by Brittany Wilson, The Whetstone

Dr. Jack Barnhardt sat at the first SGA meeting of the semester with his head down, eyes closed and hopes up, waiting for the Student Congress to make their decision.

The room was a sea of raised hands—a unanimous vote in Barnhardt’s favor elected him as the new SGA faculty adviser.

Barnhardt, full professor and department chair of the Psychology department, said he is eager to begin his new position.

“I was happy,” he said. “I’m very excited about interacting with students I never would have had the occasion to otherwise, and being involved on campus in a new way.”

As SGA adviser, Barnhardt’s main roles are to work with SGA executive officers and other student organizations within Student Congress, to sign off on SGA financial transactions, and to ensure all college policies and processes are adhered to.

Barnhardt said his main responsibility, according to the SGA Constitution, is to “assist and advise the SGA.”

“If my first week is any indication, this position entails quite a lot,” he said. “By the time my first week is over, I will have met with most of the SGA officers as well as several members of other student organizations.  I’ve also been in contact with a number of staff members to ask questions and work out procedures.”

SGA President Destiny Hollis said she was pleased to find out Barnhardt had been elected.

“When we announced voting for Dr. Barnhardt to be our adviser, Congress didn’t really have a reaction,” she said. “They all had time to ask questions if needed and all voted yes for him.”

The SGA Congress unanimously voted Dr. Barnhardt as the new SGA adviser

The SGA Congress unanimously voted Dr. Barnhardt as the new SGA adviser

Barnhardt said he thinks he is a good fit for the position.

“I think I can help SGA perform its primary function: to serve the student body,” he said. “I have no idea what was discussed or what reasons the students had for choosing me to serve in this capacity.  I just knew that, if students wanted me as their adviser, I would accept the position.”

Kelsey Fitzpatrick, the secretary of SGA, said Barnhardt met all of the qualifications to be SGA adviser.

“I approved of the decision to present Dr. Barnhardt to congress,” she said. “I felt pretty confident they would vote him in. He showed interest in being our advisor and I trust that he will be dedicated and passionate about the job.”

Dr. Cynthia Newton, chair of politics and society, and associate professor of political science, said she decided to step down from her position last semester.

“As the number of commitments I had continued to grow and I saw what was ahead for this year, both here at Wesley and with my other professional activities outside of the college, I knew that some things had to change as I could not realistically give 100 percent to everything,” she said. “I made the very difficult decision to step away from the SGA adviser role.”

Newton, who was SGA adviser for four and a half years, said she will miss working so closely with students on larger issues and events outside of the classroom.

“SGA and other student organizations have done some amazing things over the past several years which do not always get a lot of recognition,” she said. “I have gotten to meet and work with many students whom I would not otherwise meet through my adviser role.”

Although she is positive about Barnhardt’s election, Hollis said she was upset to find out that Newton would no longer be the adviser to SGA.

“I found out during the summer that Dr. Newton would be stepping down from her position as SGA advisor,” she said. “I was sad and nervous. She is so brilliant and her experience with handling SGA is beyond this world so I knew without her there would be some difficulties.”

Fitzpatrick said she thinks the change in leadership is a good thing.

“Executive board members are reelected every year and this allows new ideas and perspectives—I feel this change will have the same affect,” she said. “Although Dr. Newton was dedicated and did a great job as adviser, I think it is good for the SGA to have a fresh outlook.”

Newton said she thinks Barnhardt was a great choice.

“He is dedicated, cares deeply about students, and knows the processes and governance of the college very well,” she said. “My advice is simply to find good balance in the role with all of his other responsibilities.”

Barnhardt said he hopes the SGA and all student organizations have a successful year, make positive changes, and improve the college experience for all students.

“I can speak about my general style, which is to be supportive, but also to not hesitate to disagree; to only intervene when necessary or when asked to do so; and to respect and take seriously the rules set forth by the students in governing their organizations,” he said.