SGA campaigning officially begins tonight; Elections to start next week

SGA office inside Guerrieri Student Union.

Campaigning for Student Government Association (SGA) positions will officially begin tonight immediately following a Mandatory Rules Session held by SGA from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in Holloway Hall 117. Elections will start next week and will be open from April 15 to April 17.

SGA has three branches of government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Students who attended interest meetings last week can apply for high level leadership positions by running for president, vice president or various director positions on the Executive Board, or can represent a class, college or student group through a position in the Senate.

Current Chief Justice Allanah Riley encourages students to vote in the upcoming election and says it’s a way to bring student concerns to the attention of campus administration. Riley recognizes many students are unaware of the impacts SGA makes, and emphasizes they have the power to make changes.

“We have kept our accomplishments very quiet from the student body. We've allowed things and allowed changes to happen without our name tag on it,” she said. “I mean, did you know that we did those [refillable] water stations? And the green [Commons takeout] containers? 

“I think it's totally understandable why students don't know that these things happen, but that's the change that's necessary. 
You do need to know. You need to pay attention because SGA is more than just a couple students who like to get together and talk about politics. We genuinely are one of the only organizations with legit governing power. 


"We can go talk to the administration directly and translate campus concerns into real action. And I think that a lot of people just don't recognize that.”

SGA President Jahnaiya Sutherland reinforced Riley’s sentiment that SGA works to benefit life on campus.

"SGA is more than just a group of student leaders, it is the official voice of the student body,” Sutherland wrote in an email to campus, prior to elections. “We advocate for student needs, allocate funding to organizations and work directly with university leadership to improve your experience here at Salisbury.”

As a junior, Riley has been a part of SGA all three years of her time at SU. She served as Associate Justice for two years before assuming her position as Chief Justice. During her time in student government, she said she’s learned to treat students fairly, mediate conflict, work with others and how to think outside herself for the betterment of the student body.

“We’ve had a couple controversial matters occur on our campus, and having to navigate through those conflicts while keeping into consideration the betterment of the student body has truly grown me as an individual and the way I think about the world,” she said.

“As a political science major and a philosophy major, having the balance to observe things from an institutional standpoint, like, ‘Oh, this is the government, this is how the three branches of government are supposed to work,’ but then also having the curiosity of philosophy to say, ‘Well, what if we can do this instead? Or what if we could do something else?’”

Riley cited the career closet located in GSU, stricter separation of vegan and vegetarian food in Commons and free menstrual products in women’s bathrooms as changes SGA has helped to bring to campus. She also said SGA is trying to pass legislation at the faculty senate level that requires professors to put in grades 72 hours before the withdrawal period for when a class ends. Riley used these examples to show how SGA tries to act on student interests and complaints.

“Students need to pay attention– not only to who's running for president– but who's running for every single director position, because if you care about things like academic affairs, campus enhancement, civic engagement, diversity, sustainability, just to name a few, we have a person who stands as the point of contact between student complaints and administration,” she said.

Riley advised SU students to demand what they are expected and not to be afraid of sharing any problems they have. She assures everyone that SGA is there to assist with any issues, and that they operate to serve students.

“My note as Chief Justice to the student body: don't be afraid to demand what your tuition already pays for,” Riley said. “Don't be afraid to ask for funding. Don't be afraid to advocate for room spaces and for other facilities. Don't be afraid to speak out against things that actually matter to you because you think that they'll fall to deaf ears. There is a process. There are people who get paid to help you and there is a level of transparency that we as students should not only expect, but demand. 

“Everything that [students] think SGA can't help with, SGA can help with. 
As simple as that.”

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By DAVID BOHENICK

Managing Editor