce a cabinet that not only boasts prior SGA experience, but that also boasts individuals who have gone above and beyond in leadership positions on this campus.” As April 4 approaches for
The new SGA president and vice president, Cade Dernlan and Griffin Morgan | Photo: Amelia Hoffeld Inauguration, the new term information on SGA, visit will kick into gear with the the Instagram page @shcsnewly elected cabinet and ga or the Spring Hill Colsenate members. lege Student Government The SGA senate elec- Association Facebook page. tion campaigning will pick up on March 18. For more
and developments all over campus. Six new buildings, including three residence halls, and Burke Library were built in addition to renovations of 12 existing buildings. In addition to the beautification of the campus, Fr. Lucey also helped increase undergraduate enrollment
from 850 to over 1300 as well as heighten the college’s reputation around Mobile. He worked to form a lasting relationship between Spring Hill College and its surrounding community. Fr. Lucey described the college as being somewhat isolated from the neighboring area, saying his goal was to “invite Mobile to be part of Spring Hill and for Spring Hill to be a part of Mobile.” For these improvements, the city named him Mobilian of the Year in 2005. Fr. Lucey became an ordained Jesuit priest in 1964. “60 years ago when I was a young Jesuit, at 26 years old, they gave me my first chance to be in charge. I was working in a boy’s boarding school, and they had me in charge
Fr. Lucey Retires as Chancellor Sydnie Lee | Reporter
After dedicating 22 years to Spring Hill as both president and chancellor, Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, SJ has stepped down from his fulltime duties at the college. Fr. Lucey came to Spring Hill in 1997 and took on the role of the 37th president of the college. He left the college in 2009 to be head of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Washington. Spring Hill later appointed Fr. Lucey as chancellor in 2013, but he resumed his duty as president a few months later. He became chancellor once again in 2015 and remained in that position until recently. When Fr. Lucey first arrived at Spring Hill, the college’s campus was in great need of an update and had
$50 million of deferred maintenance. When speaking of his initial plans for Spring Hill, Fr. Lucey said, “I was looking for a challenge, but I didn’t really realize the significance of the challenge.” During his presidency, Fr. Lucey remarkably revitalized Spring Hill with restorations
of the freshmen with other young Jesuits. 60 years later, I’m saying ‘I think it’s time for me not to be in charge,’” said Fr. Lucey. Fr. Lucey will remain on Spring Hill’s campus and continue to carry out many of the same duties he did previously such as conducting mission formations, running faculty seminars, holding masses and working with the administration to recruit new faculty. Fr. Lucey facilitates a wisdom group every two weeks with a group of senior students. Ashlyn Adams, a member of his wisdom group, said “Fr. Lucey will always have a mark on Spring Hill College whether he is chancellor or just working in the background sharing his wisdom with students.”