Elections are on for several positions including senior class representation. There are three candidates for senior class president: Rose Tribby, Tom Jones and Elizabeth Johnson. Voting will be between Monday, March 31 and Friday, April 4 through the Sakia system under “student voice.”
Rose Tribby, a senior class president candidate and English major, said, “If I were elected president, I would like to help all faculty, staff, and students, whether they be commuter students, non-traditional students, international students—everyone, feel like a part of Shepherd University.” Her main goal is to uphold the core values of Shepherd University: learning, engagement, integrity, accessibility and community. She wants to work with the Student Affairs office, Dr. Segar, and the SGA office and senators to help improve student life on campus and make sure that student views are accurately represented by attending all forums and meetings open to students. Tribby stated, “I’m flexible with my availability, I am open to all types of communication, and I’m more than happy to hear student concerns about any and all issues.”
Tribby would like to work with the other class caucuses’ presidents continuously to assist them in anything they need to help their classes. She hopes to work with any of the student organizations (honor societies, clubs and Greek life) to promote positive events on campus and within the community and help represent Shepherd University in the community and increase our positive impact on community members. “I want to work more towards a ‘Going Green’ movement as well by trying to minimize paper use on our campus and promote online communication. Finally, I would like to make the 2015 commencement ceremony meaningful for the graduating class and work with the senior class to provide a senior class gift that is important to the legacy of Shepherd University,” Tribby stated.
Elizabeth Johnson, a senior class president candidate and social work major, said that if she were to be elected, she “would take this opportunity to make greater strides towards social change among the classes. What I mean by this is that I would strive for gender equality and educate the younger classes on many of the great social issues of our time.” One of her goals would be to have exit counseling for seniors and work with different offices on campus in order to provide job opportunities in the area for all majors. Johnson also feels it is vital to instill a “sense of pride in who you are as a person, so I would work on programs geared towards positive self regard.”
Johnson has found that some seniors graduate without ever attending social functions put on by the Student Affairs offices on campus or by Residence Life, and she wants to increase the amount of informational flyers put out in order to provide seniors with those opportunities that they are missing out on. Johnson plans to use that platform as a way to increase the knowledge of inequality and how it affects those who are troubled by it. “Whether it is sexism, homophobia, victim blaming, financial inequality, or anything else, I would increase the knowledge of these topics as a way to eliminate such topics on Shepherd University’s campus,” Johnson stated.
Tom Jones, a senior class president candidate and an environmental sustainability major, is an active member of Rotaract, Shepherd Environmental Organization (SEO), Alpha Phi Omega (APO), Sustainability Task Force, and the Student Conduct Board. Jones is always looking for opportunities to improve his leadership skills, and he believes the position of senior class president does just that. “My number one goal is make sure the opinions of my fellow classmates are voiced to the Student Government Association. As seniors, we have graduation coming up in the spring of 2015 and I would facilitate the process of preparing everyone for graduation.”
Making Shepherd University increasingly green has always been a priority for Jones. “Currently, members of SEO are working on the Real Food Challenge with a goal of having 20 percent ‘real food’ on campus by 2020. I would like to get more Shepherd students involved in this process since we would all benefit from more local and organic food options on campus,” Jones stated.
Look at your candidates’ platforms online or flyers around campus for more information.
What do students have to say about the upcoming election? Kaitlyn Simmons, a freshman communications major, says she is planning to vote on Sakai. “I want to look into the candidates to see if anyone will bring up the subject of the parking garage,” Simmons stated.
Freshman CIS major Kenny Brill said he will probably not vote. “I’m not involved in that sort of thing,” Brill stated.
Ferris Sinnas, an environmental science major, said he will be voting on Sakai. “I hope they will influence the administration away from a tuition increase and lower tuition. I would like them to do more activities over the weekends for students on campus,” Sinnas stated.
Other positions being voted for this week include the uncontested spots of SGA president (Logan Sigley) and vice president (Graham Scott), and two student life council positions with nominees Shane Short and Ni Sung. Nominations for junior and sophomore classes as well as SLC positions have been extended until this Friday because there were not enough candidates to fill the vacancies.
Leave a Reply