Adria Green to become next SGA president

In a race marked by little fanfare or campaigning, current Student Government Association senator Adria Green defeated Tim Houston for SGA President 574 votes to 340. Current SGA President Taylor Fore will swear Green in this May, after which she will swear in the new senate.

"I think she'll be a great president," Fore said. "She'll bring a new dynamic to the group. She's involved in multiple organizations on campus and holds administrative roles with them, so not only does she have a lot of support from students, she also has many opportunities to interact with and influence students."

Green, who is a political science major, is also involved in campus organizations such as the NAACP, NACWC, Delta Sigma Theta, Tau Sigma Alpha and the gospel choir.

"It is overwhelming," Green said. "I'm ready to hit the ground running this year. I'm happy about the senate, I know almost everyone already from previous organizations. I'm just excited and humbled. I can't believe it happened."

While Green is involved in numerous organizations in various capacities, SGA will take precedence over them.

"My number one concern is my education, so that's my first priority," she said. "Aside from that, my number two priority is SGA."

Green spoke highly of Fore's work while in office.

"I think Taylor Fore really nailed the aspect of being a liaison between students and faculty," she said. "I know in the past it didn't really happen, and he's done a good job of making sure the students know him and SGA. Taylor works day and night, and that's something we haven't really seen in the past, so that's good to see."

That being said, Green acknowledged some ways that SGA could improve in how they operate.

"We could get our name out there a little bit more," she said. "Because Taylor's so busy, we've had to rely on the senate to get our name out there, so we can improve a little bit more on that. I think we can do a bit better at informing students about what's going on in SGA."

For Green, her involvement on campus is a key that she brings to the office of president.

"Personally, I don't see any difference from Taylor, other than I'm a woman," she said. "I understand the social aspect [of being SGA president] because I know a lot of people. I can bring a fresh, new start."

A&M-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones expressed his desire to work closely with Green.

"Adria is an energetic and passionate leader – and a true Lion," he said. "I look forward to working with her as SGA president to move our university forward."

Green believes that the relationship between SGA and the A&M-Commerce administration is a vibrant one.

"I completely think it's healthy," she said. "We talk to Dean [Brian] Nichols all the time and we talk to the leadership a lot, so we've established a rapport with them. The president knows us, Dr. [Mary] Hendrix knows us because of our committees. Of course, there's always room for improvement."

Fore knows the pressure of being SGA president and had some advice for the incoming president.

"The best advice I got, and the advice I'll pass on to her is, 'don't change who you are'," Fore said. "Just because you're the president doesn't mean you have to act differently. There are going to be times where you're going to have to do different things because of your role, but at the end of the day you're still a student. Some people get caught up in what people expect them to do in that role."

The new SGA senate will consist of Sarah Cunningham, Kiera Lewis, Marquis Stimpson, Caleb Culver, April Parker, Tim Houston, Tyler Hemenway, Morgan Drew, Alexander Kimp, Jared Peckham, Michael Martinez, Midhun Kadavil, Carol Frickle, Coby Marcum, Sydea Maha Rizvi, Oday Al-Shakhshir, Michelle Ejimakor, Janak Dahal and Wahaj Mandavia. Adam Haney will serve as vice president senate chair and Johnny Kirkpatrick will serve as vice president senate affairs.

There were a total of 8,524 votes cast in the SGA elections. The results and vote tallys are posted in the SGA office located on the second floor of the Sam Rayburn Student Center.