Student leaders literally serve thee people during SGA week

Photo by Taniyah Collins

Taniyah Collins and Antonio Jackson
Staff Writers 

The Student Government Association ended their special week of events off in Heritage Dining Hall on the popular Catfish Friday with an event called Serve Thee People. The dining hall was buzzing with excitement, joy and happiness as students walked in to see their fellow SGA peers serving them food for the day. 

The event, which took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 9, gave many students the opportunity to see the who the student leaders were before devouring their food. 

The student leaders explained that this event was just the beginning of what the SGA has in store for the student body.

Sodexo workers watched happily as SGA students took over for them, especially during the twelve o’clock rush hour the cafe usually experiences. 

Members of the SGA shared what factors led to Serve Thee People and what they hope to accomplish in the future.

“We want to y’all to know we’re here, we’re open, we’re in your face about it, you know like you can come and speak to us anytime, we’re approachable. I hope with this event it kind of leads to more greetings and more smiles and more overall communication with the student body and that they can have a good time just like you are,” said Jason Johnson, the current 78th SGA President. 

Johnson is a senior electrical engineering major from Belleville, Mich.

Keyon Dixon, a junior business marketing major from Belleville, Ill., who serves SGA Attorney General, believes events like this are very important to form a connection between students and student leaders. 

“It’s important to serve the student body because we need student-led examples to make sure we get where we need to be. We need student leaders within our community, within our university to make sure all students excel academically and everything when it comes to our collegiate studies,” said Dixon.

Dixon also expresses the importance of serving the student community and setting an example to create a positive environment for JSU.

“The message we’re trying to convey while doing our service is that it’s very important to serve your community… When it comes to community service and serving our people in the student body, we have to set examples to make sure that we continue to set positive steppingstones within our community and within our university,” Dixon state.

Leadership is vital within any entity, whether it be an organization, a workplace, or even a community. Candace Mongo who serves as Miss Junior believes leadership is meaningless when the leaders do nothing for their people. 

“To be a leader is to be a servant, so if you cannot serve your community, you cannot lead. That’s how I feel,” said Mongo, a criminal justice major from Denton, Texas. 

Mongo added, “Serve Thee People, well one it is SGA week and it is our last day but with all this going on with University Pointe, Transitional, housing, financial aid, the business office, and the water crisis, we believe it is very important to let the student body know that we as the Student Government Association and student leaders are still here to lend a helping hand and we’re still going through this together.”