Bumbry will target illegal drinking

Timothy Rink / Reporter

Beginning his second term as Student Government Association's executive president, junior Michael Bumbry said the most serious problem on Elon's campus is the increase in dangerous and illegal drinking.

"I sit in on hearings all the time, and most of them are alcohol- related and it's really surprising," said Bumbry. "I'm not just talking about .08 (blood-alcohol content) or .17, I'm talking like .30 and above, areas where you should be in a coma, if not dead. I think our administration really needs to crack down on underage drinking."

The most important people in this process may be Elon's Resident Advisors. "It's important for RAs to maintain their credibility," said Bumbry, a resident advisor in West Area. "And it's impossible to do that if they are violating the codes they should be enforcing, especially with their residents. They're supposed to be the role model and how can you enforce something when you're doing it yourself?"

"I'm not completely innocent, I'm not saying I'm holier-than-thou or that I have never drank alcohol and I'm not 21. I'm no saint, but my residents have never seen me intoxicated and because of that, we have that barrier, that boundary, that respect."

According to Bumbry, the biggest change needs to come from within the student body itself. "I think there's a culture on this campus that said you need to go to West End bar on Wednesday nights, you've gotta go to Cantina on Thursdays and that you have to just party it up on the weekends," he said. "That culture needs to change."

Bumbry seemed at home in the SGA's executive president's office, where he has worked for the last year. "I don't know what it's like to not be involved in SGA," he said. After an election earlier this week, he found out he will get to spend another year there, working toward his vision for Elon.

"I'm just looking forward to getting started with a new year. Each year you learn new things, you meet new people and there are new issues to deal with."

Elon's reigning homecoming king said that being president is stressful, but worth it "I think it just goes back to having done this for so long and having a passion for it and not wanting to quit," he said. "This is a very demanding job, it's very tough on you physically and mentally because you're the president and that comes with a lot of glory, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility."

Bumbry said he never planned on serving two terms as president, but he's using it to his advantage and is enjoying it. He said he loves Elon's personal atmosphere and warns that growth is both necessary for and a danger to the continuation of a healthy campus.

"No one wants to see this school twice the size it is," he said. "I think we don't have the space for it and it would take away from the culture that is Elon – that personal interactive feeling that you don't get at most schools."

"I think we grow because we have to so students can experience the services that Elon offers us that most schools don't have, so we're going to have to increase the tuition or let more people in. I think a gradual increase of students is what we're looking at."

Bumbry holds several leadership positions outside of SGA and Residence Life. He has been the vice president of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity for the last two years. He was also freshman class vice president and sophomore class president. Bumbry has also worked with ESTV and the Office of Admissions.

A self-described "double minority," Bumbry, who is both black and homosexual, believes that diversity is crucial to improve Elon's campus life.

"We've got diversity issues," he said. He encourages all students; "Embrace your identity; welcome in other cultures, this is a school that really needs an increase in diversity and minority students."

"Try and appreciate each other. I think we have a lot of cliques at Elon and I think we need to live more on a broad scale and maybe I'm being idealistic, but I think we need to just continue to have an open mind about each other."

Although noting that "the buck doesn't stop here," Bumbry urges students who have concerns to bring them to SGA.

"You can't get anything done by complaining behind the scenes," he said. "You can only get things done by going to the source."

Contact Timothy Rink at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.

Jessica Frizen / Photographer

SGA staff (left to right) Maggie Piggott, Cameron Davis, Michael Bumbry and Bethany Massman tackle topics like preserving the 'Elon atmosphere.'

Timothy Rink / Photographer

Bumbry works at his computer in his SGA office.

Meet the new SGA staff:

Senior Class Officers:

President - Carson Foushee

Vice President - Jamey Falkenbury

Secretary - Amie Ritchie

Senator - Michelle Matalon

Junior Class Officers:

President - Michelle Lauren Murphree

Vice President - Michael Purcell

Treasurer - Joshua Donde

Senator - Robert Saunders

Sophomore Class Officers:

President - Ben Smith

Vice President - Alex Nickodem

Senator - Ian Spreat