Candidate Valisa Griffin will face incumbent Ashley Bowser for the SGA vice-presidential spot for the 2010 school year. Recently, editors of the East Tennessean spoke with both candidates about what they see for the future of ETSU.

Bowser, who was elected as vice president last year, sees SGA as a platform for students and hopes that next year, if elected, she can work to further SGA’s relationship with the student body.

“A lot of students don’t know exactly what we do,” Bowser said. ” They don’t know the legislation we pass each week and how it effects them.”

Bowser said that she would like to see more senators visiting classes and letting students know that their concerns can be voiced through the SGA Senate.

“We are here to represent the students,” Bowser said.

The incumbent said she would also like to work more with student organizations to help them understand the B.U.C. Fund application process.

“I think it’s important to realize that I have the experience,” Bowser said. “I think that has given me great insight on how to improve the future.”

Bowser said she hopes to work to make improvements, should she be re-elected.

“I think I have learned what this job takes,” Bowser said. “I think that next year, since I know how the job works, I can go into it and start making improvements as soon as possible.”

Griffin, her opponent, believes her ticket can “usher our university into an era of greatness.”

Griffin touched on many of the issues her running mate did, including advisement.

“Failure has to be intolerable at our university,” Griffin said. “That’s why we feel that the advisement process has to be improved.

“We have to have people who know what they’re talking about, and we have to have a catalog that is very clear and concise so that students can plan out their college careers and accomplish their goals on schedule.”

Griffin said she believes the members of her ticket have been “instrumental” in authoring legislation regarding sustainability.

“We want to see our university, as it is now entering into its hundredth year, we want to see the next hundred years,” Griffin said. “We don’t want to be the university that waits on everybody else to make decisions on sustainability, we want to be the pioneers, the trailblazers.”

Griffin also said the executive offices should communicate more with students, including commuters.

“Just because you don’t live on campus, doesn’t mean you don’t have needs that are important as well,” Griffin said. “We want every student’s voice to be heard.”

Elections will be held April 6 and 7. For the full interviews of both vice-presidential candidates, visit www.easttennessean.com

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