New Student Government President George Alderman and Vice President Hannah Weary are starting to lay the groundwork this summer for changes that they’d like to see in the upcoming academic year, including fostering a greater sense of community at Stetson.

The two student leaders say they are eager to bring the Stetson community together and hope to improve the relationship between Student Government Association and the student body and administration.

They are just beginning to plan the annual Welcome Back Bash for students, held on campus shortly after the Fall Semester begins Aug. 22. Alderman said he hopes to attract more students to the event this year.

“Mostly, it’s been targeted to first-year students and new students on campus. But I’d like to open it to the greater campus,” said Alderman ’21, a political science major who plans to attend law school after graduation. He also is president of Stetson’s Model Senate this year and a member of Stetson’s Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Weary, the vice president, is a triple major in political science, economics and international studies. She would like SGA to connect more frequently with students and organizations to promote an “inclusive platform that advocates for all students.”

Alderman said he has done research on the best ways to improve Student Government. He read “Them: Why We Hate Each Other – and How to Heal” by U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska. This opened his eyes to “artificial connections” in the community, fed by social media, and the loneliness that results. 

That’s why he wants to create “a healthy and physical sense of community at Stetson” and help reverse the “national breakdown of community,” he said.

Weary stated that they hope for “SGA to become more visible and accessible on campus so that students and organizations feel comfortable to communicate with SGA about their experiences and changes they would like to see.”

Creating a cohesive community at Stetson will provide an environment that breeds success, they said.

-Carley Fockler

Carley Fockler ’15, English, is a graduate student in Stetson’s M.F.A. of the Americas Creative Writing Program.