Meet OU’s SGA Presidents and Vice Presidents

As the University of Oklahoma turns the page to 2022, the new Student Government Association positions across Norman, HSC and OU-Tulsa have been filled.

The beginning of the year is always a great time to sit down with the SGA presidents and vice presidents for each campus and discuss their plans and goals for their terms.

Norman Campus

“Rivals Turned Running Mates,” SGA President Zack Lissau and Vice President Denzel Akuffo Set Goals for 2022 Norman Campus Experience

Pre-law students Zack Lissau and Denzel Akuffo will hold office of the University of Oklahoma Norman campus as SGA president and vice president, respectively. These student leaders will represent the student body as the voice of the university.

Tulsa native Lissau is a journalism major with aspirations to enter law school following the completion of his undergrad. Akuffo is the son of West African immigrants – Edward and Doreen – from Ghana and grew up in and around the Oklahoma City and Norman communities.

Lissau graduated high school from Bishop Kelley, while Akuffo graduated from Bishop McGuinness. The friendly rivalry between the two students inspired their Rivals Turned Running Mates platform for their campaign. Their campaign did more than act as a catchy slogan – it plays into their desire to make sure diversity of students, thought and backgrounds can thrive on campus.

What was your inspiration for running?

There wasn’t necessarily a prime moment where we said, ‘We really want to do this.’ It was a culmination of our experiences on campus that have been able to show us great experiences that other students have had. Since our time as freshmen, we were involved in the President’s Leadership Class, and we’ve both had our fair share of campus involvement. It was a buildup of a lot of experiences and conversation.

What does OU mean to you?

It’s more than a university, it’s a home. Being from Tulsa, the thing that resonates with me the most is the OU family. Being comforted by the community here that continues to strengthen helps with my experience. It amazes both Denzel and I each day.  

What are your thoughts on diversity on campus and what is its importance?

We believe not only is diversity important, but a part of our platform was to increase equity on campus. If that includes socio-economic equity or racial equity, we pinpointed that as a very important piece to our campaign. That’s something we really want to advocate to not only increase equity in already existing forms but to also think outside the box.

How do you want to try and increase equity on campus?

The Sooners Helping Sooners initiative is something we feel is an awesome opportunity for OU students to take advantage of. We want to make sure that those funds are being distributed equitably and appropriately. We also think that equity doesn’t only include race, it includes diverse thoughts, diverse religions. There are so many pieces to the puzzle.

What are your goals for your post-OU career?

I want to stay in Oklahoma and raise a family here. It is a great place. We’ve invested so much of our time, talent and energy into this community, and I still want to be involved in the state level if I can. We need leaders who know the pulse of the community. 

What was your inspiration for running?

We understood the pulse of campus. That’s something we take pride in. We’re still learning every day, so it continues to inspire us.

What does OU mean to you?

It’s home. Zack can say the same thing. I’ve lived around the Norman community my whole life. I’ve seen the comradery and diversity of the community and it’s something that’s a part of us as OU students. It’s a person that thrives and represents the University of Oklahoma.  

What are your thoughts on diversity on campus and what is its importance?

It brings knowledge. Having knowledge of different cultures or beliefs helps you understand that you need to learn each day. In our campaign, Zack and I were able to speak to a multitude of different students to see where they were from and what their backgrounds were. We want to put words into action.

What are your goals for your post-OU career?

Both of us are pre-law students. I plan on going to law school. That’s what I’ve been exploring. For both of us, we want to do big things. That’s easy to say but we do want to put words into action. 

OU-Tulsa

OU-Tulsa SGA Leaders Desire to Enhance the Student Experience

On the OU-Tulsa campus, SGA President Timothy Phillip and Vice President Holli Reherman began their leadership roles at the end of the last academic year.    

Phillip is a medical student from Grand Prairie, Texas, and started his OU career at the OU Health Sciences Center. He is expected to graduate this May and hopes to continue this momentum of leadership into his professional life.

Reherman hails from Sallisaw and is currently working toward her master's in social work.

The OU-Tulsa campus presents a unique experience to that of Norman. It is a much smaller community in terms of student population – roughly 1,600 students enrolled – and deals heavily with non-traditional/professional students. The unique makeup of the OU-Tulsa student body, combined with the campus’ urban setting, means that building an inclusive college experience takes on a different approach.  

That is where Phillip and Reherman come in. They share a common goal of bringing together the OU-Tulsa community. Their desire to encourage more participation in events and activities across campus drove much of their inspiration to seek their leadership positions.

How does the Tulsa experience benefit you?

I think the first thing that comes to my mind is the demographic difference. I like to think of it in terms of age. There are typical, traditional undergrads – kids right out of high school. Then there’s a lull in between and then you have non-traditional students with families or people who have worked already and have come back to finish their degrees.  

On the Tulsa campus, if you put in the effort – with it being a commuter campus – there are opportunities to meet those in your age group, but also you can gain perspectives from people who have lived entire lifetimes and have come back to school for a variety of different reasons.  

All that to say that the Tulsa experience is unique.  

How do you want to strengthen the OU-Tulsa Community?

One thing that I think that’s a challenge on the Tulsa campus is that, since it’s not typically thought of as a traditional undergrad campus only, a lot of the older population or those who have lived lives and have families, so it can be a big challenge to get this diverse age range group to spend time at events together. That’s one of the challenges to integrate the Tulsa campus student body together.  

What does OU mean to you as a brand?

I think the one thing that came to mind was family. You could call it loyalty. That’s something I’ve seen played out amongst my classmates. Many of them in a graduate program are lifelong OU people. So that’s undergrad, those are parents and grandparents who attended OU. It’s an OU tradition that I fell into and am now more integrated into.  

To be integrated into that, as someone from outside the state who didn’t have any OU ties prior, is the one thing that stands out to me. That’s what I want to do here in Tulsa is to help promote that family environment on campus.  

In what ways do you want to do that (help promote a family environment on campus)?

I think it’s really challenging. There are a lot of students who may or may not have the same goals on campus. The first step is creating that community. Student Affairs does a great job of scheduling events on campus. I think getting students with different backgrounds to come to these events is the first step. I want to try and get them into the same room so we can all have a casual conversation. Creating events that different groups of people can find enjoyment in and that also fit their schedule is the first step.

What does leadership mean to you?

Leadership in medicine or outside of medicine. I want to do both. I don’t have the details figured out just yet, but I want to do a combination of both. How a university is run, how to get people to come to events.

What was your inspiration for running along with Timothy?

I wanted to serve and support fellow OU students during my time as a student.

How do you want to strengthen the OU-Tulsa Community?

My goal is for more students to become active in student government and make their voices heard.

What goals do you have for your tenure?

Encouraging students to become involved in campus organizations and encouraging them to utilize the resources we have that they may not know about is a great first step.

How does the Tulsa experience benefit you?

The Tulsa campus has wonderful resources like our library and excellent meeting spaces and provides flexible learning options.

What does OU mean to you as a brand?

To me, OU stands for excellence in education.

What does leadership mean to you?

To me, leadership is defined by willingness to participate, serve others and to exercise innovation in finding solutions to problems.

OU Health Sciences Center

In the Midst of the Ongoing Pandemic, OUHSC’s SGA Works to Strengthen OU Community

The difficulties that the health care community has been facing over the last two years are well documented, and the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City has seen these challenges firsthand.

Still, learning and the need for community must continue. OUHSC’s SGA president and vice president, Jayden Sarabia and Eric Edwards, have been tasked with navigating the uneasy waters of the situation.

The simplest thing to do when leaders face a challenge is to look at lessons learned from the past. What if there is little to no precedent for the current situation?

That is the main challenge that Sarabia and Edwards have faced. With little to look back on, OUHSC’s SGA leadership has maneuvered through a pandemic and still has met the challenge of building a more tight-knit and stronger community on the Oklahoma City campus.

What was your inspiration for running last spring?

Four years ago, a professor exclaimed that most organizations only have 10% of active members who would volunteer. It has been my goal to leave the world better than I found it by being an active and involved member, but it was at that moment that I decided I would belong to the 10% who helped their organizations and groups thrive.

What has the experience been like?

The experience far exceeded my expectations. I get to represent the OUHSC student body while working with students from other programs. It is a true privilege to give back to the community that has taken the time to see the potential in me and continuously supports me.

What unforeseen challenges did you encounter and how did you attack them?

When I regarded my upcoming tenure as SGA president, I assumed I would be following the models of past SGA presidents. I was forced to reconsider everything due to the pandemic and its rapid changes, which left my original plans in disarray. While modeling is an important way for me to learn things, true leaders may not need a model because they are resilient, flexible and creative. Realizing this challenged me, and I took advantage of the unique circumstances I faced to build on the leadership skills needed to excel. I was forced to think on my feet and be flexible. I was unable to follow past presidents, but I was able to analyze their actions as my foundation and mold them into something that would facilitate better interaction during a unique time. Overall, this journey has allowed me to see what a challenge as an opportunity could be to heighten my ability to adapt and succeed.

In what ways has the experience at OUHSC benefited you that it may not have at other campuses or universities?

The experience at the OUHSC has benefited me by providing a community filled with personable individuals that support and uplift me.

What does OU as a brand/institution mean to you?

The OUHSC means family.

Plans for your post-OU career?

Post-graduation, I will continue to serve the state of Oklahoma as a licensed and practicing audiologist. It is my hope that one day I may have the opportunity to serve in administrative, academic or clinician roles here at the OUHSC to mold future audiologists in their journey as others have done for me.

What was your inspiration for running last spring?

I love being involved with Student Affairs. I want to help enhance the student experience and be an advocate for student leaders.

What has the experience been like?

It has been extremely rewarding working with SGA. Both the virtual delivery and in-person has had its challenges, but overall, working with student leaders from each college is honestly the best. I have made so many great connections because of this role, and seeing change happen because of the amazing senators we have has been very rewarding.

What unforeseen challenges did you encounter and how did you attack them?

The hardest part of working with so many different colleges is being able to coordinate with all of them for events. There are so many RSOs (registered student organizations) and clubs and communicating with all of them is very difficult. The best way to manage this is by having input from each college and keeping open lines of communication.

In what ways has the experience at OUHSC benefited you that it may not have at other campuses or universities?

Having all the colleges on one campus has been an awesome experience and allows for so much collaborative work. I think a campus like this allows all of us to build connections within different disciplines.

What does OU as a brand/institution mean to you?

When I think of OU, I think of the gold standard for health care. I take pride in being an OU student and it’s a great feeling to know that I will earn a degree from this university.

Plans for your post-OU career?

I want to own a hormone replacement therapy and Botox practice and work in sales or medical affairs.

Article Published:  Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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