The leadership of Vanderbilt Student Government was turned over Wednesday night as presidency was transferred from senior Joseph Williams to his former vice president, junior Wyatt Smith.
The spring turnover dinner, held in the Student Life Center Board of Trust Room, provided a chance for reflection by outgoing president Williams, incoming president Smith, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos and Dean of Students Mark Bandas, as well as the first official vote by the new senators.
The theme of the night revolved around reflections on VSG's accomplishments over the past year while looking ahead to Vanderbilt's future.
Williams' administration was praised for its work and innovation. Among the accomplishments cited were bringing Vanderbilt students Gmail, expanding dining options and the renovations to Kissam Quadrangle. Bandas praised Williams for his strength of character.
"He has been a great student leader. He exemplifies honesty, humility, integrity and all of the things Vanderbilt values in its leaders," Bandas said.
Williams reflected on his time as a leader, explaining that he hoped he had an impact on the Vanderbilt community.
"I just hope that I represented the student voice well and that I've contributed to making Vanderbilt a more enriching and enjoyable place," Williams said. "I hope I'm leaving it a better place than I found it."
In addition to praising Williams, the speakers also looked to VSG's future. Zeppos said he was eager to work with Smith's administration.
"I couldn't be more pleased to be working with Wyatt (Smith)," he said.
Smith laid out some of his goals for the upcoming academic year.
"As Joseph Williams once said, ǃÚIt is our role to make student life better for every student, every day,'" Smith said. He also cited close relationships with Vanderbilt's administration as central to his and vice president and sophomore Lori Murphy's plans for the next year.
"Our relationships with administrators and faculty cultivated by our predecessors are our greatest strength. I've said many times that VSG's greatest strength was out credibility, and I stand by that today," he said.
Zeppos expressed optimism about Vanderbilt's future, saying what made Vanderbilt outstanding was students like Smith and Williams.
"For all the beauty of this campus, for all the buildings, the most important thing here is the students that come to and lead Vanderbilt," Zeppos said.
