By Kim Friel
Student Life Editor
For this last issue of The Elm for the 2009-2010 academic year, we would like to put the student spotlight on Tri Ofosu-Ameyaw who has served as SGA president for the past year.
Q: What was the hardest thing about being SGA president?
A: For me, the hardest thing about being SGA president was learning how to place my trust in my cabinet. I did not really know anyone on my cabinet when we all started working together, but as time went on, I realized that I was working with a group of highly accomplished individuals who were capable of performing their duties and could be left alone to their own devices.
Q: What were some substantial goals you and your administration have accomplished?
A: Under my leadership, the SGA has been able to maintain a reputation within the Student Government Association that its leaders serve their constituents tirelessly and to the best of their ability. For example, when all-female gym hours were passed, we quickly found out that students were dissatisfied with this decision, and we represented the voice of the students and made sure that the issue was resolved. My WAC was also a big accomplishment. The parliamentarian, Keenan Wheeler, headed this project and continues to work with this. The complaint here is that the school website is not catered to Washington College students, so we are working to address that issue by having a separate home page for current students.
We have also stabilized the SGA by transferring knowledge on to the senate, executive board, and student body at large. We did this by doing mock senates for our senators and by creating resource manuals for executive board members as well as for members of the senate. We also were able to transfer knowledge on to the student body by revamping the SGA website, spotlighting the SGA board members in The Elm and sending out e-mails to the student body whenever an issue arose and their input was needed.
We have managed to hold steady the balance of power between the student body and the administration. We did this by having bi-weekly meetings with Dean of students Mela Dutka and associate vice president for student affairs Sarah Feyerherm to insure that they knew what issues students were dealing with. They, in return, were able to offer us some insight into the dealing of the administration and ask us for student input. Meetings with Jerry Roderick, director of Public Safety, were also held whenever issues of security arose, in an attempt to address students concerns in regards to whatever happened.
Q: What was the best thing about being SGA president?
A: There are a few, but the best things about having this position this year was being given the opportunity to be part of the Presidential Search committee for the selection of the new President, Mitchell Reiss and also giving remarks during the dedication of Gibson as well as Hodson Hall. Both of these buildings play such a huge role in student life, so I was honored to be apart of the ceremony. Lastly, simply bonding with the individuals on my executive board. We all came in as strangers, but we are like family now.
Q: Do you have anything you would like to say to your executive board?
A: It has been an honor working with every single one of my executive board members. We had disagreements amongst ourselves every now and then but we always found a way to put our differences aside to resolve the issues that pertained to the student body. I have never been as challenged in my life as I have been in this position, and through the challenges I have managed to grow as a person. My personal growth as SGA president would not have been possible without the help of all of my review/executive board members.
A special thank you to all of the secretaries for making my presidency the best I ever could have hoped for. Your dedication and hard work made my Presidency a breeze, because you were all capable of doing it all. Looking back, I am so happy that students chose me to represent them for an entire year, and I am very blessed and fortunate to have had a team as amazing as the one I had.
Q: Do you have any advice for Andrew Antonio, who will be SGA president next year?
A: Have fun, and remember that this is a learning experience; you will learn from those around you and they will learn from you as well.
Great job and best of luck after graduation, Tri.