Lily Burrows Davis Burton Jonathan Butterfield Whitney Byers Emory Cabe Anna Caldwell Abigail Callicoat Faith Carpenter Moriah Carriere Student Government Association (SGA) president senior Ella Duryea spoke on the first day of chapel to introduce the beginning of her commitment to invite everyone to have a seat at the metaphorical table of the Harding community. Duryea placed her emphasis in curating community events geared towards listening to students’ voices. With her visionary help, the SGA brought back events such as town halls and open forums. Various services also made a comeback, such as a shuttle around Searcy, which Duryea was eager to start at Harding. Duryea wanted to aim sights forward to the next 100 years of the university, in light of the centennial celebration, and emphasize the importance of community. “Especially at the hundredth year, we are at a crossroad,” Duryea said. “We get to look back and see how far we’ve come, but it’s also time to look forward and see where we are going.” Duryea had a lot of experience with the SGA in past years, but her time as president created opportunities for her to implement the ideas of her peers. She was able to make a difference not only for the SGA but also for the Harding student body. Implementing ideas like the car service was something other members of the SGA were excited about. Junior Adele Duncan, secretary and head of the Public Relations Committee of the SGA, said Duryea saw the need and wanted to change it. “People with cars don’t even think about [the service], but for [Duryea] that was something that she was passionate about, and she’s executing it,” Duncan said. Other services that were implemented, such as the town halls and open forums, were designed to let students voice opinions. Senior Luke Ziegler, vice president of the SGA, said those events affected the student body. “[Those events] give us a way to really connect with all members of the student body and ensure that everyone has a voice and a seat at the table,” Ziegler said. The implementation of these events meant that more students could participate in deciding the future of the Harding community. Duryea gave students a chance to sit at the table. “We are here now, and we want everyone to have a voice in what this place is going to look like and everyone to have a say,” Duryea said. “We want to do it together,” Duryea’s time in the SGA provided her with friendships and a chance to grow as both a person and a leader. Duncan knew Duryea through the SGA and their Student Government Association president, senior Ella Duryea emphasizes the power of student voices. AT HE ABLE 152Seniors
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==