SA elections will take place today, Feb. 20, via email. Speeches occured last week at Thursday’s Convocation.
Due to the reduced number of presidential candidates this year, the primary election was eliminated. SA President Mark Galvez said a survey link will be sent to the student body via email. According to SA officials, the results will be announced Thursday, February 20.
The two presidential candidates are Senator Sheryl Kambuni and current SA Executive Vice President Luis Moreno. SA Executive Vice President candidate Marcus Abejar and Social Vice President candidate Nadine Peteros also gave speeches despite running unopposed.
Abejar’s policy proposals include improving communication between administration and students, implementing students’ ideas through Student Senate and creating job opportunities for students through partnerships.
Peteros’ goals for social events include organizing a music festival, a film festival, and a Wipeout competition.
The policies that Kambuni proposed during her election speech include making community service count as culture credit, building mentorship programs for students through alumni relations and addressing mental wellness by improving counseling services.
“I’d love to see a campus where we can create a community of support—students that support each other and not only become more strong and resilient, but also normalizing seeking help among our peers,” Kambuni said.
Moreno’s proposals include implementing a new SA officer position called the Cultural Liaison, addressing dorm issues such as washers, dryers, and the leave system, and improving the relationship between students and administration.
“From all my years in SA, I’ve learned that the best teams are the ones that can foster a sense of family,” Moreno said. “In these times of division, we as a family need to come together. As Christians, we need to lift each other up and value the parts of us that make us unique regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or affiliation. We are Southern.”
“I think that both of them have good ideas for their platforms, and definitely both want to make change. But I think that Sheryl’s ideas are more attainable at this point and more practical,” said junior public relations major Camryn Clark. “I also like the focus that she puts on the individual and on something that affects everyone. Although leave requests and dorms are very important to a lot of people on campus, there are many students that don’t live in the dorms. So, that doesn’t apply to them. But the mental health part applies to everyone no matter where they live or what they do.”
“Both candidates are good for the student body in different ways,” said senior psychology major Delaney Harris. “Sheryl’s push for a more comfortable and convenient campus is excellent, and Luis’ drive for major change in areas of repeated issue is extremely important. Both are a good fit for the campus, but I do like Luis’ push for drastic change. He isn’t afraid of his voice and what he has to say. That is admirable and will carry him far, both in office if he were elected and out of office.”
