Laura Giles, who ran unopposed in the 2013-2014 Student Government Association’s officer elections, is the incoming SGA president. Giles said she sees student safety, the relationship between organizations on campus and the completion of the SGA endowed scholarship as important things she wants to develop during her term.

“I feel that the whole purpose of SGA is to be the voice of the students,” she said. “I know we always say that, but SGA needs to truly represent what the students want and need on this campus. I feel like SGA has such an influence on (the college experience), but we take that for granted.”

She said she wants to see SGA working to get student input in order to set specific goals for the next year. This includes continuing to recruit a diverse group of people into SGA for next year.

“I know UNA and I know a lot of these students, but I don’t feel like I know what’s best for everyone,” she said. “We have to make sure that those 100 students (in SGA) are truly representing this campus and what everyone actually needs. I want (every student) to know someone in SGA who they can see and talk to (about their needs and desires).”

Giles said she encourages anyone who does not feel well represented to consider joining SGA.

“If we have students on SGA from every walk of campus, you’re going to build upon every downfall that SGA currently has,” she said. “That’s what I want to see happen, but every member of SGA has to help me with that. We just assume that everyone knows who we are and what we do and why they should be involved, but they don’t know.”

Giles said she sees the completion of the SGA endowed scholarship as a personal goal because of the time she and others in SGA have put in to giving back to the student body. Giles said she estimates $8,000 will be raised by the end of her current term as SGA treasurer, leaving $10,000 to be raised.

“It’s an endowed scholarship, so once we raise $25,000, the interest drawn off of that every year would be approximately $2500 that would be divided into five $500 scholarships per year,” she said. “I know how passionate I am about it and I don’t want it to be slacked off on. I would love to see SGA become the prestigious group that is respected on the campus by the students.”

Giles said that other than completing the scholarship, she wants to do whatever students see fit to improve their college experience. Giles said she would like to see new traditions that benefit students like Lion Night continue, although she would like to see SGA accomplish more within a term in the future.

“A lot of this year (in SGA senate) has been internal work and that’s always important; we’ve done a lot of changes to the code of laws,” she said. “That has taken up a lot of our time and hasn’t focused on what the students need and want. Sometimes that has to occur, but I feel like with that being behind us we can focus on new things that the students really need and that they desire to make that college experience better.”