On Tuesday, March 29, candidates running for 2022-23 Student Government Association executive offices (President, Vice President, and Vice President of Finance and Administration) participated in a forum sponsored by the East Tennessean. This year there are two main tickets running for the executive office. The MPS ticket consists of incumbent Mason Mosier for President, Paulina Ramirez for VP and Samuel Garcia for VPFA. The CAM ticket consists of Chloe Philpot for President, Aarsh Patel for VP and Mehroo Imran for VPFA. Beyond these two tickets, Marli Martin is running a solo campaign for president.
There were three separate rounds held, one for each position in the executive branch. Questions consisted of pre-set questions by the East Tennessean Executive Editor Allison Winters, who served as moderator, as well as students in the audience. Topics ranged from diversity on campus to accessibility.
Mehroo Imran vs Samuel Garcia
The first round between both VPFA candidates consisted of two questions and a closing statement. When asked about their qualifications for the position, Imran stated that she served as the leader of the Buc Fund Committee, the main component of the financial responsibilities of the SGA.
Garcia stated that he worked under Mehroo in the BUC Fund, a repeated theme throughout the short debate. Most of the things Garcia discussed pertained to things Mehroo has also accomplished. During closing statements, Garcia stated that people should vote for both of them since they are both great options.
Aarsh Patel vs Paulina Ramirez
The second round saw a close match between both candidates. When asked about what their goals were as VP, Patel stated that accessibility around campus is a key component of their campaign. Paulina was quick to jump in and agree with Patel on the importance of accessibility; she agreed with a majority of the things he said during the run of their debate.
Ramirez talked about how her previous year as the VPFA under Mosier provided her with a plethora of connections and ideas. She said that the road before her has been paved by her hard work and their goals are now clear before them. Ramirez wants to be a diverse voice for students as she herself feels underrepresented.
When asked about personal weaknesses Ramirez said it was her issues with delegation, a key aspect of being a VP, while Patel said it was his public speaking skills. Overall, both Patel and Ramirez had solid ideas and answers to all questions, but it was Ramirez’s clear confidence in her abilities that made her stand out.
Chloe Philpot vs Marli Martin vs Mason Mosier
The final round saw the most controversial topics come to light. When asked about promoting diversity on campus, Martin wants to highlight and expand the various clubs and organizations for diverse populations. Philpot wants to use open town hall forums, that any student is allowed to attend, to expand and connect students of all backgrounds. Mosier mostly dodged the question, mentioned some things about the importance of diversity, then discussed how he was leading the effort to bring Taco Bell back to campus. How diverse.
Throughout the debate, Mosier put off the image of the hard-working down-to-earth guy that you can grab a drink with; which is a really smart strategy on his end. When asked about how he will amplify female voices he put on a similar face: claiming that he already has many women that he bases decisions on before himself. This image of Mosier being a feminist who listens to women is fine, but why not just have a woman in office if they are going to call the shots for him in the first place? Mosier closed his debate with his idea of the “ETSU dream”, in which everybody has the opportunities to thrive as he did. Mosier wants everybody to graduate from ETSU with six-figure jobs, and while that goal is ridiculous, I admire his passion and ambition.
Martin promised that she would work extremely hard and won’t make any empty promises. Her confidence and control over the room leads me to believe her, and she was the only candidate in any debate to say that she loves ETSU. Her catchphrase “Bucs deserve the best” showcases her audaciousness.
Philpot had the best rebuttals and critiques of her fellow candidates’ platforms, mainly Mosier’s. One of her strongest moments came when she called out Mosier’s promise to reduce the number of Gen-Eds that students have to take. Philpot’s main argument against this proposal, a quite important one, is that it would cause ETSU to lose accreditation as a university.
Philpot wants to make the SGA work for the people. Rather than rely on them to come to her, she wants to go to them, particularly through classes. Her platform isn’t as grandiose as Mosier’s, but it’s because she wants to focus on the problems that the school currently is facing rather than build onto a cracked foundation. Philpot wants to include voices from all four corners of ETSU, including satellite campuses. Philpot wants to work toward a university that is accessible for all.
Take some time to access the platforms of all the candidates running for the SGA election. Vote for whoever you think will best represent you next year. Voting for the election is held on April 7-8. Watch your ETSU email on details of how to vote.
See Page D2 for a list of all SGA candidates running in the 2022-23 election.
