Michelle Murphy, student body president, sits in her cluttered corner office, full of Eastern items. Her walls are almost bare. She has been too busy to decorate.

Last year, Murphy was voted Eastern’s Student Body President for the second year in a row. Murphy beat fellow candidate Nahder Houshmandv by a slim margin of 38 votes last spring.

Murphy, a senior communications studies major, and other members of student government have nothing but hope for Eastern, the upcoming school year and her fellow students.

“. my hope is to just always keep people involved and make people feel like they can be involved on campus,” Murphy said.

Although Murphy has done quite a bit for Eastern and Charleston by creating Panther Nation, she still feels the pressure that usually comes with a strenuous job and position.

“When I first got student body president and a bad article was written about me, I was absolutely devastated, but now I have a thicker skin and I realized that I can’t please everyone.”

But Murphy also said being President has its advantages.

“Speaking at graduation was just the most humbling experience.to feel like someone felt that I was important enough to speak at a graduation, and that some day someone is going to look back at a DVD and I’m going to be the speaker. That just blows my mind.”

Murphy, who will be graduating in Spring 2011, comes from the small town of Tuscola, which she describes as not unlike Charleston and wishes that students would “appreciate the little gems” of Charleston and realize “we are a big part of Charleston.” For four years, this will be a student’s home.

Jason Sandidge, a junior sociology major, is the new student senate speaker, and after being on student government for three semesters, he still feels intimidated.

“It’s a little nerve wracking. I have pretty big shoes to fill,” Sandidge said.

Sandidge believes a problem on student senate is the lack of communication or understanding between the fellow senators, and he is aware of the tension that being the speaker entails.

“(The senators) need to realize that they can’t do anything by themselves. Whether it’s a big idea or a small one; we all need each other. Bonding together is the only way to get things done,” Sandidge said.

Student government is a group on campus that few students know about and the lack of visibility is something that Sandidge is comfortable with.

“Student government changed my life, and I don’t think it needs a new face. If we can get something done and not be recognized, then that’s fine. We give up,” he said.

The first student government meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-7942 or

[email protected]