Three candidates are seeking the top position in the Student Association, and all agree that working for the future of the whole university-not just the SA-will be a task for the new SA president to tackle.
Each candidate laid out a vision for the future of MSU and what he or she will do to secure that future if elected.
“This campus is changing very drastically, and I feel like student perspectives need to be valued while considering its growth and development,” Keeyon Scott said.
Tiffany Crawford said she would like to see a future Mississippi State that focuses on teaching students valuable life skills.
“We need to be sure that we are teaching our students how to become effective leaders,” Crawford said. She also said there should be more focus on unity, a concern that was echoed by Scott.
“All of the candidates express concerns about unity-bonding all races, and establishing various friendships with Greeks and non-Greeks on campus, but I haven’t seen a lot done with that,” Scott said.
He said he would propose activities and promote traditions that would help the campus become more united. “I want to build a Bulldog atmosphere between the students,” he said.
J.R. Love also described a unified university in his vision of MSU’s future.
“I see a student body that becomes so united with the excitement of a new president, but also with the excitement of all of the construction of buildings and facilities on campus, as well as incredible potential our athletics have in the next couple of years,” Love said. “It’s a very exciting time to be a student right now-especially if you are a freshman or sophomore.”
A New University President
SA candidates elected Feb. 21 will have the unique experience of working with a new university president. The College Board has said they will name President Charles Lee’s successor by April.
“I am taking it with great honor that I could have the opportunity to be the first student body president with a new president of the university,” Love said. He said the new president should be someone “who is well respected around the state of Mississippi through ties with the congressional leaders, as well as one who has a true heart for what it means to understand students and their concerns.”
Scott said the new president should be some one who will put the students first. “Dr. Lee has done a great job with his administration of making sure that students’ perspective have been valued throughout his term here at Mississippi State,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of progress at MSU, and I don’t think it would be beneficial for the next president to come in and change everything.”
Scott, who has worked with the university’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as the student leader of Bulldogs In Response and a native of Gulfport, said he also thinks that the new president should be someone who-like Lee-is compassionate about relief efforts.
“Even if he or she is not from Mississippi, I want for them to be compassionate about that because the student relief trips are important to me,” he said.
Crawford said she thinks the president should be someone that students can look up to, but also one who holds the same values as the students. “He is going to be the person we look to for advice and to lead us,” she said. “He is the one who is going to take this campus to greater heights.”
One issue surrounding the presidential search is that the College Board is using a new model of selecting a president. The same process could be used to select the University of Southern Mississippi’s president next year. Under this new model, the search committee will not name prospective candidates. Only the final candidate will visit the university before a vote goes to the College Board.
Crawford said she disagrees with secrecy in the process.
“We have to make sure they have the same visions for this campus that we have for this campus,” she said. “We don’t want to get someone in here whose vision is totally different from where we are headed. We want to make sure that all of our needs are met.”
While it’s ultimately up to the decision of the search committees and IHL board, Scott said he doesn’t think it would be a bad idea to release some of the names. “We may be able to-not necessarily do background checks-but at least have an idea of who they are and what they are about,” he said.
Love said he understands the concerns that have been raised about the search process, but respects potential candidates’ rights to keep it secret, he said.
A major part of the university’s future depends on building and maintaining a strong relationship with Starkville.
Working With The City
MSU receives 20 percent of the city’s 2 percent food and beverage tax, and the SA president is partially responsible for delegating those funds.
Also, major SA events like Bulldog Bash and Old Main Music Festival are efforts traditionally coordinated with the city. Although none of the candidates have attended a Starkville Board of Aldermen meeting, they do see the value in creating a strong relationship with the city.
“I think we as a university of 16,000 have a great voice to the city of Starkville, and I would take that with great excitement and boldness,” Love said.
Crawford, whose mother served on the Houston City Council for 20 years, said she is familiar with city government issues. She thinks MSU needs more student interaction in the community and with community officials. “We need to have more insight into what they are doing in the community, and we can bring that back and implement it here on campus,” she said.
Scott expressed a similar concern.
“Looking out in the community I think Starkville is progressive,” Scott said. “I plan to work very closely with the mayor and other representatives throughout the community to make sure that the students are happy with the community and that the community is happy with us.”