The Central Methodist University Student Government Association has new leadership this semester, as Fernando Jimenez has been elected vice president, while previous VP Amy Blair has moved into the president role.
The student body voted Jimenez into the vice president’s seat last semester in anticipation of Blair’s promotion following the graduation of previous president Shannon Peters. Jimenez, a junior majoring in elementary education, says he enjoyed his previous role as an SGA cabinet member and is excited to get started as the new VP.
“I want to increase student involvement, create more clubs on campus, and just help everyone find a spot where they belong,” said Jimenez. “I feel like there are a lot of clubs on campus, but people just don’t know about all of them. So I want to promote those clubs and create new ones.”
Some of the new clubs Jimenez has in mind include organizations for those interested in anime, hiking, archery, and cooking. The Columbia, Mo. native – who speaks Spanish and Portuguese in addition to English – also floated the idea of a Hispanic club.
Jimenez’s new perspective is a welcome addition to the leadership for Blair, a junior from Maywood, Mo. majoring in biology.
“He has very different ideas as someone in a completely different schooling department and different point of view [from me],” said Blair. “He’s thought of things that I probably never would have, so I’m excited about working with him.
Blair says she hopes she and Jimenez will be able to continue the collaborative work she began last semester with Peters and is especially focused on driving up student engagement, a task complicated by the need for social distancing.
“We’re just trying to get the student body involved in whatever we can, even if it’s in their dorms or in quarantine,” she said.
The Student Government Association meets every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. Students interested in getting involved may email sga@centralmethodist.edu for more information.