Kehinde Hopkins

The Student Government Association convenes for a meeting in the Student Leadership Chamber.

Starting at 2:00 p.m. April 20, the Student Government Association (SGA) elections have officially begun, with elections concluding on April 27 at the same time.

Students can vote on Ramspace to choose the candidate they feel would be the best fit for the each of the 11 roles which include:  

Executive Positions

• President
• Vice President
• Administrator 
• Chief Justice

Representative Roles

• School of  Arts and Sciences
• School of Education
• School of Business Administration
• Student Athletes
• Transfer Students 
• At-Large Student Representative  

Of the 11 roles eight are running uncontested, meaning only one student is running for the position.  

Current SGA President Daylan Anderson-Harris spoke about what SGA does behind-the-scenes, and what impact it has on students.  

“We help through initiatives like bills, proposals and legislation; we help with events, we fund student organizations, we do a lot of different things, but we’re just here to serve our students in any way we can,” Harris said.  

Carson Dinger, assistant dean of students and SGA’s primary adviser, expressed the importance of having each position up for election each year.  

“The organization is being constantly rebuilt to reflect the current student body which evolves year from year,” Dinger said. “Transitions like this are an important part of maintaining a strong organization.”  

With all that SGA does on campus, Dinger feels it’s important for students to vote for what they want to see.  

“Voting is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways students can shape their campus experience, students elected to SGA are making decisions that impact student life, resources and priorities,” Dinger said. “By voting, students are choosing who represents their voice and helps influence the direction of the university.” 

Still, some students feel they aren’t informed when it comes to elections. Sophomore biology major Raouline Tadja is one of many students who didn’t know elections had begun.  

“I feel like typically with elections I do kind of have a bias of like I know the person whereas if I don’t know them I don’t really like pay much attention,” Tadja said.  

Tadja, like others, feels that the elections weren’t advertised as strongly as they could have been. 

“I do follow our school Instagram, and I typically get news from there, but I didn’t really see much on this,” Tadja said.  

Harris believes that students who do vote have an opportunity to make their voice heard, a first step into civic engagement for many college students. 

“I think campus is where that starts. Voting isn’t something as hard as figuring out who’s going to run your country for the next four years. Voting can be as simple as, hey, do you want to see this on your campus?” Harris said. 

To vote click here.