As students have returned to campus and classes are in full swing, the Student Government Association (SGA) is getting ready for the executive and Freshman cabinet elections in mid-September. In addition to the usual Freshmen cabinet elections, two executive seats are open for election.
The first position available in the executive cabinet is the Executive Officer of Diversity and Inclusion, a relatively new addition to the SGA cabinet which was occupied last year by Shaphan Hestick. Previously the SGA executive cabinet consisted of a President, Vice president, Treasurer, and Secretary, and the SGA hopes that seeing new positions and a larger cabinet will show how the organization is growing and trying to express the voice of each member of the student body. The Executive Officer of Diversity and Inclusion position is available because Hestick is currently running for Student Body President. He spoke fondly of the previous executive position he held, and asserts that the position “takes care of affinity groups for the sake of their affinity.”
On September 17th at 7pm there will be a campus wide Q&A with the SGA executive cabinet and the running candidates. This will be an opportunity to ask the candidates questions about what they are hoping to accomplish with their position, as well as to voice any concerns that students feel could be addressed by the SGA. On September 18th ballots will be sent out and counted, with results to follow.
Students who are interested in running for executive cabinets or the Freshman class cabinet can pick up a petition from the SGA office and begin getting signatures from their fellow classmates. For executive cabinets members they must have a GPA of 3.0 and receive 75 signatures while those running for the Freshman class cabinet only need 50 signatures. Petitions are due by September 14th at 5pm and once collected candidates will need to write and give a speech at the Q&A on September 17th. Current President Hannah Sievers is available for questions, and stresses her excitement in adding new members to an already strong and enthusiastic group of leaders. Students should reach out to the SGA or Dr. Bill Burrichter if they have any questions about the organization or what they can do to be a part of the SGA.