ASMSU President Lorenzo Santavicca tells Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis on MSU Today that he’s grateful that the MSU student body “has placed their trust in me to be their voice at Michigan State University.”
Santavicca is a senior studying international relations and political economy in James Madison College.
“It’s really there that I found my love for this university because you have this small college feel at this big institution where there are so many interests.”
Santavicca describes what he means by vulnerable storytelling, and the trio talks about the value of putting our phones down and engaging face-to-face. And he says we should celebrate the good things MSU students do and focus less on the ten percent that can generate negative headlines.
He says the biggest thing he and his ASMSU colleagues have changed is the culture of the organization.
“For a lot of the time, our organization has played a combative role. I want to strengthen a collaborative and communicative role. Students really just want to learn more about the way this university works behind the scenes and really be a part of that process.
“ASMSU is a successful organization because people want to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. That’s what ASMSU is really all about.”
When Santavicca graduates and makes way for a new ASMSU president, he says he’ll tell him or her “the power of this position is more than just sitting through governance or sitting on the sidelines waiting for something to come to you.
“It’s being an active cultural change agent.”
MSU Today airs Sunday afternoons at 4:00 on 94.5 FM and AM 870.