An Overview of UCOSA’s First Congressional Meeting

UCOSA AUG. 31 Meeting

The University of Central Oklahoma Student Association (UCOSA) held its first congress meeting of the Fall 2026 semester on Mon. Aug 31, from 4 p.m. in the Will Rogers Room at the Nigh University Center (NUC 421).

Before the meeting began, Lillian Du, Vice Chair of Congress, read the UCOSA Land Acknowledgements:

1. “The University of Central Oklahoma recognizes that [UCOSA] gathers on land entrusted to the care and protection of the Caddo and Wichita peoples. These Lands are part of the wider state of Oklahoma, which is shared by the 39 sovereign indigenous nations, including the Kiowa, Comanche, Osage, Apache, and Phorcel Apache nations. The land is associated with the forced relocation of nations through the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
2. The University was built on unassigned land, with seized portions of Indian territory taken from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole Nations by the federal government in 1886. Beginning in 1889, this land was distributed through several land runs, intended to combine and erase indigenous peoples from this territory.
3. [UCOSA] acknowledges the historical events that have and continue to affect indigenous people of this land. [UCOSA] pledges to honor and respect indigenous knowledge and worldviews as we sustain a meaningful relationship with the sovereign nations.”

Once the courtroom had been established, congress began to address the Special Orders.

Opening Remarks:

Guest Speaker – Kory Atcuson

Atcuson, a UCO Alumnus and former UCOSA Chair of Congress, currently serves as the Edmond City Clerk and has been a local government official for 10 years. Atcuson has served as the president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and is a board member for the City Management Association of Oklahoma.

“I have two degrees from UCO [but] I often joke that my bachelor’s should say I majored in student government because that is how I spent the majority of my time.”

Atcuson said his time in UCOSA taught him values like teamwork, collective decision-making, improving outcomes, openness, the value of every voice, accountability, taking responsibility for successes and failures, and ownership.

“I have a passion for public service…for some of you, that is the passion [you will] take from your experience here. What I love about local government is that we’re here to serve people and their problems…You try to make people’s lives another place on a regular basis.”

Atcuson says that, “in our society today”, finding common ground within disagreements will allow more growth than assuming an enemy.

“I think Individuals have a feeling that government is not working for them. I think you, as student senators, have an opportunity to connect with the people you serve…try to spend some time at tables, listening to student concerns, meeting with your constituents and trying to make lives better…we want to be asking ourselves, how can we help?”

The last thing Atcuson mentions is legal policy.

“Some things are rituals. Some things are parliamentary procedures…where we do business in a way because someone thought it was the correct way. Well, I order you to think about the ways that you can make student government work accessible to the average student”.

Special Remarks:

Jake Eads, UCOSA Student Body President

Eads started his speech by discussing what the presidency and being a student senator means to him:

“This responsibility is bigger than any title that will hold, because it’s not about us. It’s about the students that walk across this campus knowing wether their concerns are heard. It’s about those who have an idea and need to find people to talk to, and we should be those people that are representing students.”

Jake says the job of UCOSA is to ensure that everyone has a voice and a seat at the table.

“This year I challenge every member of UCOSA to remember that representation is not simply pushing them in the right direction. Representation is walking around campus, talking to students…its about answering emails, attending meetings…you cannot represent the students that you don’t talk to.”

Eads also makes a point about the work UCOSA will leave behind.

“Some of them will sit in these chairs after you, and they’ll be doing voting and proposing others. This is the meaning of a legacy…We should not measure our success by how much attention we receive. We should measure by what remains after we leave.”

Luke Underwood, UCOSA Student Body Vice President

Following Atcuson was Luke Underwood. Underwood joined UCOSA as a freshman senator in the fall of 2024, before being elected as the Vice Chair of Congress for the 2025-2026 academic year and eventually being elected as Vice President on May 1 of this year.

“Jake and I are extremely grateful and humbled to have been voted into these positions…I feel incredibly grateful that…whatever me and Jake work on, I will still be around at least a year to see it through.”

Underwood says that their aim this semester is to be more accessible to students.

“Every single one of you here are representing hundreds of students that aren’t. And if you don’t feel proud of that, then you should, because it’s a really big responsibility. You’ll carry a lot of weight”.

Underwood says he also strives to make UCOSA “fun” for students because he wants people to smile.

Grace Gregory, UCOSA Chair of Congress

Gregory did not use her time to refresh the congress on her voting into UCOSA, but spoke on why Congress at UCO is important:

“Student government involvement on campuses across the country, and in Oklahoma specifically, have been declining in recent years. Much of this [engagement] has to do with the increased glorification of political atmospheres. Government and the legislative process [have become] synonymous with…the unfortunate record of anything that is changing.”

Gregory continues, “For our generation, this has become particularly true, as many of us, born in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack, have never truly witnessed a collaborative political environment.”

She notes that many people tend to look away from devastation, in local communities and around the globe. Gregory says this is because of the voluntary nature of devastation.

“If those in power are deservingly unable to do anything, then how could I, a broke college student with no powerful connection to money, make a difference that they can’t? The answer is sitting in this room now, right next to you.”

Gregory says that it is bravery and courage that bring students to investigate their community.

“I hope that we create a model of individuals who come prepared and are willing to hear each other out to find the best possible avenue for success, so that all of those in our new UCO community can feel as though they are heard, and that their concerns matter to us”.

She ends her remarks by stating that government does not need to be partial or hostile in order to succeed. She hopes that as a part of congress, the student legislature can overcome the stereotypes of government and create an environment that empowers the voices of students.

Lillian Du, UCOSA Vice Chair of Congress

Du says that being Vice Chair is more than building a title. She believes that being someone who is dependable, affordable, compassionate, and willing to put in the work that encourages every senator is why it is important to her.

“One of the things I value most about UCOSA is our mission to represent students and advocate for a better university experience…every senator brings a different strength to UCOSA…I want to ensure those contributions are seen and appreciated. I want to be someone senators can come to with an idea, concern, or even a question and know they will be taken seriously.”

Du says she wants to create an inclusive environment by being compassionate to students from every background and life circumstance through her service.

“I want to contribute whatever I can, wherever I may be, because I believe in what UCOSA can accomplish.”

Daniel Meyers, UCOSA Secretary of Congress

Daniel Meyers was elected as secretary this May after being a student senator his freshman year.

“My job as secretary involves making the agendas, writing minutes…and maintaining the file directory and attendance records for Congress.”

Meyers notes that his key mission falls into UCOSA’s transparency. On UCORE, students can view the minutes of every meeting and see which bills are passed and not passed.

“Last year, during my freshman year…the idea of representing other students, and hearing all students’ concerns, and bringing it forth in a way that those concerns can be resolved. It just spoke to me…I don’t think I can trade that experience in for any amount of money, frankly.”

To end the congressional meeting, members of various student organizations came forward to announce upcoming events that can be found here.

The UCOSA congressional meetings are every Monday at 4 p.m. in the Will Rogers room at the Nigh University Center.