A proposed restructuring of the Samford University Student Government Association’s (SGA) Student Executive Board (SEB) sparked extended discussion at Tuesday night’s Senate meeting, as members discussed creating a new role titled Vice President of Student Enrichment.
The position would take the place of the current Executive Director of Diversity seat on the SEB.
According to the bill, the Vice President of Student Enrichment would “coordinate signature initiatives with students such as listening sessions, educational workshops, and panel discussion” and “advocate for student engagement and foster a culture of connection and civic responsibility,” among other items.
In an interview, Senate Vice President Prodige Tshibangu emphasized that the proposal is a result of broader institutional changes.
“As you know, the new federal laws were passed basically banning diversity positions on campus,” he said. “At one point, the university was threatened by the federal government, saying if you don’t remove all things diversity, we’ll remove federal funding,” Tshibangu said, noting that much of that funding supports student scholarships.
Tshibangu said that in response, positions and committees tied to diversity, including the Executive Director of Diversity and related Senate committees, are being dissolved. He disagrees that the new role is simply a rebranded version of the previous position.
“Some folks may look at this as a renaming or rebranding of this position. No, it’s not,” he said. “This is coming as a new rule to only broaden the position, beyond what we think of traditionally as diversity… it goes way beyond color.”
He also addressed concerns that the responsibilities outlined in the bill overlap with the Vice President of Campus Relations.
According to Tshibangu, campus relations focus largely on off-campus partnerships, while the proposed student enrichment role would focus internally on facilitating conversations and engagement opportunities for students across campus.
Senate Secretary Lauren Franks also placed emphasis on student accessibility.
“Since DEI is kind of shut down, and we are losing our office of diversity, we’re not creating a different role of that, but we’re finding a way to make Samford equitable for all students,” Franks said.
She explained that the position would aim to address barriers facing students with disabilities and others who may struggle to access campus opportunities.
At the conclusion of the Feb. 17 meeting, the Senate voted to send the bill back to committee for further review and clarification, citing concerns that the language was unclear and too similar to existing roles.
The Senate did pass a separate Article I constitutional amendment. The amendment states that if the SGA Code of Laws or Constitution conflicts with university policy or federal law, the administration, through the SGA advisor, has authority to make necessary changes, provided they are reported to the Senate at least 24 hours before the next meeting.
Students interested in following or participating in these discussions can attend Senate meetings, which are open to the student body every Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Brock Forum in Dwight Beeson Hall. Opportunities to serve in SGA leadership and committees are also available throughout the year. Senators can serve on one of six committees, Finance, Student life, Campus service, Community life, Code of laws, and Academic affairs. Committee members work to take the suggestions from the student suggestion box and make necessary changes on campus.
“It’s just little things that we think can make student’s lives better,” Franks said.
Staff Reporter
