Interview with Jerry Caviston

The fall semester has begun here at Centenary University, bringing a mix of familiar faces to campus. Student Body President Jerry Caviston has captured the attention of students and staff alike with his eye-catching flyers. 

Jerry Caviston is currently a senior at Centenary University, majoring in Production Management and Technical Theater. Caviston also plays Gunther in the off Broadway premiere of Friends! The Musical Parody. Be sure to check him out!

 The flyer encourages students to reach out for conversation with the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Alpha Psi Omega (APO) president. From complaints to simple conversations, Jerry just wants to connect. 

I had the opportunity to sit down with Jerry to ask him some questions. 

Thank you for sitting down with me, Jerry. 

 1. How has becoming SGA president shaped you as a person?

Since being elected SGA President, I have really felt a heightened sense of responsibility. I am supposed to serve as a role model on campus– the “poster boy” of Centenary University– and it’s really given me a new outlook on how to approach certain situations. 

I’m a ‘right here, right now’ type of person. I like action and change to happen as soon as possible, but, sometimes, it just isn’t possible for a multitude of reasons, so it’s really taught me to work with the system rather than against it.

2. What responsibilities do you have as student president?

The president serves as the head of the SGA Executive Cabinet. I oversee each meeting and make sure we’re keeping up a steady pace to ensure each topic on our agenda gets an appropriate amount of time to be discussed. 

I also have the opportunity to attend the University’s Board of Trustees meetings to give updates about the wellbeing of the student body. 

When I’m not in meetings,  I’m out at university events giving speeches. Personally, that's one of  my favorite aspects of being President! 

3. How do you balance theatre and other side projects while still managing to be president?

Time management is the most important part of balancing my schedule. Besides being SGA president, I also have the honor of serving as the president of Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honor society, and the vice president of Enactus. When I’m not on campus in class I currently hold two other jobs, one at the Califon General Store, working there as Assistant Manager, and the other is in NYC where I perform Off-Broadway with Friends! The Musical Parody.

Everything in my schedule balances perfectly with the other like a giant game of Tetris. Before this semester, time management was one of my weakest skills, but I think it’s safe to say I’ve practically mastered it!

4. What was your idea behind such a neat flyer?

The idea for the flyer came because I am supposed to serve as a conduit between the student body and the university. For the past three years I’ve been at Centenary, I haven’t felt that I had a way to properly communicate my thoughts. I wished that the process had been more mainstream. 

So, now that I’m in a position to create change, I wanted to hear directly from the students themselves! And what better way to do that then plaster my phone number and email address around?! 

5. What has the student response been to your flyer?

The pros are that I have the unique opportunity to hear raw feedback directly from students about anything they’d like! Sometimes, students might have an idea or suggestion to better improve campus life, but they’re not sure who to talk to or where to go, so they keep it to themselves. 

The cons are that students might not utilize this outlet to its fullest extent. They could think that the poster is silly, or that their idea isn’t good enough, but I’m here to say I’ve gotten a dozen texts and emails, each filled with amazing ideas that myself and the SGA are actively trying to integrate into day-to-day student life! 

6. What’s next for President Caviston ?

I’m working on setting up a weekly table outside of the cafeteria. That way students can come talk to me one-on-one! Once I finalize those details, I’ll be sure to hang up more posters! 

7. Any final remarks? 

I would like to thank Jonathan and the Cyclone Chronicle for taking the time to sit down and chat with me about my presidency thus far! We’ve got a lot of work left to do and a long year ahead, so let’s keep working together as one student body and make this a year to remember!