TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Troy’s Student Government Association is officially under new leadership.
Chris Hood, the new SGA president, has served at the SGA Vice President of Internal Affairs for the past year. Now, after stepping into a bigger position, he says the role will be a major undertaking thanks to his predecessor, Caleb Smith.
“I definitely have big shoes to fill,” Hood said. “Caleb was an incredible SGA president, and I only hope that I can be that good of a servant to the student body.
“It’s a privilege to be able to stand on the shoulders of everyone that has come before me.”
Hood is hitting the ground running by introducing new ideas, one of which is a new campus tradition that aims to raise students’ morale.
“My idea right now is that we could ring in the new school year the night before class starts in the fall semester,” Hood said. “We could gather around JRL and have the JRL bell ring at midnight to, you know, kind of signify the start of the school year.
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“We have a lack of the tradition here in Troy that some other schools have a lot of and I think that really helps take away some of the academic stress and burdens people feel at the start of the year.”
Changes are already being carried out under the Hood administration. Recently, the SGA announced a new Trojan ID card design.
The decision was made by the students, who got to vote between three new designs made by the marketing department.
The design change is merely cosmetic, not functional. The old ID card will still work until the owner of the last one graduates.
The first new ID cards will be given to incoming freshmen over the summer at IMPACT 2026.
Current Troy students will be able to replace their cards for a $15 fee in Shackelford Hall beginning Fall 2026.
Hood said the SGA felt like it was the old card’s time to go.
“We’ve had it since 2005, and I was born in 2005, so it’s a little old,” Hood said. “Some people like the old design but I think it’s kind of keeping up with our modernization of Troy University.
“As we’re moving into a new marketing campaign and a new direction it just felt like the right step.”
Hood said that the SGA is working with the university to waive the $15 fee for current students, but no progress has yes been announced.
