There are three candidates for student body president, two of which have no prior Student Government experience. All three candidates are aiming to be a voice for the student body and address the students’ needs.
Courtney Tkacs, third-year political science and public health student
Tkacs said she decided to run during her time as vice president after listening to student’s concerns.
“One thing I’ve learned as an executive candidate, or as an exec this past year, is you can only do so much in a year,” Tkacs said.
She said she has been able to lay the foundation alongside her past executive members in order to pick up where they left off for the year to com e.
Tkacs also said she wants to continue to build upon her two pillars within student experience, safety and mental health. This will take the form of implementing Narcan, cup covers and the Angel Shot program into nightlife areas.
Tkacs also wants to continue advocating for mental health days and work with the new Associate Vice President of Student Health and Well Being to ensure students can schedule counseling sessions efficiently.
“Right now it’s completely unacceptable that students have to wait three to four days in order to speak with a counselor," Tkacs said.
Tkacs said she wants to implement a shuttle system that will benefit freshmen and students without a car on campus, transporting them to locations such as the grocery store or the pharmacy.
“I really want to implement a program called ‘Travel Tuesdays’ with the Director of Parking and Transportation Brian Favella where we take students to a different location every single Tuesday,” Tkacs said.
The cabinet's utilization of other branches is something Tkacs is also focusing on, ensuring that they all work in tandem.
"If I'm doing advocacy work (as student body president) on mental health, vice president's branch is also doing communication and programming based off of mental health. We're also working with senate to pass legislation that impacts mental health," Tkacs said. "We're also working with treasurer's branch to see how we can reach out to organizations that are mental health specific."
Bradley Gittens, fourth-year theatre student
Gittens has not been involved in Student Government, but says he has government experience from being in the military.
Gittens said he offers a unique insight since he doesn't have a political background.
“I notice things in the university that maybe someone in Student Government wouldn’t notice cause they’re always going to governmental meetings,” Gittens sai d.
He said this makes him the ideal candidate because his intentions are genuine.
“I want to genuinely help the students, I don't particularly care about high standing and stuff,” Gittens said.
His campaign focuses on making Student Government more relatable to the students by providing more transparency to the students. He feels as though that has been missing in the past.
“I feel like the student body should be run by someone in the student body,” Gittens said.
Gittens wants this new perspective to make Student Government more open to student collaboration. He wants students trust him and have the ability to speak to him at any time and share their thoughts.
“It would be nice if you guys vote for me because I believe having new fresh ideas and a new student body is better,” Gittens said.
David Henao, third-year finance student
Henao does not have any prior involvement in Student Government but wanted to run as he believes no one had challenged the incumbents from the year prior.
“I really wanted to put myself in a position where I could change the system from the inside and affect change for all students,” Henao said.
Student Government is susceptible to neglecting outside opinions, Henao said. He said he wishes to change that.
"I wanted to bring in a normal, a normal person's view on how the school should be run, how government should be run," Henao said.
Henao is running on a campaign “by the people, for the people” alongside his running mate third-year broadcast journalism student Emma Connelly.
Like Gittens, Henao also believes that his lack of involvement with Student Government sets him apart from the other candidates. He also said what he has learned through the Darla Moore School of Business has helped him prepare for some of the responsibilities of student body president.
"Part of what Student Government does is, they manage a budget that goes to clubs, student organizations around campus," Henao said. "As a finance major, I know how money moves I know how business goes."
One main goal Henao has is to focus on voter issues that are not currently being represented. He said his outreach has already began as he has started connecting with student organizations to better serve them.
Editor's note: Dakota Morris also contributed to reporting.