On Tuesday evening, Mississippi State University’s Student Association announced the newly elected members of their 2013 administration following university-wide voting earlier that day.
Michael Hogan, junior business management major who championed more affordable summer tuition for out-of-state residents, renewed interest in school spirit activities and closer relations between the SA and the student body, was elected president.
Hogan said this honor was the result of years of work, determination and a demanding campaign backed by his friends, family and numerous student organizations.
“We really worked hard, and I think for the first time it feels surreal. It just feels like for the last two months, for the last year, we’ve earned it, and we’ve had a good time doing it,” he said.
Hogan said, despite the hard work ahead, he is grateful to the students of MSU and hopes to assist them in any way possible in the coming year.
“It’s a lot of preparation. It’s a lot of knowledge to be gained in a month, but I’m excited about that,” said Hogan. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it. I’m excited to serve, and I hope that if anything comes to mind from the students that they’ll never hesitate to come to me because it is something that I’m really looking forward to, making sure it happens.”
Junior political science major and vice president elect Shelby Sims said she was thrilled by the results and preparations are already being made to welcome in the new administration.
“I am so excited. I am amazed. I’m really looking forward to this year, and I cannot believe this is happening,” she said. “I have some different preparations to make because I am the secretary now. I’ll be transitioning the new secretary while learning exactly what I’ll need to do as vice president. Really, I’m just going to try to learn as much as I can in this next month before my term.”
Sims said she hopes the student body will take full advantage of her role in the SA. “If there is anything I can do to help, I am here to serve. It’s my job now to serve the students. I’m so excited about this year. Hail State!”
Kaeley Gemmill, junior political science major, was elected SA secretary.
Gemmill said the tremendous support she received during her campaign played a crucial role in her appointment as secretary.
“My sorority backed me a lot, and I had a few good friends that really worked for me, just standing out in the rain until five o’clock at night asking people if they had voted yet. They knew how much I wanted it,” she said.
Gemmill said she will continue to work diligently in the coming weeks as the newly elected officials transition into the 2013 SA administration. “I want to do it to the best of my ability and work as hard as I can to do a really good job at it,” she said. “I want to be prepared for the things to come.”
Sophomore accounting major and treasurer elect, Andrew Sprecher, said the results of the SA election were a welcome surprise. “I’m still kind of soaking it all in. I didn’t know what to expect coming into the night. It could have gone either way,” he said. “It’s been a great experience. I’ve put a lot of work into it. I’m looking forward to getting started and being able to try to make a difference the best way I can.”
Sprecher said his first act as SA treasurer will include drafting an outline for the SA’s finances in the upcoming year. “As soon as we get transitioned, I’m going to start working on the budget and getting that planned for senate approval this Spring.”
Eddie Mac Huddleson, sophomore biochemistry major, was elected attorney general.
Huddleson said he is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the SA and for the support he received throughout his campaign. “I am absolutely blessed and excited to be given this stamp of approval by the students of Mississippi State and just really excited to serve the students on a higher level,” he said. “My support system has been incredible. I’ve told people I haven’t had a campaign team or a campaign manager, but I’ve had a campaign family. I owe everything to them.”
Huddleson said he will be collaborating with the current SA administration to ensure he is aware of the full responsibilities of his role and capable of assisting the student body in whatever means necessary.”I’m definitely going to make sure to study the SA Constitution even more thoroughly than I already have and meet with current attorney general Donny Banerjee to make sure that I’m ready to fulfill my position.”
Shelby Balius, senior finance and management major and current SA president, said she is confident in the capabilities of the newly elected executives, crediting their previous personal experiences and achievements as former SA representatives. “I have absolute faith in all of our members,” she said. “The amount of institutional knowledge that we are going to be gaining from one year to the next is going to really help in the transition which is sometimes the most important part of bringing one administration into the next.”
“Thank you for the voter turnout,” Balius said. “We hope that this will be another successful administration within the Student Association.”
The newly elected officials will transition into the start of their terms the evening of March 27.