CCSO holds week of leadership, development

This week, from Tuesday to today, the Coordinating Council for Student Organizations' Leadership team is holding the first annual Leadership and Development Week.

The week is focused on strengthening the student organizations on campus.

"It's really not targeted at any certain type of organization," said Ambria Lankford, the CCSO leadership chair.

"This is a great chance to network with other student organizations," she said.

The week began on Tuesday with a student organization showcase on the Ferguson Center plaza.

"It was an opportunity for student organizations to come out, set up a table and give out some information about themselves or to perform or showcase a talent," Lankford said.

On Wednesday evening, several workshops were held for leaders of student organizations.

The workshop topics were succession planning, event planning, budgeting and financial planning and keeping organization members motivated.

After the workshops, a presidential panel with outgoing SGA president R.B. Walker and incoming president Cason Kirby was planned, but both Walker and Kirby cancelled.

"This is an opportunity for student organizations to ask about what was done this year in SGA, and what will be done next year, and what was done for student organizations, and how they fit into these plans," Lankford said.

"It's just one of those things where they both had to be at a different event," said Jesse Woods, the chairman of the External Affairs Senate Committee, who was sent as a proxy. "Obviously, they both wanted to be here, but quite frankly it's a transitionary time in SGA. We're not operating at 100 percent now."

Woods said that the SGA was working hard for student organizations and would continue to do so.

"The SGA is probably in better shape than it has ever been," he said. "It is more respected than it has ever been on campus. There have been a lot of doors that have been closed that R.B. has opened."

Woods read from a statement prepared by Kirby that described the SGA as "dedicated to the success of these vital groups" and promised to distribute the $120,000 allocated to the SGA by the University among them, as well as more student lounges and meeting spaces.

Lankford said she didn't have information yet on how many organizations have been participating in LEAD week.

"It's open. They didn't have to register, so we won't have a count of how many are participating until after [Thursday]," she said.

Tonight LEAD week will conclude with a keynote address by Chevon Fuller, the executive attorney for the Boeing Company, and a speech by Sandra Lankford, who works in human resources and industrial relations in 151 Shelby Hall.

A reception in the Shelby Hall rotunda will follow the speeches.