UCOSA rejoins for first meeting after COVID-19

UCOSA held its first meeting of the fall semester last week. The meeting featured a swearing in as Cole Stanley, vice president of student affairs, began the meeting by swearing in newly elected Student Body President James Limbaugh and Vice President Christain Coleman.

The Chair of Congress De Shannon and the newly elected UCOSA Senators were also sworn in. Stanley then invited university President Patti Nuehold-Ravikumar and Vice President Of Enrollment and Success Christopher Lynch to speak.

Neuhold-Ravikumar gave words of encouragement as she opened with a sense of pride and great accomplishment toward swearing in the new 2020 UCOSA student government.

One which she believes “is a process that will help shape the future of students on campus and outside the University.”

Nuehold-Ravikumar, along with Lynch, expressed passion and belief for working with students and plans to hold UCOSA to the same high standards.

“Stop around campus and ask students what you can do for them. How can you make their experience at UCO better? Leave a legacy,” Nuehold-Ravikumar said.

Limbaugh gave a similarly impassioned speech and showed enthusiasm for the future of the organization as he believes the best is only yet to come. While acknowledging there may be a tough road, he thinks it is the best time to be a leader in the eye of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The campus is going through a challenging time that will require a strong leader to get through it,” Limbaugh said. 

He said he believes the UCOSA government has the means to get through it together and better than ever.

The Vista spoke to Limbaugh about his goals during his presidency. He said he intended to operate under total transparency and with a continued effort to truly support the needs of the student body. 

“I don’t want to be a part of any kind of student government that isn’t in touch with what the students want and is out of touch with the student concerns,” Limbaugh said.