Daniel Wakefield, president of the Student Government Association, sat down with Lumination to look ahead at what SGA is doing this year to improve the Lipscomb experience for each of its students.
“What we want to do is look at student life, figure out how things can be better and then focus our efforts on working with the administration to communicate how things could be better,” Wakefield said. “Part of that is just listening; part of that is just being available. But the other part of that is also being a bridge between student voices and administration’s ears. “
Wakefield said that goal includes things like improving campus, bringing in guest speakers, showing documentaries and helping create great memories.
“We try to listen to what students, teachers and generally anyone in the Lipscomb community thinks might add to the experience that is being a Lipscomb student,” Wakefield said.
Already this semester, SGA has donated money to the SAC renovation and to installing lights at the intramural field. SGA also gave away tickets to the Hillsong concert and hosted the cornhole tournament. Wakefield said the organization plans to have a concert in the winter, and for a spring event, SGA and campus ministry have invited author Donald Miller to campus.
As it did last year, SGA will sponsor Paint the Herd this semester. Paint the Herd is designed to be a fun, exciting on-campus event to keep students interested in having a good time at Lipscomb on the weekend.
About 700 students attended Paint the Herd last October, in the basement of the east parking garage. During the paint rave, students donned paint suits, squirted each other with neon paint, enjoyed free refreshments, danced to the musical stylings of DJ Potamus, and freshmen students celebrated an extended curfew.
Wakefield said he is really excited about doing Paint the Herd again this year and expects to see as many as one thousand to fifteen hundred students there.
“That takes a lot of money,” Wakefield said about the paint rave. “It takes a lot of effort. But it’s so worth it to see people covered in paint, smiling their faces off and just excited to be a Bison.”
To get a glimpse into the excitement of Paint the Herd, check out some of our coverage from last year’s event.
Wakefield said SGA hopes to broaden its recycling program, which started last year, by adding recycling bins to the student center. He said placing the bins in the dorms has been “very successful,” and SGA wants to work at making Lipscomb’s recycling program more visible.
“Our focus right now is getting it in the student center because it’s the hub of culture for campus,” Wakefield said. “It’s where people hang out, it’s where people see each other, and we also want people to see that Lipscomb cares about the environment.”
Wakefield emphasized SGA’s desire to hear from students about other ways to improve campus. He encouraged people to stop by the SGA office or send emails with ideas or suggestions.
“We do have an open ear,” he said. “We are to be the voice of students.”