Frank Reed: To Better Things Despite the Worst

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

Frank Reed addressed the Student Government Association floor for the first time as president Sept. 12. For Reed, it’s a role he’s felt destined for since he first ran for Belmont’s SGA senate. 

“Three years ago, I stood to be sworn in as a senator and took the same oath I just took, the same oath you all are about to take.” 

Reed has run for the big leagues before with less success. After one semester as senator, Reed ran as vice president under Balazs Vargas’ presidential campaign in the spring of 2023, only to fall short to Carter Barnett. 

Despite the loss, the chemistry and nursing double-major has held roles in the association at every level of power, from senator to chief of staff, outreach liaison and treasurer prior to this semester. 

“I think my inclination for leadership and my past with medicine actually make for a decent politician,” said Reed. 

His institutional growth makes it a natural transition for longtime cabinet members and senators. For Belmont students, this is the third presidential inauguration in three semesters.  

It leaves Reed with a desire to see a year-long term through, but also a broader goal of leaving the association more stable than he found it.  

“This new program is more stable in the sense of its organization and also with a clear plan. He has a lot of ideas and is accomplishing them one by one,” said DEI Chair Dia Abdullah. 

Reed has already set in motion internal initiatives he promoted on his presidential campaign pamphlets, including the restructuring of SGA committees and the launch of an insular mentorship program. 

Though clearly successful within SGA, Reed’s rise to personal success was much less linear. 

In high school, Reed moved schools during the pandemic and lacked the motivation to attend. A feeling of isolation manifested there and went with him to college as he suffered the loss of significant figures in his life. 

He still stumbled his way into university and found more inspiration to face the world ahead of him. 

To Reed, this is the law of entropy: the nature of humans to drain their energy and replenish it again. In this case, the thermodynamics are literal. 

“It’s true, though. The things we build will not stand the test of time,” said Reed. “So, what is it then to be human? It’s to keep going despite that.” 

Reed attributes the success he’s accumulated in college to his conscious decision to dive into what the world has to offer him. That choice is the root of his passions, positivity and pursuits. 

“Sometimes, I’ll go over to his place, and he’ll be writing on his fridge, balancing out equations and doing stoichiometry. I’m like, ‘Dude, is this what you do for fun?’” said Vargas. 

Vargas became vice president a year after his failed presidential bid. In the meantime, he and Reed grew even more fond of campaigning man-on-the-street style. There are three main ingredients at play: suits, pamphlets and ambush. Reed replicated this for his presidential bid two years later. 

“I mean, he can strike up a conversation with anybody,” said Vargas. He believes it’s uniquely in Reed’s nature. 

“Call me a humanist, that’s my religion,” said Reed. 

Reed is equally focused on setting up a legacy within his government and for his constituents, and that starts with SGA’s cabinet. 

Selecting the current cabinet was a challenging process for Reed, but he ultimately assembled a team of diverse talents and a work ethic to match his own. 

“I think at times, the organization, like any organization, goes through phases of cliqueiness and cliquing...,” said Reed. “The community that I found recently has been a really tight-knit core of people who just want to do really well with their position.” 

The core of this cabinet is Vice President Abigail Daugherty. Reed credits Daugherty with a forwardness that makes her a clear voice from SGA to students, especially through social media efforts. 

Daugherty recognizes that there can be a lack of clarity among the student body when developments can’t be shared right away. She still finds that to be a resource to students; 

SGA must strive for constant connection with the student body. 

“A lot of times, those efforts are more behind-the-curtain, and people don't necessarily see the fruit of them until later in the year or in a couple of years,” said Daugherty. “One of the most rewarding benefits of this is the amount of people that we've been able to meet and directly hear... their recommendations and their questions.” 

Similarly, Ethan Lowry took over for Reed in the treasury after working under Reed and parliamentarian Olivia Patterson during his freshman year. 

Though Lowry’s tact for organization and delegation was natural, he attributes his success to his mentorship, the kind of training that starts a legacy. 

“I felt like I was surprisingly prepared watching Olivia first, then him. I felt like I got to see two different perspectives, two different ways I could tackle things, but also add my perspective to it. And he made it super easy to transition,” said Lowry. 

After the inaugurations, the general meetings continued in the way that most do: financing bills. However, SGA does more than approve grants. 

Out of all SGA committees, finance can most directly help organizations in the short term, which better aids transitions in the student body. 

“Our goal this year is to fund as many orgs as possible, specifically as many new orgs as possible and just kind of be a familiar face for student leaders on campus,” said Lowry. “I’m here for them.” 

Reed campaigned with the promise of eventually bringing Belmont more practice rooms and new furniture to the Janet Ayers Academic Center. 

Though the campus affairs committee would handle these requests, the responsibility will be split among new SGA subcommittees for time efficiency. 

These improvements are not entirely out of reach, but as Daughtery explained, most projects are in a phase where they can’t be publicized. 

Based on the student body’s requests, Reed created forms for administrators detailing what changes would best serve student use, then starting the extended co-operation. 

As of October, Reed has made the most progress with a proposal for the FitRec by optimizing current and new equipment. 

That’s the main mission of SGA at this stage: reaching for the best. Reed describes this at the end of every email he sends, though the Latin phrase may go unnoticed. 

“I truly believe in ‘Ad Meliora’ because it's our world… It's our everything. I think you let a lot of people down if you don't strive for better things,” said Reed. 

Luckily, the administration has a whole year to do it. 

This article was written by Ria Skyer