Voting season for Shepherd SGA representatives is nearly here! Students will be able to vote for SGA president and vice president between Monday, March 31 and Friday, April 4 through the Sakai system.
This is a change in the voting method which used to be accomplished via physical ballots. Now, all students have to do to vote is go to the Shepherd Sakai site during elections. Students will all be added to a site called Student Voice. Students can then click on the “Test and Quizzes” tab where they will find the election ballot in a multiple-choice test form. Students can only take the test once. The SGA still plans on having voting stations, although voting in these areas will still be done through the Sakai site on-location.
There is a presidential and vice presidential debate scheduled for Tuesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. in the Byrd Legislative Studies Center auditorium.
Kate Myles, a senior English creative writing major, thinks it’s great that they are doing online elections, stating that it makes it so much easier and convenient to vote for people. “I also think it would be interesting to stream or record the debate somehow. It might be a little high-speed, but for people who might be in class or not on campus for the time of the debate, it allows for a more informed voting process,” Myles stated.
Kristin Stover, a senior secondary education major, stated that “with the new voting techniques, and hearing about a debate for the first time, I feel that the SGA elections should fairly represent the Shepherd student voice.”
Still interested in running for office? It isn’t too late. Alana Gondeck, SGA president, says her involvement in SGA has been a rewarding experience, giving her many opportunities to grow as a leader and an individual. “I would encourage anyone interested in a position to go out for it,” Gondeck said.
It is important to keep in mind that there is a time commitment involved with the executive board positions. A piece of advice Gondeck would give to any future candidate is to keep an open mind and listen to all sides of a story before coming to a conclusion or making a decision.
To run for the office of president or vice president, candidates must have their nomination form submitted to the Student Affairs office by Friday, March 21 at 4:30 p.m. The office is open to take nominations weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Students must meet a 2.5 GPA requirement and be a full-time student to run.
Stop by the SGA offices to pick up a nomination form or download the PDF application at http://www.shepherd.edu/sgaweb/. SGA offices are located on the ground floor of the student center to the left of the bookstore entrance.
Students should note that if they apply for one of the positions other than president or vice president, those positions are not elected positions. Secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, and campus relations are all appointed positions. Any student can apply for those positions and the president and vice president select from those applications.
According to Gondeck, the SGA constitution was put up to a vote by the entire student body during the fall elections for homecoming and Student Life Council. One of the changes made in the constitution involved elections. Now, elections must be held and finalized two weeks prior to the final meeting of the Senate. This will allow the new executive board to run two full meetings before the end of the school year.