Anna Bialkowski
News Editor
On Sept. 4, student organizations gathered to host Florida Southern’s annual fall Convocation. The Student Government Association was introduced by student body president, Zion Virgil, followed by ACE, MSC (Multicultural Student Council), Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, Campus Ministries and Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The student organizations remain the focus of leading convocation, a new tradition brought in just last year.
Convocation had the honor of welcoming President Jeremy Martin, the 18th president of the college appointed in early August. During his speech, Dr. Martin made it very clear that his main objective at the college is to make everyone feel like they have a sense of belonging at FSC. In a promotional video of the student-led coffee cart, Morning Grind, Martin and Virgil discussed Martin’s plans for the college and advertised a specialty drink served at the cart: the Dr. Martin Citrus Twist.
The MSC is a recent addition to student organizations. What once was an extension of the Student Government, the MSC has formed a fully autonomous council.
“MSC really wants to kick back into gear this year,” Public Relations Chair Sydney Silva said, “we’ve been going through a ton of changes in the past year and a half … with a near team this year we are really excited to bring MSC back to the way it was two years ago and promote [it] to more people on campus.”
Executive Vice President of SGA Sophie Grace Posick explained that having a student-led convocation is instrumental to making students aware of the resources and opportunities that are available to them.
“We are representing [students] and here for their interest,” Posick said.
Student involvement and engagement is an integral part of being a student at Florida Southern, which is encouraged by student organizations. With the announcement of Southern Takeover headliners– Lisa Heller, MAGIC!, and Echosmith– Vice President of Membership Development Catherine Sarte explains that students are encouraged to help plan one of the biggest music events on campus. Through the new ACE Duck Program, contributing students can earn unique rubber ducks that are themed after each planning committee they complete.
“These ducks serve as both a symbol of [student’s] contributions and a way to showcase their dedication to our campus community,” Sartre said. “The choice of ducks as the program’s symbol reflects their universal appeal and aligns with our Lakeland community spirit.”
Southern Sound Director Tommy Anderson goes into detail about the process for choosing the artists and that ultimately, the goal was to have students recognize at least one of the artists and to have an overall amazing concert experience.
“We looked at the most popular genre in the end-of-the-year survey, and students wanted pop and rock,” Anderson said. “The planning involved many emails, and gauging how the student body would react.”
Meetings to help plan the rest of Southern Takeover will be held in the Rogers Org. Room on Sept. 11, Sept. 18 and Oct. 9 at 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
“I’m hoping students are excited to plan the rest of Southern Takeover and to experience the hype leading up to the event,” Anderson says. “My biggest hope is that students give us as much input and feedback as possible.”
Southern Takeover will occur at Branscomb Auditorium with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16.
