The mission and the vision senior Erik Eisold and junior Jackson Bumgarner — president and vice president of the Student Government Association for the 2024-2025 academic year — have for SGA is clear: to foster transparent communication with the student body. 

“If you go up to anyone on campus and ask them what SGA does, they are not going to know what to say unless they are in a leadership position of a club,” said Eisold, who is majoring in Finance and has been involved in the Roland George Investments Program (RGIP) for two years as the head Utilities Sector analyst. “That’s an issue, because we are supposed to represent the whole campus, the whole student body, not just whoever gets elected or chosen for certain positions.” 

Through campus vibrancy efforts, both Eisold and Bumgarner hope students are able to become more active on campus and start approaching SGA with requests or concerns that could improve their college experience. 

“It’s really just about getting all students to feel welcome, getting them involved and getting them active in any way that suits them best,” Eisold said. 

A Great Balance

Eisold has been a member of SGA since September 2021, when he was first elected as senator during his freshman year at Stetson, and served as vice president for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years. Eisold is an ROTC cadet who earned the coveted Distinguished Military Graduate Award (DMG) for being ranked in the top 15% of all cadets nationwide.

“As a junior, I started working on some stuff, and when it came to looking up issues within the constitution Jackson volunteered to help out,” he said. “He offered his experience, and I was trying to also look at everything, so we started working together. And then, little by little, we’d start sharing what we wanted to see in the coming years and then we decided to run together.”

Bumgarner, a Sociology major with a Business Law minor, transferred from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, where he previously was studying Engineering and also was a member of the SGA. 

“Between me and Erik, there is a great balance,” Bumgarner said. “He’s much more involved with the communications and the business side of things and I’m very legalistic with things, looking through our governing documents.” 

Both, Eisold and Bumgarner, helped incorporate the recent constitutional changes into SGA culture to foster a more active and engaged Student Government Association.

New Faces

After the fall elections, nine new members officially were sworn in to the SGA, bringing the total number of members to 25. 

“This marks a significant milestone for SGA, as we now have 25 of our 30 positions filled,” Eisold said. “This places us in one of the strongest positions for engagement and participation in years.” 

The current 25 members of the SGA include 21 senators and four non-voting positions — President, Vice President, Director of Finance and Director of Marketing and Student Outreach.

Legislation and Advocating

The Senate — composed by the Legislative Branch of the SGA — has the ability to pass any legislation to directly fix an issue, or advocate for a solution. In terms of advocating, SGA president and vice president have private meetings with Stetson’s president, provost, vice presidents and the dean of students.

“The Senate is eager to work on legislation and has many ideas that are already being developed,” Eisold said.

Under the Eisold-Bumgarner administration, the senate has passed two bills to help the students and increase awareness of SGA.

The Hurricane Milton Relief Bill was sponsored by Arianna Frounder-O’Harrow. It allocated $2,000 to the Hatter Pantry to support students who lost food and income due to the recent storm. This ensures students can focus on their academics without added stress.

The Cultural Credit Initiative, sponsored by Asher Sochaczewski, makes the SGA apply for Cultural Credits for each meeting to drive student attendance and participation.

“This will encourage students to join us at our meetings,” Eisold said. “This way, they can observe the changes being made at Stetson that can impact them.”

Eisold also has taken a firm stance on the current parking situation by advocating for an outlined long-term solution while presenting to the Stetson’s Board of Trustees.

Campus Activities

Some recent SGA initiatives include: giving Greek Life the opportunity to request up to $750 for collaboration events, and allowing registered student organizations to request a maximum of $200 for tailgating costs.

“Through the tailgating resolution that was done last year, five organizations can request funds for up to $200 each tailgate,” Eisold said. “You can advertise and have fun as an organization, and really get out there to students, alumni and faculty.” To request funding for a tailgate or a specific event, student organizations can reach out to SGA two weeks in advance.

The SGA also partook in a variety of campus activities including hosting the Welcome Back Bash, which saw a turnout of more than 250 students, and co-hosting the presidential debate watch party that hosted more than 180 attendees over the course of the event. Also, for the first time in recent years, SGA was present at the Homecoming Tailgate on Saturday, Oct. 26, and had more than 200 students and alumni approach their tent.

These events are just some of the ways that the Eisold-Bumgarner administration is bringing greater awareness to the work that SGA does.

Get Involved 

Are you interested in getting involved with your Student Government?

You can stop by the SGA’s office located in the CUB 257, or email [email protected] for any questions or concerns. SGA is open to tackling any issues that students bring up to its attention so it can help make Stetson the best that it can be.