Changes implemented in SGA

Sophomore Sebastian Johnson, Blair Student Government Association (SGA) President-elect for 2005, has begun implementing several changes to address problems of SGA organization and student body awareness as he prepares to assume presidential duties beginning June 1.

The SGA is already laying out the schedule of events for the next school year, expanding the student government and revising their Constitution, according to Johnson, and also seeks to strengthen its relationship with the administration as part of the overhaul of changes that will affect the student body starting next year.

"The two biggest problems this year were the organization of events like the pep rally and the perception the student body has of the SGA," explained Johnson, who served as SGA Parliamentarian this past year. "The way the student body sees us is extremely important and we didn't do enough with that this year."

Johnson is optimistic that his proposal of enlarging the SGA to include positions such as the Press Secretary and Communications Director will be effective in helping the student government reach out to the student body.

This year, Johnson formed a committee that began rewriting the SGA Constitution, which has not been revised since 1995. He felt the outdated Constitution was vague and unsuitable to Blair's current population, which is far larger than the population of a decade ago. He will continue its revision next year and expects its completion either late-2005 or early-2006.

Within the Constitution, Johnson said he was concentrating on improving government organization by writing new by-laws, which outline officer positions, departments and committees, and adjusting the Bill of Rights to better protect students' rights and responsibilities. Meanwhile, he has revived the judicial branch of the SGA; he has nominated Justices for the Review Board, which oversees the actions of the President.

This past year the SGA successfully established a "solid relationship" with the Blair administration, said SGA Sponsor Rondai Ravilious, and they intend to further that connection as another step in increasing student body power and influence. Next year, both the SGA and the administration wish to meet as often as once a week, according to administrators. "Principal [Phillip] Gainous wants to hear the voices of the students," explained Ravilious.

Principal Phillip Gainous agreed that this year, the SGA associated more with the administration than they had in the past few years. "They got more comfortable putting issues on the table," he explained, "and when I disagreed with them, they felt more comfortable to say, ‘Well, wait a second.'"

The PTSA also hopes to reestablish a stronger formal bond with the SGA and encourage SGA representatives to attend monthly PTSA meetings, according to PTSA Co-President Betsy Scroggs. "I think it would be a wonderful collaboration," said Scroggs. "Young people don't mind speaking their minds, and they speak the heart of truth."

Johnson said that this year the SGA organized two successful blood drives and was more supportive of extracurricular activities by allowing new clubs to be created year-round. However, he stated that despite their accomplishments, the SGA has still much more ahead of it before it can reach all its goals; the officers aim to restore the power of their organization "back to the days when the SGA meant something," as SGA President senior Denise Sylla explained.

Currently, Gainous sees the SGA's progress as "a significant turn of a corner" and foresees that it "will exert some strong leadership." Yet he said the student government still has far to go in making itself visible to the student body and informing the student body of what their SGA is doing for them. "They need folk to see who they are," explained Gainous. "Right now, they get voted on and disappear."

Gainous and the SGA share the same vision of increased SGA influence: "They ought to be the leaders of the student body in this school," he explained. "They should be the body that runs the school, the entity that talks to [the student body] on the TV, on the [Public Announcement system]."

As an example of what the SGA is capable of doing at its full potential, he stated that Blair would not be in its current site if not for the previous student government from the old Blair; the old SGA had organized assemblies and a full walkout to attract media attention ensuring the opinions of the students were counted in the final decisions.
Gainous added that he completely supports the student voice. "That's how powerful I think they should be. That's how strongly I believe in the student body," he said. "They need to be full partners with [the administration]."

He explained how at the old Blair, due to the lack of parking spaces, students drove to the school neighborhood and left trash behind after parking in front of driveways. In response to community members who called in to complain, the SGA president personally went door-to-door apologizing for his classmates' actions, promising the event would not occur again. Gainous said he believes this was far more powerful than having administrators call to apologize.

According to Gainous and Assistant Principal Linda Wanner, who was the SGA sponsor in old Blair, the student government lost much of its authority after the switch in buildings. Gainous explained that the sponsors had changed during the move and, after the move, the upperclassmen "had no real allegiance to this building" having lost many traditions associated with old Blair, like open lunches. From then on, "there was a lot of negativity and the students turned inward, planning parties to compensate," he said.

Sylla and Johnson both feel Blazers can help the SGA by simply listening to what their student representatives have to say. "We were stopped or hindered from doing some things this year because there wasn't a lot of support from the students," said Sylla, explaining that the SGA will become stronger with increased student support.

Johnson encouraged students to approach the SGA with ideas or complaints, stating that their office door, room 161, is open every day during lunch. "Tell us what's wrong, and we're always willing to work with you to get it changed."