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Photos by Lucia Campos and Samarie Goffney<\/p>\n
With the start of the spring semester, the Student Government leadership team is looking to keep up the momentum and success of the fall term. <\/p>\n
The students leading the charge are Student Body President Effua Jordan, Vice President Andres Morales, Chief Justice Alexandria Mitchell, Chief of Staff Lya Lang and Austin Palacios, speaker of the Senate. <\/p>\n
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Nursing major Effua Jordan is the Student Body president. Jordan acts as a representative leader for the Student Government.<\/p>\n
Photo by Lucia Campos<\/a><\/p>\n As president, Jordan\u2019s main responsibilities entail overseeing the branches of government, working with university administration and helping the Senate pass resolutions. <\/p>\n She authored and introduced two resolutions of her own last semester, with one passed and the other still in the development stages.<\/p>\n Jordan said last semester she wanted to focus on passing as many resolutions through the Senate as possible. This semester, she wants to continue that effort while maintaining the quality of the resolutions. <\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve been going through the resolutions pretty quickly and pretty efficiently,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I want to be able to put out more quality resolutions.\u201d <\/p>\n Jordan said her office is always open for students to voice their opinions and share their ideas. <\/p>\n \u201cIf they have any ideas about a resolution, I always have senators down there with me who are willing to listen,\u201d she said. \u201cI want people to feel at home with Student Government because we have \u2018student\u2019 in the name \u2014 it\u2019s for everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n Andres Morales, management and operations and supply chain management sophomore, is the Student Body vice president. Morales acts as chair of the Assembly of College Councils.<\/p>\n Photo by Lucia Campos<\/a><\/p>\n Morales serves as Student Body vice president and oversees membership, training and the Maverick Discount Program. <\/p>\n Initially, Morales wanted to be a normal student, he said, but during his orientation, former Chief Justice Kaitlyn Clay asked if he wanted to join Student Government, and he said yes. <\/p>\n Last semester, Morales’ goal was to expand the Maverick Discount Program, which partners with businesses to give UTA students, faculty and staff discounts. He and the Executive Relations Committee were able to grow the program from about five businesses to more than 20. <\/p>\n He also wanted to help students, faculty and staff as bills passed through the Texas House, as well as help incoming freshmen with their transition to the university. <\/p>\n Morales\u2019s Fill the Pantry, Fill the Heart initiative wasn\u2019t initially planned, but it became another one of his projects last semester. During the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, he launched the initiative, which partnered with the Maverick Pantry to receive needed donations. <\/p>\n \u201cOur original goal was to get 3,000 individual donations,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had over 7,000, so we more than doubled our own goal.\u201d <\/p>\n His goals this semester consist of training new members and preparing Student Government social events. <\/p>\n \u201cMy success doesn\u2019t depend on myself solely \u2014 it depends on the members,\u201d he said. \u201cNone of us could do our jobs without the members.\u201d <\/p>\n Psychology junior Alexandria Mitchell serves as Student Body chief justice. The chief justice is responsible for representing the judicial branch of Student Government.<\/p>\n Photo by Samarie Goffney<\/a><\/p>\n As chief justice, Mitchell oversees the Supreme Court, the Election Supervisory Board and the Registered Student Organization fund. <\/p>\n Mitchell used to work with student involvement and often interacted with Student Government, which initially piqued her interest. <\/p>\n \u201cJust seeing everything they did really inspired me and motivated me,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Mitchell joined the Student Government leadership team around September, and once she stepped in, aided in the process of changing the Registered Student Organization process to be done entirely online. <\/p>\n With elections coming, Mitchell said she hopes to get more students to participate in campus elections than last year. Fall 2025 had more voters than the previous year, and she aims to accomplish the same with the spring 2026 elections. <\/p>\n Mitchell said she works closely with organizations, and that\u2019s where most of her connection to the university lies. One of her goals is to allocate most, if not all, of the available Registered Student Organization funds. <\/p>\n Mitchell also wants to increase student interest in applying to Student Government. She said it\u2019s a good opportunity to get to know people and see change happen within the university in real time. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a very good opportunity to get a new perspective on things,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Finance sophomore Lya Lang currently acts as Student Government chief of staff. Lang began the role in fall 2025.<\/p>\n Photo by Lucia Campos<\/a><\/p>\n As chief of staff, Lang hosts outreach initiatives and plans events for Student Government. <\/p>\n As a commuter, Lang was motivated to join Student Government because she didn\u2019t want to join a major-specific club that might limit her outreach. <\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to see the students lead other students and pass initiatives that are actually implemented is really cool,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Last semester, Lang focused on raising attendance at various events hosted by Student Government. She said she wanted to create a lively and inviting atmosphere, and with the help of the other chairs, achieved that. <\/p>\n \u201cThey did so much, and they really helped me out,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were able to decorate it more, make it better to where it was more inviting for other people to come in.\u201d <\/p>\n Currently, Lang is focused on keeping up the momentum from last semester. With the SG Loves You event, she\u2019s using a new approach that makes it more interactive and informational for students. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like a lot of students don\u2019t really know about these events,\u201d she said. \u201cSo maybe raising that awareness would definitely bring more people to campus.\u201d <\/p>\n Political science and economics junior Austin Palacios serves as speaker of the Senate. Palacios leads the Student Senate and oversees committees.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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