With SGA elections coming up on April 4, students’ choices for campus leaders primarily represent one group, the Tri-Star Party.
At a required “Meet the Candidates” forum on Monday, March 20, potential SGA senators and executive council members gathered to introduce themselves and to state why they want to run for a position. Not everyone running for office attended the forum, and the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences had no representation at the event.
“There are two ways to run: Run scared or run unopposed. I like the second one, so that’s what we’re gonna do,” said Jordan Long, a sophomore Political Science major from Martin, who is running unopposed for the position of president for the 2016-2017 school year.
Long’s running mates for executive council are Breydon Horton for vice president and Holly Seng for secretary general. Both are Communications majors.
Long will be a junior this fall. His major and two years of experience with SGA have taught him many things about UTM, but Long stated that his nearly 21 years in Martin is his real connection to the students.
“The people that administer this university have been here forever,” said Long. “I don’t know if it just happened to fall right, where everyone is from Martin together, but that’s going to help things get done.”
Long says that SGA members need to think as though they have younger siblings coming to UTM and that the changes they make now will take effect by the time those siblings get here in several years.
“In academia, nothing takes one semester or two weeks to do,” said Long. He says that the work of SGA members may not be noticeable in their time at school, but it will be apparent in a few years for future Skyhawks.
Long closed his introduction by saying, “I think there is a lot of potential for the next summer and two semesters… I want us to work together and grow some wings and do things on our own. You all are adults too, if you want to run with me and us- we work together and we will prosper.”
Horton currently serves as the Procedures Committee chairman. He hopes to use his position of vice president to expand the Emotional Support Animal program.
Seng has been serving as a senator for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. She was not able to attend the forum because of a class conflict; however, as secretary general she hopes to promote a positive relationship between SGA and the student body.
Judicial branch members do not run as part of a party, but candidates for two positions are still running unopposed – Doug Marshall for chief justice and Devin Majors for attorney general. No one has filed paperwork to run for the judge positions.
Most candidates for senator are also running unopposed and on the Tri-Star party. Those running for each college are:
The College of Humanities and Fine Arts:
Hailey Frizzell
Emily Wilson
Jenna Damore
Number of senators the college holds: 5
The College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences:
Jade Bleskey
John Hayes
Number of senators the college holds: 5
The College of Business and Global Affairs:
Clark Williams
Casey Wiater
Dalis Lampkins
Alex Joyner
Daniel Jones
Number of senators the college holds: 4
The College of Health, Education and Behavioral Sciences:
Cassandra Winslow
Esmeraldo Majerado
Brett Lee Burkeen
Margaret Browning
Lora Moore
Evelyn Estrada
Tanner Petty
Brandon Anderson (Not a member of Tri-Star party)
Number of senators the college holds: 10
The College of Engineering and Natural Sciences:
Annabelle Cormia
Emilio Walls (Not a member of Tri-Star party)
Number of senators the college holds: 3
Elections are Tuesday, April 4 in the UC and online. The only position that is running contested is the position of senator for the College of Business and Global Affairs.
Pictured (L-R) are SGA election candidates Jordan Long and Breydon Horton. (Pacer Photo/Rachel Moore).
