‘I have your best interests at heart’: SC State SGA president emphasizes strength, respect and tradition
Austin Stephens is a criminal justice major from Beaufort, South Carolina.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Austin Stephens, president of the Student Government Association at South Carolina State University, wants every student’s voice heard through an administration focused on strength, respect and tradition.
He said his “SRT” administration is rooted in his belief that every student voice should be heard and that he must work as a team with the rest of his SGA officers to make that happen.
“Having the strength as a student is being able to make difficult decisions sometimes. Then there’s the respect for students, faculty and staff and our community overall and upholding the tradition of the university,” the 21-year-old said.
The senior criminal justice major from Beaufort, South Carolina, said SC State’s rich history of activism helps guide his leadership.
Stephens is a recipient of the U.S. Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative scholarship. The scholarship and training program allows college students to become Coast Guard officer trainees while completing their degrees, with guaranteed commissioning upon graduation.
Fulfilling the mission
“I’m not the first president, and I’m not going to be the last president. I wouldn’t say that it’s something that’s going to start or end with me. I feel like the best is yet to come,” Stephens said.
“But I do feel like we should have a different approach to things. It’s OK to have a more chilled, laid-back approach, but still be able to get the job done and still have that Bulldog tenacity while doing it,” he said.
He said his role is to represent the entire student body, not just parts of it.
“You have your class presidents and class boards and whatnot, but as the overall executive president, I feel like your role is to make sure that everybody is taken care of, not just a specific group,” the SGA president said.
Making students more aware of the importance of voter registration and taking advantage of internship and community service opportunities are among the ways he can help them prepare for the future.
Stephens also discussed access to internships for students at historically Black colleges and universities.
“It’s about being able to put your best foot forward to apply to these Fortune 500 companies and for internships. Sometimes I feel like South Carolina State or HBCUs in general don’t always have the access to maybe the INROADS programs where you can get internships across the U.S.,” Stephens said.
INROADS is an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that creates pathways to careers for talented high school and college students across the country.
He said reaching out and collaborating with other institutions to see how their SGA boards operate will help propel the university’s own SGA board forward and make it more well-rounded.
“If another board is doing something you may like, it would be a good thing to shadow them. I also feel like collaboration with the community and students and closing that gap between faculty and students will make the university more of a cohesive university,” Stephens said.
He said he makes community service a priority as a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
“My chapter gives back to the Samaritan House. We volunteer at churches and participate in food drives and donate clothes. It’s nothing to go down to Goodwill and donate some clothes or just go feed the homeless,” Stephens said.
He said students have several ways to get involved in their communities.
Stephens grew up visiting SC State for homecoming and other activities with ties to the university through his mother, a former cheerleader who graduated in 1989. He credits her with much of his drive, saying she always challenges him to be great. When he arrived after high school, he fell in love with the campus environment.
“I was like, ‘How could I shy away from where I felt like I was at home?’ It’s just where I want to be,” Stephens said.
‘We’re all one Bulldog family’
Stephens said he aspired to serve in SGA but wasn’t necessarily seeking the presidency. He said there is more to him than that role.
“I’m really just a kid who just wants to do something more, always aspiring to do something greater than what I was when I came to college,” he said, noting that he has grown from his time as a freshman class representative.
Stephens said he wants to be a visible SGA president who is open to everyone’s needs and concerns, including through social media and the monthly town halls SGA holds on campus.
“That starts with being active on campus and making sure that everybody sees my face. … Whether it’s a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, it still matters because we’re all one Bulldog family,” Stephens said.
He balances being a student and his duties as SGA president through his faith in God and a positive attitude that helps fuel his desire to serve.
“I feel like a good base is always going to be having faith in God. But after that, it starts with telling yourself that you can do this,” Stephens said.
He said campus safety is also a critical issue that more students should be paying attention to. He urged students to treat their campus with respect and avoid bringing people who do not belong there.
The SGA president said he wants students to know that he is a leader who will listen.
“They don’t know me completely yet. So you might not want to listen to what I have to say, but I can say I have your best interest at heart,” Stephens said.
Working as a team with the SGA board
The SGA board includes Vice President Alaysia Polk, Chief of Staff Bella Joy Irving, Business Manager Charlie Proctor and Speaker of the House Aaliyah Hagler.
He said he loves his administration and the camaraderie they share and believes in working together as a team.
“It’s the little things that kind of make you fall in love with the people that you work with. It doesn’t really feel like a job because the people I’ve come to work with are amazing people,” Stephens said.
