Excitement is in the air as students experience their first virtual SGA (Student Government Association) Week. The Pulse Administration planned a week full of virtual and in-person events for all Tuskegee University students to enjoy. With their “Islands” theme, the events occurred the week of April 18th to April 24th. With last year’s SGA Week being cancelled due to COVID-19, students have been more eager than ever. The thirteen events throughout the weeks have been planned to accommodate students who are in the Tuskegee area and for those students who may be taking classes at home.
The SGA Week events kicked off with the Men’s Leadership Conference hosted by our Mr. SGA, Zak Thornton. The theme of the 8th Annual Men’s Leadership Conference was “The Endangered Tuskegee Gentlemen: Overturning The Myth.” Zak explains, “the rationale behind the theme is that the male involvement on campus is diminishing year by year. In previous years, the gentlemen on campus placed themselves at the forefront of empowerment. With my conference, I plan to decimate the notion that the Tuskegee Gentleman is endangered; and my conference will overturn this myth.” The conference consisted of a panel of three speakers who shared their expertise to expel the myth of the endangered Tuskegee gentleman. The keynote speaker was Mr. John T. Rose, Esq. and spoke on the message of “Dream Big.” Sixty people total attended the event virtually and in person.
Another event that took place during this week was the Student Choice Awards. Students were nominated for ten different categories such as Best Social Presence, Cutest Couple, and Best College. Winners were awarded with trophies and recognized at the event. The event was also broadcasted via Instagram Live, where students were able to interact in the comments. Students were excited to see their peers being nominated for the various awards and cheered them on from home. Although there were many new events this year, the SGA Week tradition was still upheld with Fried Chicken Wednesday, Step Shows, and a Band Show.
The Pulse Administration’s Chief of Staff, Joy Massey, explained how SGA pulled this week off during a pandemic. She shares, “As SGA, the students are our priority. We were committed to providing some experiences for the students during SGA Week. We planned for weeks and wrote a proposal, implemented social distancing guidelines and tried to be as organized as possible to ensure this event took place!” The Pulse Administration had to deal with a lot of changes with planning a Tuskegee tradition during a Pandemic. Nonetheless, they were able to make events happen and uphold student participation. As this being a lot of student’s first SGA Week, they are enjoying their experience as best as they can.