Photo Courtesy of Surge FSU (@surgefsu)
Many students at Florida State University (FSU) experienced engagement and excitement throughout campus two weeks ago as the student government held its general election. The students from FSU’s two political parties, Surge FSU and Forward FSU, advocated what they stand for and what they want to provide for the campus community.
The advertisements these student government parties made were mainly through social media, but on campus, the parties waved around posters reading “Vote now!” and gave out stickers labeled with “Surge FSU” or “Forward FSU.” In addition, Surge FSU handed out Plan B packages to show their belief on student's well-being and how to support them.
The Programming Manager of Surge FSU’s executive board, Zionne Cummings, was distributing Plan Bs with the party. She handed out these resources to students on Landis Green.
Cummings stated that she did face some obstacles during election week, saying “Getting everyone together to make campaign videos and signs was a bit challenging due to our hectic schedules, but we always found a way to make it happen.”
Cummings is a very involved student. She is in several organizations, such as Presidential Scholars, the Homecoming Committee, the Student Alumni Association, the Diverse World Fashion Magazine, and the Caribbean Student Association.
It is truly inspiring what Cummings has to offer to our campus as an independent and strong representative of Surge FSU. She states she can balance it all with her mindset.
Cummings thinks it is important to realize that you cannot be comfortable all the time. She added that knowing that a reasonable amount of discomfort is unavoidable is helpful when it comes to being productive. She keeps a well-maintained calendar to avoid overlap during these busy seasons.
With Cummings’ understanding of time management and passion to benefit the FSU campus, she took a leap and managed to land an opportunity to become a part of the executive board for Surge FSU.
“I became involved with this organization through recruitment mostly. The executive board reached out to me, I interviewed, and they all agreed I would be a good fit for the vision they hoped to execute,” Cummings said.
Cummings has been with Surge FSU for almost a year now, and she emphasized that the time is flying fast. She is officially representing the 2024-25 Surge FSU executive board as the Programming Manager – one of the 11 female students on the executive board, along with the 8 other male students.
The responsibilities she has in this position include planning ways for students to get engaged. For example, Cummings is behind events such as Calvin’s coffee hour and the day of events during campaign week.
Cummings’ time and dedication to Surge FSU reflect the strength and determination of women on campus who are committed to making a difference. Women’s leadership is essential in shaping a better campus environment. Cummings approach inspires those around her, encouraging young women to step into their power and voice their concerns.
Her leadership style shows how women can collaborate, show empathy towards students and the campus, as well as have a genuine desire to create positive change at FSU.
Cummings said, “It is super important to us [Surge FSU] as a party to platform women in the Senate and to recognize their success.”
Looking to the future, Cummings wanted to implement a campaign during Women’s History Month that would showcase Surge FSU’s female members’ stories. She suggested she could do this by creating posts or short videos that highlight their achievements and contributions.
The election is officially finalized and seats have been decided. Cummings said Surge FSU students did not win as many seats as they hoped they would, which was a bit disheartening. Cummings – and Surge FSU as a collective – are hoping for a better outcome next semester.
Despite this, Cummings does not take the election as a huge loss, as she feels she learned a lot about campaigning and how to create a better connection with the students on campus at FSU.
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