SGA ushers in new executive team, reflects on successes

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Managing Editor

On April 18, the 2022-23 SGA executive administration passed down the torch as the newly elected top four executive members took oaths of office in a ceremony honoring the successes of the organization over the past year.

SGA’s Commit campaign recently swept elections as students chose Mark Hancock, Lindsey Campbell, Mary Hajdik and Josie Drumwright to serve as student body president, student body vice president, executive treasurer and student services director, respectively.

The transition ceremony marked the end of 2022-23 Student Body President Jordan Brown’s tenure and ushered in a new term led by Hancock and his team. Hancock previously served as Brown’s vice president.

Throughout the ceremony, SGA members and UT faculty emphasized the way this year’s SGA has worked to create change on campus and come up with new ideas for improving campus life. With the Vice Chancellor of Student Life Frank Cuevas and Dean of Students Byron Hughes present at the event, attendees also stressed the way this year’s SGA has worked closely with administration.

“The undergrad student experience de- pends on us being in tandem with each other and being tuned into the wants and needs that lead to the increased success and wellbeing for each student,” Hughes said. “Our outgoing SGA leadership team has done just that over the past year.”

In her final address as student body president, Jordan Brown reflected on her team’s work over the past year, stating how she feels they’ve fulfilled the pillars of embrace, engage and energize that the Evolve campaign ran on last spring.

“When I walked on this campus as a freshman I would have never expected a campus this big becoming a place where I did not feel like a small fish in a big pond,” Brown said. “But our administration built a foundation within SGA so no student would feel that way.”

In his inaugural address, Hancock echoed Brown’s priorities of connecting more with campus, bringing up Commit’s pillars of inspire, unify and reputation. He looks forward to continuing the prior administration’s legacy on campus with a new executive cabinet.

“In this new chapter, SGA will be committed to all students,” Hancock said. “In this new chapter, SGA will be committed to UT.”

While looking forward to the future of SGA, Hancock also looked back on his tenure as vice president and the impact the club made through legislation and engagement.

“We had numerous accomplishments and were able to expand SGA beyond what it has been in recent years,” Hancock said.

Those accomplishments throughout the year were discussed and recognized through awards at the ceremony.

This year’s undergraduate student senate passed ten bills, three resolutions and three proclamations under the leadership of Hancock, who as vice president served as president of senate, and Leah Gutzwiller, a senior engineering major and senate chairwoman.

Gutzwiller highlighted some key legislation from the year including moves to replant the Alex Haley tree, make game day more accessible for students with disabilities, improve academic advising, create an all-female workout space in TRECS and aid in parking difficulties through improving the Volunteer Life app.

SGA awarded the Outstanding Member of the Year award to Nik Dalton, a junior political science major who ran against Hancock for student body president this year with The Volunteer’s Union campaign.

The ceremony also honored the work of SGA’s judicial branch, as Brown announced the creation of a new award named after 2020-23 Associate Justice Devin Majors, a graduating UT law student.

Other members awarded at the event include Elliot Tillman as student services member of the year, Eva Karnowski as Jimmy Cheek Visionary Award recipient, Jada Laws as executive cabinet member of the year and Juliet Gear as outstanding executive board member of the year. Members of First-Year Leadership Council Connor Fox and Miller Clark received the Philip A. Scheurer Leadership Award and outstanding first-year leadership council member of the year.