Student Body President Carlos Morgan winds down his Dixie State University career after his service pays off.
The Dixie Fest 2K14 and executive student council elections have ended, and Morgan, a senior communication major from Santa Clara, focuses on ending his term with pride.
Dixie Fest 2K14
Morgan said the Dixie State University Student Association had some worries about the amount of tickets sold prior to the event, but it turned out successful as predicted. He doesn’t know how many tickets ended up being sold, but the student government ended up exceeding the goal of 1,000 attendees.
“We felt like it went really well,” Morgan said. “We were a little scared about a week ago with the ticket sales, but people ended up coming out, and, although there were technical difficulties and it was a little cold, it was still a pretty good event.”
Morgan said some could have been surprised at the amount of teens and families that showed. He said he wasn’t planning on that many young kids being at the event, but the student government targeted its advertising to high school students as well as DSU students.
He said the venue turned out to be one of the most positive aspects of the night because of the city lights in the background and the beautiful sunset as the event began. He said there were a few hiccups in the process, but the night was what the DSUSA hoped for.
Morgan said the only thing he would change is having more of a well-known band to play for Dixie Fest.
“It’d be sweet if we had an artist with a more recognizable name,” Morgan said. “I know the American Authors are getting big, and we got them at a really good price and a really good place in their career, but I just think if we gave it a little more time, they would have been a little more popular.”
Elections
Morgan said as the 2014 elections ended, the realization that the end of the year was approaching appeared in his head, but he has mixed emotions about it.
“I’m stepping down from a position where there’s a lot of potential to do good, and that is kind of sad,” Morgan said. “Not having those connections with everybody and not being able to see those people anymore is going to be kind of sad. At the same time it’s kind of a relief. I won’t have to really worry about how big the responsibility is and … kind of just focus on only a few things as opposed to many.”
Morgan said he is excited for the new executive council members and their upcoming year. He said he has a lot of trust and respect for Gregory J. Layton, the future student body president, because he was an awesome vice president this year.
“I think Greg had a lot of good plans, and he’s a very proactive person,” Morgan said. “… I think Greg has a lot of plans that I think will be really good, and he’s going to be the guy that can make that happen.”
He also said D’Andre Mathews has the potential to do well in the vice president of academics position.
“He’s been on student government for awhile … and he did really good as a senator, getting bills passed and making things happen,” Morgan said. “He is [also] a proactive person.”
He said he has worked with McKell Price quite often during the year, and he believes she is the perfect person for the vice president of clubs position.
“She knows the ins and outs, and she seems to be a very confident person,” Morgan said. “… She just has a really good personality, I think, for clubs — as far as being open (and) as far as being willing to listen and being kind.”
Morgan said if he were to give all three of them advice, he would tell them to keep working on their goals and don’t give up.
“Everybody has their own take on how they want things to play out … but you just have to pick your thing and do it,” Morgan said. “Figure out what you want to change, figure out what you want to do, and stick with it.”
Finishing Strong
Morgan said there are only a few things he needs to focus on to end the year with wanted accomplishments.
There is only one event left this semester that Morgan is focusing on, and it’s his favorite week of the year: D-Week. He is working toward success during D-Week and hopes everyone will have a good time.
The second goal Morgan is trying to finish is tying up the loose ends with the “We Are Dixie” signs around the community.
“(We just need to) contact a few more businesses, making sure that those signs (are) properly distributed,” Morgan said.
The third task is making sure Layton, Mathews and Price are properly trained and prepared to take control of the leadership positions next semester. He said this is one thing he’s not necessarily worried about because of the experience they already have.
“Everybody in the executive council positions have been involved with student government (so) they already know a lot,” Morgan said.
He said some student body presidents can unfortunately get burned out, but there is no need for students to worry. He plans on finishing out the year strong.
“There’s not a lot you can do except to just keep going and remind yourself that there’s still stuff that needs to be accomplished,” Morgan said.