Eberl encourages school spirit, student involvement

Last semester, Brandon Eberl was elected to the position of student body president and this year he is encouraging students to show pride in the pacer name.

SGA drew him in during his sophomore year, when he decided to apply for a senate position, for which he was not elected. Though discouraged, Eberl said that he wanted to get involved and “help make a difference on this campus.”

Ahmed Samaha, staff advisor for SGA encouraged Eberl to join Pacer Fanatics after his unsuccessful Senate bid. That kept him connected to student life and emboldened him to run for Senate again during the next election, which he won.

While he enjoyed being a senator, Eberl said that he felt the position did not allow him the amount of influence he wanted.

“I felt like I couldn’t really push my agenda in a specific direction, in terms of like school spirit,” he admitted. “[You need] an executive position to kind of get the ball rolling.”

Last year, Eberl said that he considered running for vice president, but the idea inspired him to pursue another position.

“I was like, ‘you know what, if I’m going to run for VP, why not run for president?’” he said.

Eberl was elected last fall for student body president of the 2018-2019 school year. Though he won by 26 percent of the vote, he said that he was shocked when he received the call from Jacob Yarbrough, the previous president, who was in Samaha’s office with other members of SGA.

Secretary Q’Ladrin Quorters believes that Eberl is setting the standard for the connection between students and SGA, asserting that students find him more approachable and relatable than previous presidents.

“He’s more open and laid back,” said Quorters. “He’s just one of us who’s here to help.”

Throughout his time in SGA, Eberl has emphasized the importance of school spirit and as president he has the influence to make change.

Last Tuesday, several students accompanied SGA’s executive members to invade Augusta University and plant a flag in the middle of their campus. The infiltration, which was filmed and published on social media, sparked a response from AU’s SGA president, LeDarius Scott. A video was published on twitter of Scott removing the flag and urging AU students to attend the Saturday volleyball game.

“We need to show up,” said Scott. “We need to show our support because this ain’t right.”

Beyond school spirit, Eberl also has ideas for helping students find more entertainment on campus. One concept he is looking into is the inception of another “hangout spot” on or close to the campus.

“There’s not a whole lot you can do,” he remarked. “We have the downtown building, which I think is great but there’s not really a way for people to get down there.”

He hopes the idea, though it has received unfavorable opinions from both Samaha and Chancellor Sandra Jordan, will be “like the Starbucks,” which received much push-back when the idea was originally conceived. Eberl said that while he does want to have another hangout for students, he is not against the concept of the downtown building.

“I just think we need another option,” said Eberl. “Why can’t we have the best of both worlds?”