With the month of February comes the time for celebrating love, commemorating some of our nation’s greatest presidents and, yes, it is that time of year for the Student Government Association Elections. With two tickets running for the executive positions, this year’s election should be a good race, according to SGA Election Commissioner Lauren Gretz.
The two tickets running for the Executive Board positions are the “Bridging the Gap” ticket and the “Uniting for Change” ticket.
The “Bridging the Gap” ticket consists of: Mike Rozier for president, Tricia Fechter for executive vice president, Chad Kreikemeier for financial vice president, Lubna Alam for academic vice president and Vince Giacabazi for administrative vice president.
The “Uniting for Change” ticket consists of: Matt Love for president, Nick Sarcone for executive vice president, Ricardo Fernandez for financial vice president, Beth Corrigan for academic vice president and Mike Parrino for administrative vice president.
“Both tickets are taking very
different approaches,” Gretz said.
Some important dates for students to remember are the Executive Board Debates on Tuesday, Feb. 12, the Presidential Debates on Monday, Feb. 18 and Election Day on Monday, Feb. 25.
One of the events that Gretz is most excited about is the “Rock the Vote” event in the Billiken Club at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21. “It’s definitely one of a kind,” she said. It will be an open-mike type of event hosted by KSLU radio station DJs. Students will be able to ask the candidates any type of question. They could even ask candidates if they wear boxers or briefs, Gretz said.
“We’re doing this to show students that, yes, SGA is serious, but it’s also fun, too,” she said.
The event may even have some karaoke performances by candidates, as well as a beer garden, Gretz said. A portion of the proceeds will go to the SLUnion building construction fund.
“This event is our baby,” Gretz said. “We really want students to come to this one.”
“We composed [the Election Committee] of student leaders that are recognizable around campus to help spread information by word of mouth,” Gretz said.
Schmieder, a senior on the Election Commission, is impressed with the process. “This is my first time dealing with an SGA election, but from I’ve seen, it seems to be running very smoothly,” he said.
In addition to the Executive Board positions, all other senate seats will have elections. Only four seats are contested, meaning that more than one person is running for a seat.
The number of students running for senate seats was lower than the Election Commission had hoped, Gretz said, but she is encouraging people to write in candidates on Election Day.
Students should begin to see posters around campus asking, “Where’s your vote?” The theme is a response to students pondering such things as “Where is my student union? Where is my parking? Where are my affordably textbooks?”
