A citizen leader is someone who is an active participant in their community, not a passive observer. They do not choose to be active because it will look good on a resume/CV or will benefit them in anyway, but because they care deeply about the people around them and the community that has supported them (or organizations that they oversee). 

Here at Longwood, an emphasis is put into citizen leadership, stating that "Longwood graduates citizen leaders who embody the values required to advance communities: a commitment to learning, critical thinking, selflessness and personal integrity."

In my 4 years at this institution, I have tried to stay away from the "politics" of SGA. Due to major budget cuts across the board in the 2022-2023 proposed budget, I decided to attend the recent SGA meeting (4/5/22) where the budget was read, and was deeply disturbed to find out that our Student Government Association decided to INCREASE their exec stipend budget from $3,800 in their 2021-2022 budget to $5,000 dollars in their current budget. 

($500 dollars per semester for the President and Treasurer, $300 for VP, Historian and Secretary [$3,800]. The new budget now includes two executive senators, who will be paid $300 a semester, making the amount rise to $5,000)

There are over 175 campus organizations here at Longwood, all with executive boards who are not paid anything. These leaders work tirelessly to improve and lead their organizations every day, as volunteers.

I call upon SGA to remove this amendment from the SFC bylaws, and allocate that $5,000 to any other organization. I call upon the executive board of SGA to really check themselves, and decide if they want to be citizen leaders or not.

I encourage all Longwood students who sign the petition to come to the next SGA meeting (4/12/22) to voice your opinion!