| Issue 12 | Volume 143 | Tuesday, April 21, 2015 | theavion.com |
Editor’s Farewell To my fellow students, to faculty and staff, and to administration, Whether we’re best of friends or whether you don’t even recognize the name printed here on paper, for the last two years I have had the great opportunity of leading this paper. To many, it may seem as though the paper just magically shows up on stands each Tuesday, but that doesn’t represent a fraction of the hard work and time my members put in on a weekly basis. I have seen members go days without sleep for the right shot, put hundreds
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...I realize that the time has come that The Avion needs change. And that change now needs to be me.
Presidential Farewell Dear ERAU Family, Thank YOU. One year ago Denean, Carlos and I ran for the Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Board under our campaign of “Building the ERAU Family.” Our goals were to elevate school spirit, increase communication and continue to enhance the quality of events and services that the SGA provides for the student body. We looked at current programs such as the Council of Presidents and made it better by providing leadership education for our student leaders. We revamped our services by eliminating those that weren’t working and implementing new ones that could impact the future. One of my personal focus points this year has been the upcoming Student Union building. After seeing the initial proposed plans at the beginning of our term, we believed the project was lacking in certain areas that would adversely affect the students for years to come. We resolved to keep our promise of communicating to the student body and after listening to your concerns, we were successful in increasing study space, redistributing critical areas more efficiently, maintaining enough event space for student organizations and increasing the project as a whole by ten million dollars. Some people have approached me and thanked me for advocating for the students, but I truly could never have made any kind of impact
without you. Our students have been loud and clear, and when the Embry-Riddle Family gets together with a clear vision in mind, we can accomplish anything. Towards the beginning of my term, I was asked “what happens when you have built the ERAU family?” I realized at the time that a family is not something you build and walk away from; it is a culture that you continue to grow and feed forever. With all of the major events and projects this year, we realize that these past few months have been exceptional in more ways than one, but I stand by what I have said time and time again—I am perfectly content with being forgotten. I say this because if we
are to measure our success as leaders of this community it will be by how those who have learned from us will continue to make it better. I will never forget the people that have helped me achieve what I would have otherwise considered impossible three and a half years ago, and I am humbled to have made a similar impact on those who will be filling our leadership vacuum. As I leave this campus I realize how right seniors were when they told me that time would fly by, but I am reassured by the fact that I will forever be an Embry-Riddle Eagle. GO EAGLES! Andre J. Prescott Former SGA President
Andre, Denean, and Carlos pose with their 2014-2015 executive board shortly after their election in spring 2014. Left to Right: Trey Henderson, Avion Editor-in-chief, Mark Millimet, Touch-N-Go Chairperson, Denean Kelson, SGA Vice President, Andre Prescott, SGA President, Carlos Giraldo, SGA Treasurer, and Kaloki Nabutola, Student Court Chief Justice.
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Left to Right: Carlos Giraldo, Denean Kelson, and Andre Prescott, 2014-2015 Student Government Association Treasurer, Vice President, and President, respectfully, accept a gift from the SGA for their work this last year at the annual SGA Banquet.
of miles on their vehicles to get on location, do whatever it takes to get the interview, and spend long nights putting it all together here in print. These members are the real heroes of The Avion, and it has been an honor to lead such a talented and amazing staff. Though my time as leader of this organization is quickly coming to a close, I look forward to influencing the The Avion in other ways in my newly found position of Managing Editor for the coming fall semester. Acting as second in command, I will have more time to directly influence design, web presence and digital accessibility, all of which have been strong focuses of my editorship. Though it is hard to step back, I realize that the time has come that The Avion needs change. And that change now needs to be me. Being a part of this paper has been one of the best decisions of my life. I have made some of my best friends here and in the Student Government Association, I have experienced things that I would never have been able to see otherwise, and I have felt like I served a purpose in this giant college ecosystem, but as all good things do, it must eventually come to an end. I love this newspaper and I couldn’t think of a better way I would like to have spent my college career. Thank you all for the opportunity to serve you as your Editor-in-Chief. Sincerely, Trey Henderson Avion Editor-in-Chief Fall 2013-Spring 2015