When I first joined Student Government at Florida Atlantic University, my predecessor warned me, “You’re so wide-eyed and excited now, but that light will dim once you see how things really work.” I didn’t want to believe her, but she was right.
I entered Student Government eager to serve the ordinary commuter student who doesn’t know about the scope and duties of our operation, to make a change, and to use my position to uplift the community. My enthusiasm quickly met a wall of resistance, hurdles, and politics that had little to do with serving students – and everything to do with serving personal interests.
My first term in SG was productive. My Senate colleagues appointed me to the University Budget Advisory Committee, which distributes millions of dollars for the university which comes from student activity and service fees, and I wrote the most bills of my Senate colleagues last spring.
Student Government runs differently now than it did before, even from as recently as when I came in. There are now three “political parties” per se – the Atlantic Party, the Paradise Party, and the Sunshine Party. The Atlantic Party controls all the functions of your student government, and they said so.
When the most recent election season for the next student body president took place last spring, I considered running as a vice presidential candidate before the creation of the Atlantic Party. Later, SG leadership told me point-blank that I could not be or run as the VP because I am Black, a woman, and not in the “right” white sorority.
Student Government has become insular, cliquish, and self-serving. Imagine this being the case in 2025 at a “diverse” public university – historically one of the most diverse in Florida – in a space that should foster leadership, diversity, and representation. I didn’t fit into their narrow box, and because of that, I was discarded. Standing up for myself – refusing to accept belittlement and microaggressions – made me a threat, not a peer.
Being the only Black woman in certain spaces means people challenge your knowledge. My experience was marred by numerous microaggressions, including colleagues who felt I was wrong or misinformed when I brought an issue to their attention. I’m not the first Black person in Student Government to feel this way; I am just the first to go public.
Student Government is supposed to be about service, about improving student life. But what I found instead was an institution disconnected from the very students it claims to represent.
The New York Times reported in October that the current presidential administration was overwhelmingly white. That also seems to be the case with the current student government, but I believe it should resemble the relatively diverse student body it represents.
Unless you’re in a fraternity or sorority, you likely don’t even know what the Student Government does. And frankly, why should you? We don’t meet students where they are; we don’t prioritize commuters or underrepresented voices; and we don’t listen to the everyday concerns of the entire student body.
The Student Government at FAU has been run for years as an exclusive in-crowd, dominated by Greek life and social politics, rather than student needs. The result? SG leaders push aside real issues – such as affordability, representation, and inclusion – in favor of serving a select few. When someone outside of that circle tries to rise, they’re pushed back down.
Last year I ran for governor and unfortunately, I did not win. I did not let this set me back, I still prevailed and returned to being a Senator. This isn’t just about me. It’s about the students who deserve leaders who fight for them, not for their friends. It’s about Black women like me, who refuse to shrink themselves to fit inside someone else’s box. It’s about reclaiming Student Government as what it was meant to be: a body that amplifies student voices, not silences them.
I understand students have other obligations. I’m one of the many students who have to work to make ends meet, and others have caregiving responsibilities for their families. You should still make a concerted effort to get informed and use that information to vote out people who don’t put your needs before their own. That’s what public service is about, and if there are people who aren’t doing what they should, you have an opportunity to choose people who will.
This is supposed to be a fun, exciting learning experience, and it isn’t. This is not what public service is supposed to be like, nor is it what an experience at a public university should be like. Change on campus does not happen from the sidelines. Pay attention, ask questions, and hold your elected officials accountable.
Sheryl Dezeme is a Florida Atlantic University Student Senator and former Senate pro tempore.
