Let the campaigning begin, ETSU!
The Student Government Association has officially kicked off election season. Candidates for executive seats held their first debate on Tuesday night followed by a meet and greet.
Five candidates for SGA’s three executive seats presented their campaign platforms, reasons for running and the one aspect they believe needs to be changed on campus.
Candidates are Megha Gupta and Jordan Rowe for President, Noah McGill and Devon Waldroff for Executive Vice President and Olivia Snyder for Vice President of Finance and Administration. Gupta, McGill and Snyder are running on the same ticket, and Rowe and Waldroff are running together.
The debate allowed each candidate to answer the same questions for two minutes each. The first question of the debate was for each candidate to explain their platform.
Gupta, McGill and Snyder said they are running on community, sustainability, safety and cutting edge. Rowe and Waldroff said they are running on security, safety and unity.
In the second round, candidates were asked to explain what their reasons are for running. Gupta spoke about her time with SGA and Rowe talked about how the military taught him leadership. McGill spoke about SGA and the sustainability committee, and Waldroff spoke about being the BUC Fund vice chair. Snyder talked about how the POLO program made her find a home in ETSU.
Candidates were asked what is the one thing they would like to change about ETSU for the final question. Gupta said she would like FAFSA workshops for students and Rowe said he would like more security cameras on campus. McGill said he would like to raise retention rates for minority groups and Waldroff said campus WiFi needs to be improved. Snyder said she would improve parking.
Two more debates will be held in the following weeks. The second date is March 28 at 6 p.m. in the Culp Ballroom. Anyone is welcome to attend the debates to be better informed about the candidates’ positions and the election process.
