When the clock struck midnight, the blinking red clock in the Student Government office hit zero – symbolizing that time had elapsed for the current SG administration.
The countdown clock, installed 365 days ago by SG President Michelle Gieg and Vice President Patrick Downs, was designed to emphasize the urgency of their one-year term.
Today in front of the Memorial Bell Tower, Gieg and Downs’ administration will officially end as President-Elect Chris Odinet and Vice President-Elect Christen Heaton are inaugurated.
“I look at the clock, and it says one [day],” Gieg said on April 5. “I’m like, ‘Wow.’ I’m very proud of my staff.”
Gieg and Downs accomplished, or at least partially completed, almost all of their original “Making it Happen” campaign initiatives, including developing a Provost’s Council, offering discounted software programs and establishing an athletic ticket point system.
Risa Palm, provost and executive vice chancellor, described Gieg and Downs’ accomplishments as “outstanding,” especially following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Palm regularly meets with the Provost’s Council, a diverse group of students, to discuss students’ concerns with University issues.
“The relationship between this administration and University administration has been very close,” Palm said. “They are very helpful. I can always go get advice from Michelle and Patrick.”
Palm said the Provost’s Council serves to address pressing issues, such as the structure of mathematics classes, the withdrawal policy and the future of the Flagship Agenda.
Chief of Staff Emily Burris said the administration’s driving force was its persistent ability to inquire about issues affecting students.
“Michelle and Patrick were never afraid to ask the questions,” Burris said. “They lived by a mission. We’ve had a great run.”
Burris said the staff’s diligence was still visible during their last week in office.
“Staff members are still working,” Burris said. “They don’t even know what else to do.”
But Downs said he has immediate plans once his term ends today.
“I’m thinking about how much schoolwork I need to catch up on,” Downs said with a laugh.
When Gieg, Downs and Burris graduate in May, each will follow a different path, but all say they will carry the lessons learned from their SG administration with them as they move forward in their lives.
Gieg will spend two years working as a Baton Rouge elementary school teacher with Teach for America, a non-profit organization designed to place recent college graduates in classrooms.
“[Being president] has taught me a lot about dealing with diverse groups of people,” Gieg said. “This has prepared me to handle anything.”
Gieg said she hopes her teaching experience will help her gain valuable knowledge about challenges that face the educational system.
“I want to go into policymaking eventually,” Gieg said.
Like Gieg, Downs said he envisions a future working with educational issues.
Downs said he wants to continue to influence higher education, and he eventually plans to apply for a University academic position.
Burris will accept a one-year position as a traveling Delta Gamma sorority national consultant based in Ohio.
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Burris said of her term’s completion. “The scariest part about it is not having something else to check off the list.”
Gieg said she expects great success from Burris, whom she describes as the “queen of strategic planning.”
And as Odinet begins his term today, he said he will turn to Gieg’s accomplishments for guidance.
“Michelle has done some really great things with Student Government,” Odinet said. “We’ve seen some things in her administration that Student Government hasn’t done in the past. It’s been groundbreaking and effective.”
Odinet said he met with Gieg and Downs to “toss around ideas” about some issues that need more work during the next year.
“Some projects take more than one year,” Odinet said. “Unfortunately all an administration has is one year.”
Odinet said he hopes to emulate Gieg’s perseverance in completing her campaign initiatives.
“The real challenge is to make sure [our plans] are not just ideas,” Odinet said. “We need to always follow through.”
Gieg, Downs and Burris said they have no major regrets except for not immediately realizing the power they held.
“It took months for me to realize the impact we could have,” Gieg said.
Downs said future administrations should realize the influence they can have on students’ lives.
“My regret is not realizing early on how much power we had,” Downs said. “It takes a while to realize it works that way.”
And when Odinet is sworn in today, he said he plans to make sure he does not waste any time during his term and is prepared to follow in the footsteps of what he calls an extremely successful administration.
“They did their mission,” Odinet said. “They made it happen.”
 
Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]