Photo Credit: Olu Ogunlade
Junior and former Campus Life Senator Oluwademilade “Olu” Ogunlade was recently elected as SGA’s Executive Vice President for the 2020-2021 Academic Year.
Majoring in Politics, Economics, and Law(PEL) with an African American minor, Ogunlade juggles her workload by focusing each semester on either her major or minor. With the shift online, she mentioned that this can be a bit hard, as the social environment is different from the usual classroom. However, the extra time she has can be dedicated to the SGA.
Her interests include writing poetry, researching, public speaking and discussing social justice issues such as racial inequalities and lack of access to quality education. Advocacy is her passion, and plays a large part in her interest in being part of the Student Government Association. She also holds other leadership positions on campus, including President of the African Student Association and the National Residence Hall Honorary. Ogunlade previously held a position in the SGA last year with her role as the Campus Life Senator, making her no stranger to the SGA.
Ogunlade wants to advocate for students. She aims to expand dining options, advertise the Women’s Health Center on campus, and “start a consistent school garden.” She mentioned that as a student who resided on campus, she understands how the dining options on campus might be less than appealing. One of the options she hopes to have is using the garden at the campus for residents and commuters to present healthier, cheaper food options. She also hopes this will get students more involved by harvesting their own produce, stating that “[It’s] cool for students to eat fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the school garden.” Another option for dining is to push for expanding dining options not for this year necessarily, but for the next school year. In addition, Ogunlade is passionate about advertising the Women’s Center, which she deemed a women-friendly place in a patriarchal society. She aims to “get it’s name out there and get people to go.” It also offers feminine products, like sanitary pads and tampons, for the women on campus. She explained that she hopes to run for SGA President/Chief Executive Officer next year.
Ogunlade mentioned how being part of the SGA is a good opportunity for anyone on campus who can juggle school and a leadership position. She spoke highly of the experiences it offers, including networking with others on campus, learning how to work with others, making friends, and using Robert’s Rules of Order; a method commonly used to have organization meetings effectively.
She also mentioned that the SGA is going to have in-person meetings that follow the CDC guidelines, which include wearing a mask and staying six feet away. She spoke about how relations between the students, professors and administrators is key during this online shift, and stated that “our biggest challenge is effective communication.” She hopes the SGA can do this through social media, email, and mail to keep everyone involved and active.
