On March 28, former senators attended the SGA senate meeting to inform the new senators what they wished they’d known when they first entered office.
Graham Schmidt, former business senator, said speaking to your constituents is key.
“You have to initiate,” Schmidt said. “Each one of you has to initiate.”
Schmidt said a great way for senators find avenues to get their work done is by speaking with Brad Smith, SGA adviser, and Brandon Honeywell, SGA vice president.
“You really need to find people and talk to people in class,” Schmidt said. “Go and find these people because they honestly have ideas and are willing to share them. They just don’t know who to share them with or that you even exist.”
Schmidt said that although not every is behind SGA, senators should still strive to get things done for the student body.
“Don’t let senate define you,” Schmidt said. “Make people respect SGA by what you accomplish.”
Honeywell echoed Schmidt when he said being a senator should make them confident rather than "cocky."
“Your credibility with administrators and other people on Auburn’s campus can really help get things moving,” Honeywell said. “You are a student with a valuable opinion.”
Honeywell said senators should take comfort in talking with administrators knowing they are backed by the students in their college.
“That’s not a reason to get cocky or overconfident by any means,” Honeywell said. “It should give you confidence and courage to talk about doing some big things that can benefit your college.”
Kayla Warner, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Committee chair, used her time during Executive Committee announcement to talk about ethnocentrism and how avoiding it will lead to better intercultural communication.
“The simple definition is basically to think your culture is better than others because it’s yours,” Warner said. “I’m talking about this just so that in the next couple of weeks you keep your mind open.”
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