NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University‘s Student Government Association has a new group of officers for the 2021/2022 academic year, and for the second time in the institution’s history, the campaigning and elections were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new student leadership, including a Mister TSU and a Miss TSU, was announced by the Student Election Commission earlier this month during Tiger Fest, after weeks of campaigning.
TSU President Glenda Glover, along with staff from the Office of Student Affairs, congratulated the new officers when the election results were announced.
Derrick Sanders, Jr., a senior English major from Cincinnati, was elected executive president, while Jevaria Jefferson, a senior biology major from Memphis, Tennessee, was elected executive vice president.
Birmingham, Alabama, native Mallory Moore, a senior health science major, won the coveted crown as the new Miss TSU. Mark Davis, as the new Mister TSU, will escort her. Davis, of Cincinnati, is a junior mass communications major.
Frank Stevenson, associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students, described the new officers as a “dynamic group” of student leaders.
“They were each very strategic in sharing their platforms during the campaign,” Stevenson said. “Student leadership at TSU is not accidental but very intentional, and this group proves that in practice.”
Sanders, who becomes the 81st administration executive president of the SGA, said he wants to be the “voice for the unheard, the eyes for the overlooked, and the heart for the discouraged.” He said his vision for the university embodies a “marketable TSU; academic excellence and affordability; recruitment, retention and resolution; community outreach; and honoring and highlighting all Tigers.”
“I want TSU to be the premier HBCU through proper planning and progressively developing the institution’s growth in enrollment and visibility,” said Sanders, who previously served as freshman class president, university ambassador, and a Tiger tour guide. His Generation of Educated Men student organization was among the first volunteer groups to help with the cleanup after the March 3, 2020 tornado that hit the TSU campus.
“With this vision, aligned with the passion of the Tigers who stand with me, we can take Tennessee State University to higher heights,” Sanders added.
Mallory, the new Miss TSU, said she sought the crown to do MOORE – Making Opportunities Open to Retain Excellence – for TSU.
“It is our turn to continue the legacy of scholarship, leadership and service,” Mallory said. “Becoming Miss TSU is like a dream. I am so excited to put in the work for my illustrious institution.”
Dr. Tobias R. Morgan, assistant dean of Student Engagement and Leadership, congratulated the new student leaders and thanked the Student Election Commission under the chairmanship of Akiliyiah Sumlin, for the very efficient way the process was conducted. Sumlin is a senior agricultural sciences major from Langston, Oklahoma.
“Sumlin has been a true leader within SGA and the SEC branch since her freshman year,” Morgan said. “We are beyond thankful for her service and dedication.”
Following is the list of the new Miss TSU court and other members of the SAG:
Mister. Senior – Shaun Anderson
Miss Senior – Destiny Pennington
Senior Class President – Jayden Perry
Senior Class Vice President – Cedrick Waters
Senior Class Secretary – Dominique Wallace
Mister Junior – Treveon Hayes
Miss Junior – Sa’Mariah Harding
Junior Class President – Coreyontez Martin
Junior Class Treasurer – Johndylon Jeffrey
Mister Sophomore – Alexander Brooks
Miss Sophomore – Anasia Strickland
Sophomore Class President – Aliyah Holmes
Representatives-At-Large
Kenneth Rolle
Tanya McNeal
Maya McClary
Kassidy Johnson
Jai Lewis
Skye Green
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About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.