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A Letter from SGA Executive Team

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Hey Vols!

To all new students, welcome to your new home away from home on Rocky Top! And to all returning students, welcome back to campus! We hope that your first week has been going great so far and we look forward to meeting you around campus.

Photo of Mark Hancock, Abbey Lawrence, Jordan Brown, Marshall Summar in Tennessee clothes

SGA Executive Board (left to right) Mark Hancock, Abbey Lawrence, Jordan Brown, Marshall Summar

We are Jordan Brown, Mark Hancock, Abigail (Abbey) Lawerence, and James (Marshall) Summar. We have the honor of serving as your Student Body President, Vice President, Student Services Director, and Executive Treasurer, respectively. As you are navigating your way through these upcoming weeks, we hope that you will join our Student Government Association family, whether that is attending some of our events or joining one of our branches.

The Student Government Association (SGA) is centered around providing all students with a place to share their experiences and views concerning student life. We aim to implement positive change and celebrate campus events through our programming and policy. It is a space to be heard, make connections, and become a more involved Volunteer. Here at UT, SGA is split into four main branches: Undergraduate Student Senate, Student Services, First-Year Leadership Council, and Judicial.

If you are a first-year student and want to develop your leadership skills, learn more about campus, and meet other first-year students, you should consider joining the First-Year Leadership Council. The application is open now until September 5, and can be found at https://tinyurl.com/fylcapp. 

Any student interested in applying to be an undergraduate senator and writing legislation to advocate for student issues may also apply at http://tinyurl.com/senateappointment. For more information about  Senate and/or First-Year Leadership Council, please reach out to Mark Hancock at sga2@utk.edu. 

If you are passionate about event planning and student engagement, you can join one of our Student Services committees! If interested, please reach out to Abbey Lawerence at sga3@utk.edu and be on the lookout for our interest form. Our current committees include:

  • Academic Affairs
  • Diversity Affairs
  • Environment and Sustainability
  • Government Affairs
  • Health and Wellness
  • Smokey’s Closet
  • Student for the Rock
  • Technology Affairs
  • UT Traditions

Lastly, if you want to meet with campus departments and serve as a student advisor, you may consider joining one of our administrative committees. If you are interested in serving on an advisory board in any of the areas below, complete the interest form at https://tinyurl.com/sgaadvisorycommittees. Please direct any questions to Juliet Gear at sgacos@utk.edu. The current administrative committees include:

  • Commission for Blacks
  • Commission for Women
  • Commission for LGBT People
  • Classroom Upgrades
  • Stormwater Advisory
  • Technology Fee Advisory
  • Traffic and Parking Authority
  • And Many More!

For more information and upcoming events, check out our website at https://sga.utk.edu. Any questions can be directed to Jordan Brown at sga1@utk.edu. Our door is always open and you can stop by anytime to meet us in the Student Union Student Engagement Suite, Room 174.

We hope that you have a great day on Rocky Top and Go Vols!

-Jordan, Mark, Marshall, and Abbey