SGO serves as liaison between students and administration

How do you drop/add classes during registration? Who do you contact if you lose your ID? What does it mean to speed bump?

These questions and many more can be confusing for new students at LSMSA and that is why Amy Liu is proposing the school adopt a sibling’s program to help answer those questions.

“I remember when I was a sophomore, I was so confused about the add/drop process,” said Liu, a senior from Alexandria. “Returners had to help me because I was all shook up.”

As president of the Student Government Organization, Liu hopes to present the program to the administration in the spring.

“It is implemented at our sister school in North Carolina,” said Liu. “We thought it would be cool to bring it here. A returner would apply to be a big sister or big brother to an incoming student. It is just to help guide them through the transition here. You can go to your big sibling if you need any help.”

The idea was presented last year, but there were still a few questions that could not be answered.

“We are trying to solidify that and bring it up again at the forum in the spring,” said Liu.

The sibling’s program is one of many items on the agenda for the 2017-18 school year for Liu and the other members of the SGO.

A new ad hoc committee was recently formed. It is called the Anti-Boredom Committee and is led by Will Heitman, a junior from Baton Rouge and president of the junior class.

According to Liu, Heitman always heard from other students how bored they were.

“The purpose of the committee is to put out things to do,” said Liu. “Sometimes people don’t know about the cool things happening outside LSMSA in the Natchitoches community and on the NSU campus. This committee will help make people aware.”

Heitman became involved with SGO because of the opportunities offered. As class president, he has the honor of representing his classmates in the greater community. He also gets to listen to the issues and ideas of his fellow juniors and work with the other class councilors to develop solutions.

“My most important job is to act as the voice of the people,” said Heitman. “This can only happen when I listen closely to the concerns of my classmates.

“Traditionally, the junior class has hosted prom. While the class council is working hard to create a great and memorable prom, we are also focusing on creating lasting improvements to the school.”

Nyihaji Woods, a sophomore from Baton Rouge, felt that the time he spent in EXCEL over the summer qualified him to serve as the sophomore class president.

“I had a connection with the teachers already,” said Woods. “I felt I would be a better voice to transfer information between the students and the administration.”

His goals include making the sophomore class stronger and more unified. He also wants to advocate for better food in the cafeteria and better Wi-Fi at night in the residence halls.

“These are things that will make students appreciate the school even more,” he said.

Other members of the SGO include: Sofia Rivera, a senior from Covington, vice president of the SGO executive board; Lauren Rains, a senior from Zachary, secretary/treasurer of the executive board; Presley Simmons, a senior from Walker, president of the senior class; Niko Perez, a senior from Monroe, vice president of the senior class; Devon Mathews, a senior from Natchitoches, secretary/treasurer of the senior class; Edouard Ferrell, a senior from Natchitoches, senior class senator; Ruby Kharod, a senior from Opelousas, senior class senator; Adreanna Queen, a senior from Natchitoches, senior class senator; Marcus Shallow, a senior from Elton, senior class senator; Jakob Shimer, a senior from Lake Charles, senior class senator; Esther Seo, a junior from Bossier City, junior class vice president; Daniel Metzger, a junior from Slidell, junior class secretary/treasurer; Myles Fabre, a junior from Baton Rouge, junior class senator; Rachel Judson, a junior from Lake Charles, junior class senator; Manjistha Lakhotia, a junior from Lafayette, junior class senator; Song Le Jeune, a junior from Metairie, junior class senator; Shivam Shah, a junior from Bossier, junior class senator; Siobahn Stanley, a sophomore from Stonewall, sophomore class vice president; Sara Mixon, a sophomore from Lake Charles, sophomore class secretary/treasurer; Chirstan Bates, a sophomore from Ruston, sophomore class senator; Athena Cai, a sophomore from Madisonville, sophomore class senator; Steely Forrester, a sophomore from Baton Rouge, sophomore class senator; Linh Nguyen, a sophomore from Lafayette, sophomore class senator; and Sydney Sorbet, a sophomore from Covington, sophomore class senator.