Damien Ruffin is strictly about business and priority.

Can you address the controversy surrounding the student elections?

I think it’s actually kind of pathetic. It’s an example of how we tend to worry too much about what the next person is doing. We try to pull each other down instead of trying to work together to get ahead.

I apologize for how it affected the students in a negative way. A lot of students didn’t want to come back out and vote because of that. I just think that it was pathetic that people couldn’t be adult enough to talk to their fellow candidates versus going to administration.

It’s not that serious. Yeah, people wanted to become student body president, but what were they willing to do for that, was it really that serious?

How did you manage to keep focused during all of the ruckus and eventually win the election?

By not caring. I’m not really the person who cares about what everybody else is doing. My philosophy on life is that I’m going to “Do me.” I could care less about what everybody else is doing. That’s not my concern. I live my life to the fullest. It actually became a headache the second time around. I thought “Just forget about it, this is too silly, people are acting too childish.”

Students may not be familiar with your campaign platform. As president of the SGA, explain what you plan to do?

My platform and everything that I campaigned on was about resources. There is an issue now with tuition increases. There is only so much that we can do about that. ASG has more control over tuition increases than your local SGA does because it affects all of the state-funded schools.

They planned a couple of things to try to combat that and at least make sure that tuition doesn’t go up anymore. There is a $200 per student increase at Central that we can control. This is supposed to be for technology and education purposes. But I have mixed feelings about that.

As a student, I don’t like it. I don’t think that we are getting proper resources, and I don’t think that our money is being used properly now.

If they use this money, I’ll be happy ... if they put it to the right use. If we actually get a chance to have new computers in new labs and they upgrade everything that they said that they were going to upgrade, I think most students won’t even care about the $200. Students want to come back to campus next year and have working computers and printers in all of the labs and not 1960 computers.

What else do you suppose should be done with the tuition increase?

There are budget problems. I’m not as familiar as some of the other people are with budget problems, but these are things that I have to learn. So I have to find out exactly what the problems are before I can really say what they should do or not do.

My biggest issue is that I found myself at other campuses spending so much time doing my work. That’s not a good idea at all because I have my own university to worry about.

I think that the students need to step it up as well. We have tons of committees that students are supposed to be on that can change certain things. For instance, we have a library committee who can help to make sure that we have the right books here, but you have to have the students that want to do it. You can’t just complain, complain, complain and never step up.

How will your tenure differ from past SGA presidents?

People tend to get caught up in trying to change a whole bunch and not focus on one thing. I think little things count more sometimes. I want to focus on enjoying the campus and making the students happy, because some of the problems are going to go away over a period of time.

The school has a lot of money now going towards renovating the campus and supposedly bringing us up to date with everyone else in the 21st century. No one’s going to be here if no one’s happy. I really want students to feel like what is here now is sufficient and to enjoy themselves while they’re here and not just have a party.

Speaking of parties, you’ve become quite the entrepreneur in the Durham club scene. So how will you separate that from your duties as student president?

I probably won’t separate it. I’ll probably use it to my advantage. Like, 10:40 breaks used to be really hot, and a thing to get information out as well. So I plan to use the same techniques that I use to promote my clubs.

I want to promote information at the 10:40 break and get it back to where it used to be. So, I can’t really say that I’m going to separate it. I’m going to use the knowledge that I have from what I do to improve student life.

As far as my timing, I’m probably going to step back as far as the amount of work that I put into my business. I have a business partner whose probably gonna run things a lot more now.

People don’t really realize my background. I’m a father with a four year old son, and I’m putting myself through school. I came to school in 1996, but had to sit out for two and a half years because of my son. No one supports me. I support myself 100%. My family has helped, but I don’t ask them for things and I’ve managed to do all of the things that I’ve been doing all along.

Is there one large issue that you plan on tackling next year?

I feel like the largest thing is the computer issue. That’s one of the things that I’m harping on. I’ve spent mornings running around trying to print papers and that’s ridiculous.

There are other issues like security issues. The security booths/emergency towers are supposed to light up in a row so that you can show security where you are going. I’d like to also see more security on staff.

Maybe this money with the tuition increase will help so that we can fund more police officers, so that we can feel more secure.

What is your message to your fellow students as SGA president?

Participate. Come out. I want anyone who wants to be a part of the executive board or SGA as a whole to come to our office.

I want students on all of the committees that the school has to offer. I really want the students to become involved because in my eyes, as student body president, I’m representing you in certain meetings and I’m a student as well.

There’s gonna be times when I can’t be in certain meetings and I’ll need other people to do it. I’m only as powerful as what’s behind me. I really need the students to step up.

What do you think about the following issues at NCCU?

Tuition Hike: Constantly going up but we’re not seeing improvements.

Expansion Plans: Definitely need it. We seem to be outgrowing our campus.

Building Renovations: Is it gonna happen? If it happens, it’ll be good. There are a lot of issues you hear about at Central, but you don’t actually see corrections taking place. And when they do happen, it takes forever to get one thing done. I just want to see people actually getting it done.

The Role of Black Greek Letter Organizations: Step up. Step up to the plate. All Black Greek Letter Organizations should step up. They are a part of student life, and that wouldn’t even be an issue that I would have to focus on if they would just step up.

A comment was made in the paper saying that I had an issue about Kim Jones being the only non-Greek running for president. I understood where she was coming from, but at the same time I think that greeks should be in leadership roles. I really want all Greeks to step up.

Faculty and Administration: I’m cool with the faculty because I feel they are just like us: overworked and underpaid. The administration does a lot of listening, but I don’t see as much movement. So, I have no problems with faculty. I just want to see administration step up.

When we had an open-mic forum, which only about 60 students showed up for, I asked the question, “Was the administration taking pay deductions, like we are having tuition increases.”

Since we are supposed to be a family, are we all feeling this, or is it just the students?

What sort of lasting impression do you hope to leave as far as being looked at as a good student leader?

I hope that it encourages all students to participate in student government. I definitely feel like when people see me, they don’t see me as the normal student government president.

I’m just the average student just like everybody else and in the past it seemed like the student body president would act like they were on a different level or a step above. That’s why I ran. I’m no different than others. I’m just as intelligent, just as smart.

I’m trying to go to Harvard and Georgetown just like everybody else.

It’s just that I don’t walk around and act like everybody.