Last week, I sat down with Florida State University student government member Brianne Basdeo to speak about her experience as a member thus far.
Her Campus (HC): How did you first learn about student government?
Brianne Basdeo (BB): I had a mentor named Rowan in GGK, Garnet & Gold Key, who actually introduced me to SGA. She was a super involved member in SGA and was even part of the executive branch. Rowan would mention events SGA would host and other aspects of the organization.
HC: What is your current position in SGA?
BB: I am the Secretary of Diversity and Equity.
HC: Can you give me a little background information on what the position entails?
BB: As Secretary of Diversity and Equity, I am working towards creating intentional relationships with identity-based organizations on campus. I work with various Registered Student Organizations on campus and the seven different agencies to listen to what is going on within those respective communities and adhere to any support they might need. At the heart of it, my goal is to ensure that underrepresented communities on campus feel as though their voices are not being drowned out when expressing their experiences and concerns. My position entails attending and collaborating during SGA meetings and planning events for the student body.
HC: What meetings or events have you recently attended?
BB: I have been to quite a few, actually. I recently went to a meeting with New Student Family Programs to hopefully translate orientation materials into Spanish and Creole.
Basdeo also mentioned that in one of her upcoming meetings, she will be meeting with the Jewish Student Union regarding the recent hateful flyers that were left in front of the Hillel at Florida State.
BB: The Jewish Student Union is putting me on a task force to be the liaison between them, JSU and Student Government. Jewish Student Union is working on creating Anti-Semitism workshops, and I was invited to participate.
HC: What was your most fulfilling experience in SGA?
BB: The most fulfilling aspect of SGA is having the opportunity to represent communities that are typically overlooked.
Basdeo noted how she has also enjoyed being able to plan and participate in fun events.
BB: An event that I really enjoyed participating in is FSUNite. It is an event on Landis Green where all the seven identity-based agencies came out and chatted on campus. It was really cool to have that multi-cultural experience and be able to see all the different people that are a part of Florida State come out and talk about their different identities and backgrounds.
HC: What is a beneficial aspect of student government?
BB: A beneficial aspect would be having the opportunity to learn and experience new things every day. I am especially grateful to be able to learn from the people I am surrounded by because they are student leaders on campus and have already occupied numerous spaces.
HC: Are there any aspects of SGA that can be overwhelming at times?
BB: There is a lot of work that goes into being a part of student government, and it often feels overwhelming. Many SGA members do not give themselves enough credit for all the hard work that they do.
Basdeo takes pleasure in being a member of the student government and is very grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the FSU community. She hopes to be able to continue to learn and grow from her experience as an SGA member.
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