A wave of excitement and relief flooded Kirby Turnage, senior in finance, when he heard his name called from the back steps of Cater Hall Feb. 8.
"I was just like, 'Are you kidding me?'" Turnage said. "It was the end of one season and the beginning of another. All of those things coming together at once--it was just too emotional to describe."
Turnage won the presidency last month with 42 percent of the total vote, beating candidates Kel Jackson and Trevor Ramsey.
In the following month, the reality of being Student Government Association president has set in.
Turnage said he spends his days rushing around campus, attending meetings and preparing for his term as president.
"During the past month, I've attended several meetings with Kurt Sasser," Turnage said. "But more and more, he's telling me, 'You got this one now, big daddy,' and I go to the meetings alone."
The official exchange of power took place at the SGA installation banquet March 6.
"His passion and desire for Auburn University to succeed is above and beyond the average student," said Johnny Blankenship, junior in finance and one of Turnage's friends and colleagues.
Blankenship, who supported Turnage during campaign week, said Turnage was calm and confident every time he saw him.
"I think that confidence kept him from being stressed," Blankenship said. "And I think that driven work ethic is going to make him a great president."
The 21-year-old from Pensacola, Fla., said dining is his first priority.
"The first thing I want to do is set forth a strategic plan," Turnage said, "a short list of goals."
Turnage said giving the administration a long list of goals would not be as effective as a short list.
"If I give them 15 goals, they can cut out any number of them," Turnage said. "But if I only give them four goals, they can't really say 'no' to 50 percent of my demands."
Turnage said he will look at how other schools handle dining and will use them as basis for his strategic plan.
"If Virginia Tech does it well or another Chartwells campus does it well, why can't we do it that way?" Turnage said. "We are Auburn, and we have the resources and the capabilities to bring systemic change to something that's not working."
Vanessa Tarpos, newly elected vice president of SGA and junior in English and political science, has worked with Turnage for three years on different projects.
"We bump heads every now and then," Turnage said. "But that's healthy. I can't tell you how grateful I am just to have her. She's just awesome."
Tarpos said they work well together because of their similarities and differences.
"We have the same vision for SGA," Tarpos said. "But our personalities could not be more different. He's much more serious and wants to get things done, where I try to make things fun for everyone."
Turnage said he also has plans to improve student interest in SGA initiatives.
"I want to re-establish the credibility of the position," Turnage said. "Student disinterest stems from hearing about our platforms and then never seeing them fulfilled. When I say I want to create a ticket exchange for game day, I really mean that."
Turnage said he knew he wanted to run for the position of SGA president after a meeting last semester.
"I brought food in from outside vendors, Panera Bread and Moe's," Turnage said, "and I showed the difference between what we get off-campus and what we get for a higher cost on-campus."
Dining is both Turnage's passion and frustration, he said.
"I need another year," Turnage said. "I need 12 more months to address it and make this stick beyond when I leave Auburn."
After graduation, Turnage said he hopes to find a job in health care administration.
"I've grown up around health care," Turnage said. "I've worked in doctors' offices doing medical records since I was 13.
"I love the overall mission of health care, the healing it brings and the opportunities to reach out to people."
Turnage said he prays for Auburn and the members of his executive team.
"I do have spare time," Turnage said. "It's called sleep."
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