FMU Student Body President W.R. “Cody” Simpson III. will soon serve his new position as Secretary of State for the South Carolina Student Legislature (SCSL) for the 2012-2013 year.

With his new position, Simpson will have new responsibilities.  He will  help the student governor with any tasks as needed, help reappoint each Delegation, aid the Election and Awards Committee, and serve as a member of the Judicial Selection committee to appoint four Associate Justices and two Alternate Associate Justices.

During last year’s fall session, Simpson served as a delegate with nine others to represent FMU for the first time in decades.  Their performance at this session earned them an award “in recognition of cohesion and activity.”

“We showed that even though we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into, and we weren’t very experienced on how the process works, we came in, and we acted, and we put on that we knew,” Simpson said. “We took any challenge, and that’s how we’re taught here at Francis Marion. I’ll go up to bat for anybody, and they’d do the same for me.”

Simpson is still currently serving as a Senator as well as Secretary of State.

Simpson expressed how thankful he is for the delegates who were with him, saying that gaining this position would not have been possible if it weren’t for them and support from his friends and family.

“I guess it’s where people take you,” Simpson said.  “If they think you can do it, then do it.”

As a freshman, Simpson was the Appointments and Elections Chair and the President Pro Temp of the Senate.  He said if he enjoys his new position, he’ll stick with it or he may run for governor.

Simpson serves in many organizations on campus including Student Body President and a member of FMU’s chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order.  He offered his advice for students striving for leadership positions, saying a common mistake is caring about what people think of them.

“What I learned is that sometimes you just have to make those steps, [and] those choices,” Simpson said.  “And sometimes you have to realize that if you’re doing the best you can…you’ve got to stand behind your decision.”

Simpson encourages students to attend SGA meetings in UC 218 and offer their opinions.  He also welcomes students to meet with him one-on-one.

“I have an open door policy that if a student does have a problem, or if that would like some change, or they would like to have more programs on campus, I’m here to help them,” Simpson said.

The SCSL is a student government association involving schools across the state.  South Carolina is divided into districts, and universities from each district are allotted delegates from their SGAs based on the size of their university.

Students create bills on certain issues, bills go to the Senate, then to the House of Representatives, and if it is passed by both, it is sent to the governor to either sign or veto during either the fall session in Columbia or the spring session in Myrtle Beach.

For students interested in becoming a part of SGA, there are four openings for SCSL.  The application process opened Monday, Jan. 16 and is due by Wednesday, Feb. 1 to student affairs.