An unhealthy intake of coffee. Back-to-back meetings from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cramming studying into the time that was once reserved for sleep. These are all things that have become a part of daily life for outgoing SGA President Dane Block over his past year in office.
The year has been a whirlwind to say the least.
As he finishes out his last few days on the job, it can seem as though the year has flown by.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Block said. “It still hasn’t completely sunk in.”
He wouldn’t trade the job for anything, but devoting nearly every waking hour to the position during his senior year of college has not been all glory.
“There’s a lot of sacrifices one has to make to ensure that the student voice and the student opinion is heard at all times,” Block said. “It is very difficult for one individual to carry that weight. It’s a blessing and a curse that you never really can turn this role off.”
The weight of the duties and responsibilities have forced him to rely on a close-knit group of friends, mentors and his support system.
“It becomes a thing where you wake up every morning, and you’re like, ‘All right, how can I voice the student opinion today? Like what conversation am I going to be brought into?’” Block said. “But it’s been a lot of fun.”
But the sacrifices that are inherent to the position, Block said, have been worth it. Running from meeting to meeting is when he finds he laughs the most.
“I’ve lost a lot of sleep this year,” Block said with a laugh. “And that’s been OK because as I say, it’s been worth it tenfold.”
The most rewarding aspect of the job for Block has been being able to engage with a significant swath of the campus body from sharing a meal with a random group of students to interacting with Auburn University President Steven Leath.
Block ran on a platform with five focuses, or five “building blocks” of the campaign — safety, success, dining, transportation and himself.
Under safety, Block made it a goal to get a sidewalk crossing between Comer Hall and RBD library, which was not able to be accomplished.
“If I could take out some paint, I’d go out there and paint it and paint a crosswalk,” Block said. “But it’s not as easy as that.”
Block has worked with city officials to keep students’ safety concerns in mind with different construction projects, including the new parking deck being built near the library, as well as new safety measures taken on Magnolia Avenue.
He made it a point in his platform for Auburn to join the American Talent Initiative, a program with nearly 300 universities and colleges nationwide participating. It aims to recruit students with more diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Block presented a memorandum to the Student Senate to join the program. The memorandum was passed, but Leath and other administrators have not yet given the necessary approval to join the program.
The University joined the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, a research, policy and advocacy organization representing 239 institutions throughout North America. Leath was recently named to a key post in the association.
“There is overlap between the two initiatives, and now we’re finishing strong, continuing to advocate for that,” Block said. “Moving forward, we’re going to see how we can incorporate both of those things into this University and how we can go forward and solve the overarching issues of financial, needs-based aid.”
Block said he believes Auburn is set up to better match the demographics of the University to the demographics of the state in the coming years.
For dining, Block had said in his platform he wanted to improve dining mobility, as one of the top complaints from the student body was a lack of seating around campus.
In addition to increasing food trucks, Block has worked with Tiger Dining to implement Tapingo, an app that allows students to order food remotely.
“Dining is an ongoing project, and to incorporate that student feedback is key,” Block said.
Block has also been a part of the plans recently finalized by the Board of Trustees to bring a new, massive dining hall where Parker Hall currently sits as well as renovations to Village Dining, which will eventually house an additional Chick-fil-A.
A health bar has not been brought to the Rec as written into his platform last year.
One of Block’s most notable accomplishments is fulfilling the campaign goal of bringing discounted ride-hailing services to students.
A recent request for proposals was issued by the University to subsidize ride-hailing services such as Uber or Lyft. The plan is to have an open-bid process among companies, and the discounted rides will likely come into effect over the summer.
“It’s been a really cool project to research, benchmark other universities and advocate for,” Block said. “I’m really excited about that process and where it’s going moving forward.”
Block said his position is somewhat of a paradoxical situation. He has worked over the course of the past year to plan and implement a variety of projects that he won’t be around to see actually come to fruition, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s all about planting a seed that will grow a tree that you will not experience the shade from,” Block said. “But understanding that some student out there will — that’s the why.”
He admitted that there are things he would have gone about differently in retrospect, but he doesn’t believe he has regrets.
“As a person, I don’t have regrets because I think a regret is a mistake you haven’t learned from, but I’ve made plenty of mistakes,” Block said. “I mean, we’re human.”
As he transitions out and helps the new executive team transfer in, he said he is advising the new group to not take themselves too seriously and embrace the task of taking on the everyday challenges of reflecting the student voice and implementing projects.
“Not seeing this as something that you have to do, but something you get to do,” he said. “Your senior year does look a lot different, but you can still have a lot of fun and enjoy your senior year as a college student.”
With graduation just a few months out, the finance major has a job lined up with Stephens Investment Bank in Little Rock, Arkansas, a place he’s only spent 18 hours in and where he only knows two people.
“It’s definitely a new phase of life, but I’m excited for it,” Block said. “I’m excited to graduate, excited to go on and come back as an alum.”
Considering the countless hours he’s spent working to fulfill his duties as president, it may be bittersweet to be unable to see the fruit of some of the projects that have been implemented this year.
But Block is excited not just to come back and see what the University looks like in five years, but also hear what is being talked about for years down the line.
“Yes, it is so bittersweet leaving this University and all it has to offer as a student, but I think there’s a whole other side of it all as an alum. I’m excited to experience that,” Block said.
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