March 2019 Newsletter

Spelmanites and friends, welcome to our March 2019 Newsletter Seasons. As Public Relations Co-Directors, our main goals are always ensuring that quality communication and engagement through social media and other outlets are being perfected, as well as dedicating ourselves to ensuring that the students of Spelman College are aware of the events that SGA hosts and the initiatives that SGA pursues. In approaching this newsletter, we knew that we wanted to show the student body and the entire AUC the essence of who we are as an administration. This administration is super special, but of course, we are biased. We want you to see the vibrant light this board embodies for yourselves. SGA has established a new wave of student leaders who have been eager to serve the student body. Moreover, the theme for this newsletter seemed only fitting to be Seasons, because we are the evidence that things only get better with time— better communication, better events, better initiatives, and most importantly, more love for our board members, our organization, and our beloved institution.

So, without further ado, we present Seasons to you! This newsletter is an overview of the work that the 77th Administration has accomplished since the beginning of the semester. There is so much more work to be done through us as student leaders, and we are deeply excited to be chosen to fulfill such a heavy call. We write this in love, advocacy, scholarship, and sisterhood.

Creatively,

Jasmine R. McCaskill & Rhyan T. Lewis

SGA Public Relations Co-Directors

Spelman College C'2021

— Special thanks to our advisors Ms. Aisha Hitson and Dean Fran'Cee Brown and to our Public Relations Intern Committee Alexandria Maddox, KaJalene Kirkland, Rocki Love, and Tia Rahim.

#StandWithBennett

Market Friday

On Friday, January 25th, SSGA partnered with Miss Spelman and her Court to put on a Market Friday aimed to assist our sisters at Bennett College in their endeavor to raise 5 million dollars in order to maintain their accreditation by the February 1st deadline. SSGA members and Miss Spelman and her court, along with their advisory board canvased market and encouraged students to give a monetary donation to support the cause. Additionally, a portion of the vendor registration fees was donated on behalf of SSGA. We are proud to say that we raised, in total, well over $700 for Bennett College. By February 1st, Bennett had exceeded their needed 5 million. We thank everyone who participated to make our contribution possible! It is so important that we continue to support our fellow HBCUs in any way that we can.

SGA Spring Retreat 2019 with the Office of Student Life & Engagement

During the weekend of January 26-27th, Spelman SGA went on their annual Spring Retreat with P.U.L.S.E Programming Board, Miss Spelman Advisory Board, and PALs in Macon, Georgia. SGA had several sessions based on team building and student leadership with their facilitator J. Emily Grant. Overall, the 77th Administration had a relaxing weekend of bonding and making closer connections with the board and with their advisors Ms. Aisha Hitson and Dean Fran'cee Brown.

77th with their facilitator Mrs. J. Emily Grant and their advisor Ms. Aisha Hitson

"Secure the Bag" SGA Partnership with Wells Fargo

On January 19th, 2019, Spelman SGA and Wells Fargo hosted a Secure the Bag Event. This event was hosted by Mrs. Laurie Winters, who is the Assistant Vice President and Wells Fargo At Work Program Manager for the South Metro Atlanta Market/ West GA Region. The purpose of this workshop was to equip students with life skills such as financial literacy, specifically focusing on budgeting/saving and establishing credit. Mikalia thanks everyone who attended and hopes to host another workshop installment this semester.

Our Director of Special Populations takes on the National Institute Study of Transfer Students Conference in Atlanta, Georgia

February was a busy month for the Director of Special Populations, Taylor Smith. From February 13-15, she attended a conference hosted by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. Here she was able to meet, network with and learn from hundreds of Transfer dedicated professionals about ways that they can improve the experience for incoming transfer students. Taylor was also awarded the National Transfer Student Ambassador Award!

Taylor has been able to use what she learned to inform new proposals that will call for faculty and staff to be cross trained in transfer to better assist the special population students of Spelman College. Finally, she is looking forward to hosting a feedback session in March to hear from all of our transfers about how we can improve the experience.

Conversation with Public Safety

Towards the end of February, the Director of Compliance and Safety, Ava Greene, held a Public Safety Conversation Table in collaboration with POSSE and Public Safety. The purpose of the table was to get student feedback on the top safety concerns on and off campus including but not limited to: active shooting drills, adequate competency and advocacy for our LGBTQIA+ community, general demeanor towards students, transportation, etc. This is only the first part of the entire conversation, so look forward to the next event on March 26, 2019!

#ElectionSzn

This year’s elections season was one for the books! Our Elections Commissioner, Cynthia Ziwawo, says that it was an honor to be able to serve as elections commissioner during her final year at Spelman and to have the opportunity to usher in a new group of leaders. The campaign process included a variety of missions, goals, and backgrounds from our candidates. Each student was able to showcase what it is that could be added to next year’s administrations. Also, Cynthia had the opportunity to change up the usual Speeches & Debates event, and moved it to Upper Manley, instead of Sister’s Chapel, to reach a greater number of the student body. That was her highlight of the election season because it allowed for her to leave her mark on Spelman SGA!

Tea Talk Series

On Thursday, February 28th, Jaelan Sanon and Fana HaileSelassie launched their first Tea Talk Series in collaboration with Spelman Protegé and Mary Ellen Pleasent Entrepreneur Fellow, Destinee Filmore. Building Your Brand focused on helping students develop professionally through five interactive stations; a Resume Review, LinkedIn training session, Business attire presentation, an Elevator Speech contest, and the Clarity Assesment presentation. First-year students in attendance walked away from this event with revised resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and drafted elevator speeches. The Clarity Assesment also offered a comprehensive analysis of individual strengths and weaknesses to guide students' exploration of career fields. Currently, Jaelan and Fana are organizing the first-year Step show and advising the First-Year Class Council on First-Year Week. They both look forward to continuing to have a productive and engaging semester!

In closing, we would like to congratulate the new board— the 78th Administration:

SGA President — Nia Page C'2020
SGA Vice President — Taylor Smith C'2020
Secretary of Academic Affairs — Jailyn Clark C'2021
Secretary of Student Affairs — Ciara Smith C'2021
Secretary of Institutional Research, Planning, & Effectiveness — Shelbi Long C'2021
Secretary of Business & Finance — Jade Dodd-Shojgreen

The full board will be announced in April.

We would also like to thank the entire Office of Student Life & Engagement for their constant support in not only our work, but also in the work of P.U.L.S.E Programming Board and the Miss Spelman Advisory Board.

Keep an eye out for our SGA Week coming in April, and of course, more from the 77th Administration as we close out our chapter and usher in the 78th Administration. It's a new season, and it's only going up— getting better— from here.

#Hey77th

Signing out,