Tallahassee Sun

Most everyone has heard that politics are local but what about on your university campus?

Student representatives provide joint college students representation at both Florida State University (FSU) and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) at the highest level. Within the Student Government Associations (SGA) at both universities, the Student Senate has senate seats designated for each college. These representatives act as liaisons between students and SGA to provide advocacy on student issues. 

Meet the students from FAMU-FSU Engineering and our parent universities who are working with university administrators on your behalf. These leaders want your voices to be heard and as student government association representatives for the college, they are working for you.

TJ Hockett

TJ Hocket is a student senator at FSU for the college and an undergraduate in biomedical engineering. Hockett wants to facilitate change and hopes to become the momentum to propagate it.

“Being a representative of the student body and providing a voice for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is an honor,” Hockett said. “When you are part of a separate campus it can feel like there is a disconnect, but I believe that it has caused us as engineering majors to become closer. There are an unlimited number of smiling faces in student government, and I appreciate the strong ties and connections that I have made within SGA.” 

Kyle Casiple and Nina Chong, both chemical engineering undergraduates, were recently elected to represent the college in the FSU SGA. 

Nina Chong

Chong is the executive director of the Asian American Student Union (AASU), and Casiple is a liaison for the group. The two work closely together for the group, which is under the umbrella of the FSU Student Government Association.  

“Leading the Asian American Student Union is really an honor and I love working to represent the Asian American students on campus. In this role, I work to promote culture, educate students and spread awareness about Asian-interest topics,” Chong said. “We are an umbrella organization for 13 Asian-interest organizations on campus, and there are AASU events throughout the year that all students are welcome to attend.”

Kyle Casiple

Casiple wants to advocate for Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) and general infrastructure issues around the college, especially road conditions and parking issues. 

“Registered student organizations are an integral part of forming communities on campus and I found my home on our campus through them,” Casiple said. “I want to help others have that same experience.” 

Kelton Williams is student senate president for the FAMU SGA and is interested in issues that affect engineering. Although Williams is not an engineering student, he is well-versed in working across colleges and universities. Williams is currently partnering with Capsiple at FSU to draft a resolution promoting collaboration between the student governments to benefit the joint college.

“I’m excited to partner with the Florida State University Student Senate to begin working on the facility of our shared college,” Williams said. “Although we are in the early stages of our project, we aim to enhance the beautification of the campus and the bus route, making the bus route more convenient for our students to use.”

The Basics of Student Government

The SGA is modeled after the government and is separated into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is led by the student body president, the student body vice president, the student body treasurer, the office of the student body president and the student body and cabinet. The legislative branch includes the student senate and its committees. 

The SGA writes legislature for statutes that govern the student body and provides funding for student organizations through allocation funding committees. They oversee identity-based agencies including the Black Student Union, Asian American Student Union, Pride Student Union, Jewish Student Union, Hispanic/Latinx Student Union, Womens Student Union and the Veterans Student Union. 

SGA also oversees SGA Bureaus including The Center for Participant Education, The Office of Mental Health Council, Office of Governmental Affairs, Inter-Residence Hall Council, Student Council for Accessibility Advocacy, and the Student Council for Undergraduate Research and Creativity. 

The SGA has an Elections Office run by the Supervisor of Elections and two Deputy Supervisors of Elections. The Elections Office is responsible for overseeing all SGA elections, including ensuring election integrity, upholding, and enforcing the election code. 

“If students want to see something changed on campus, they can introduce policy change. This is very powerful and gives students a voice that matters,” Chong said. “Anyone can get involved in the SGA and I will be happy to help any student who is interested. I especially encourage engineering students to join.”

Original source can be found here.