This past week, I had the chance to sit down and chat with SGA President Tate Ohmer. Transy’s Student Government Association elects a new president every academic year, and Ohmer will be serving until May of 2023.

I opened up the discussion by mentioning Ohmer’s uncontested run for the position of president. Some may have felt uneasy about the fact that he had assumed the role uncontested, so it felt important to get this topic on the table as soon as possible. He first stated that this was commonplace within SGA, as he was “either the fourth or the fifth president in a row to be elected uncontested.” This was an “ongoing situation” that Ohmer “hopes to mediate” in the future to assure that the best possible candidates are in the position of power. He’s already begun making changes to implement an internal system that would prevent candidates from getting a position by running uncontested with a “yes/no” vote, ensuring the opinions of all SGA members is heard. He also made note of his qualifications, having served as Chief of Staff last year, the “only contested race on the executive board” in 2021.

I next asked Ohmer how he’d continue to form relationships with other campus organizations. SGA is a decision making body that voices the opinion of all students and student leaders, so being involved all across campus is crucial. Ohmer is taking the extra step by strengthening the campus engagement chair’s power within SGA. This would allow more opportunities for SGA to work with other campus organizations. He also set the goal for that chairholder to attend “at least one meeting of every student organization on campus” each year. Ohmer hopes to become more visible on campus this year, too, attending the meetings of other organizations himself. His “Commonwealth Tour,” as he called it, would allow him to form relationships with leaders outside of SGA.

Curious about his progress in the position, I asked him what projects he currently had on the table. Ohmer immediately made it clear that he wanted to allow the SGA senators to feed projects up the ladder to him, rather than from the top down. His reasoning for this comes from observations made in previous years, where Senators may have “worked on projects that they weren’t really passionate about” when passed down from the president. In addition to making this change, Ohmer has also pledged to try and secure a student seat on the board of trustees, as well as improve SGA’s notoriously small budget through “an earmarked fund” provided by alumni with close SGA relations. This would give the student leaders the means to commit to bigger projects that require more funding.

Finally, I asked Ohmer about his goals for the year, and what the Transylvania community can look forward to seeing by May. The most important changes in his mind come from the inside of SGA, where internal improvements can lead to long term success for all of campus. Focusing on “election improvements” and allowing senators to carry “the bulk” of project management, Ohmer hopes to leave SGA in a better place than when he arrived. Along with the focus on funding and securing the board of trustees seat, his vision for SGA is one that he believes will produce long-term benefits not only for student government, but Transy as a whole.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Transy has experienced a sharp decline in the number of clubs on campus in recent years. Thankfully, many clubs are beginning to be resurrected including our fabulous Spanish club which has been revamped by senior Brannon Lawson and Spanish professor, Dr. Priya Ananth. As a member of the Spanish club, I asked Brannon about some of his hopes for the revival of the club and what students should look forward to this year:

1. First and foremost, what is the Spanish Club?

“The Spanish Club is a recently revived organization seeking to help connect the Transy community with the local and global Spanish-speaking communities. It seeks to help its members improve their Spanish-speaking abilities, and to build an appreciation for Spanish-speaking cultures from around the world.”

2. What are some of the events or things you’re looking forward to doing this year? 

“This year, we are looking forward to a number of events, including attending Festival Latino and providing salsa dancing lessons through a partnership with SAB. Additionally, we have a number of exciting movies we hope to share and guest speakers we hope to hear from throughout the year! Keep an eye out for one of our upcoming initiatives: a weekly Spanish conversation hour!”

3. How is the Spanish club different this time around/what made you decide to try and bring it back?

“I was motivated to work with Dr. Ananth in the Spanish Department to bring back this club due to my passion for learning the Spanish language and the important role that the language plays on our campus and in the local community. The population of Spanish-speaking people within Lexington and the U.S. as a whole is rapidly increasing and is an important component of our community culture that often goes under-appreciated. This lack of appreciation is something that the Spanish Club and I hope to rectify. Furthermore, it is my hope that the club will provide a friendly environment where students of Spanish can practice their conversational abilities, and become more familiar and confident with the language.”

4. Are there any requirements for students to be involved? 

“There are no requirements for students to get involved! We welcome anyone, regardless of Spanish-speaking ability, as it is a space to learn the language if that is something you are interested in, or to just learn from and appreciate the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and their influence in the Lexington/Kentucky area.”

5. What is the time commitment/how often do you all meet? 

“The time commitment is quite minimal! We hold club meetings every other week, and will often have different opportunities between meetings, such as the aforementioned conversation hour we hope to begin soon. All of these meetings and events are completely optional; you can pick and choose which are the most interesting or would be the most significant for you, and attend those! Though we do encourage participation in all the meetings and events that you are able to attend, as they all will hopefully have something to offer you!”

We are so excited to have the Spanish Club, as well as many others returning to campus this school year. If you have any interest in joining the Spanish club for any of their spectacular events or any further questions please reach out to Brannon at: bclawson23@transy.edu