Stephanie Bricker
Student Writer
As the United States continues its search for a president and vice president, Messiah students are also looking for two worthy candidates to hold SGA office for the 2016-2017 academic year. Last night, the three presidential pairs gathered for a debate night in the Union to tell the Messiah student body why they deserve to lead, serve and represent students next year.
The three pairs running for student body president and vice president respectively are Valerie Bell and Christina MacLean, Jake Edmunds and Julie Heisey, and Raul Serrano and Anthony Johnson. All three bring a unique vision of what they would like to accomplish next year.
Jake Edmunds (left) and Julie Heisey (right) use their mutual love of running as a catchy campaign slogan. Edmunds and Heisey want to build a better relationship between the student body and Messiah administration through SGA.
For example, Edmunds and Heisey want to use SGA as a mode to tighten the relationship between the student body and the Messiah administration. Edmunds also specifically suggested providing a source of transportation to grocery stores for students who do not have cars on campus, which jumpstarted the crowd into a roar of applause.
Heisey closed with the assurance that though different ideas may take different levels of time and effort, she and Edmunds are “excited to see them as far as they can go at our time at Messiah.”
Valerie Bell (left) and Christina MacLean (right) are running for president and vice president respectively. Responding to questions about Bell’s status as a rising sophomore, the pair said age will not play a factor in their ability to serve the student body.
Bell and MacLean also add an interesting voice to the mix as Valerie is entering her sophomore year in the fall while MacLean will be a senior. When asked about this, Bell noted that MacLean has lived through the college experience at Messiah and knows her way around.
MacLean noted Bell’s age will not impact their overall vision of change. She said Bell still has a passion for issues to change before she leaves, and the two together offer a unique perspective to best serve the whole spectrum of Messiah students.
Finally, Serrano and Johnson based their campaign on strategies to close the gap between SGA and the student body. To implement this change, Serrano promised more than standard office hours for students to come and talk to SGA members. He also suggested hosting events with SGA similar to “Pizza with the Prez,” such as “Pizza with SGA.”
Serrano and Johnson closed by quoting Matthew 20:26, promising to be servants as much as they are leaders. “We need the entire student body behind us to trust us before we begin to change any policies. You deserve the best college experience,” Serrano said.
Raul Serrano (left) and Anthony Johnson (right) are running for president and vice president respectively. The two’s campaign platform relies on closing the gap between students and SGA by offering more events to get students involved in leadership and decision making.
Though all three candidate pairs promised to serve the student body, only one pair can win your vote for 2016-2017 SGA president and vice president. Cast your vote now at http://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2mEYpMKZWQNiYTz.