Co-written by Natalie Ballard
With Student Government Association Elections quickly approaching, it is important to know who is running, what they stand for and how they plan to help serve you, the students, best at Western Carolina University. We contacted the candidates via email and social media asking three questions about the issues they feel are the most important on campus.
Elections open on Monday, March 25 through Tuesday, March 26. The link to vote will be sent to your Catamount email and will be available on Engage.
Presidential Candidates
David Rhode: First thing — campus safety
Photo Courtesy of David Rhode.
WCJ: Describe the platform you are running on and why you are running on that platform.
Rhode: My platform is simple, YOU. While other candidates may say the same, I don’t want to be just another name in the Chalk or Name in propaganda. All this week I have been approaching students and talking to them. Asking them for their questions, comments, concerns, love or hate. Because to me IT ALL MATTERS. My platform consists of campus safety, parking technology, campus dining, addressing the rising cost of education, our environment, the arts, athletics, and protecting our minorities. I have the most expansive platform, but the difference is, I have an answer for every single bullet point. I’m not in this for popularity or self-gain. I’m in this because I’m a proud Catamount through and through.
WCJ: What do you think is the most important issue at WCU and why?
Rhode: The most important issue at WCU is the issue that the student body dictates. That being said, I have a platform where I have highlighted areas we can work on. If I have missed anything please let me know. My Instagram is @David_Rhode & @Rhode4WCU. I would like to highlight that when you visit my personalized page you’re not gonna find a sterilized version of me. You’re gonna simply find me.
WCJ: What is the first initiative that you want to establish if elected and why?
Rhode: The first thing I want to address is campus safety. If you don’t feel safe at WCU, we’re not doing our job. UNC Charlotte’s blue emergency beacons are set up in a way that, if you’re standing at one of them, you should be able to see three more. Heavily used parts of campus are not lit at night, this is not safe. Glaringly, the pedestrian bridge across the highway is dark. We need to work with the Department of Transportation to rank this higher on the priority list. In the meantime, if you have an iPhone, if you are ever caught in a sticky situation, press your power button five times fast and emergency services will be called.
David Benoit: WCU lacks empathy
Photo Courtesy of David Benoit.
WCJ: Describe the platform you are running on and why you are running on that platform.
Benoit: In pursuit of a unifying campaign that uses each of its initiatives to produce greater connection throughout of institution, I titled the concept: Community is Not a Catchphrase.
The Community is Not a Catchphrase Platform consists of 4 parts:
- Restoring Student Connectivity.
- Reformation of Student Governance.
- Recognition of Student Minority Needs.
- Representation through University Planning.
WCJ: What do you think is the most important issue at WCU and why?
Benoit: The most pressing issue at our institution right now is a lack of empathy in our institution as a whole. From student to faculty to staff and beyond, there has been so much connection lost. Yet, I still believe we have the tools necessary to reunite and address the issues damaging our university. With tangible efforts to walk in each other’s shoes and acknowledge each of the differences that may disconnect us, we have the means to excel greatly.
WCJ: What is the first initiative that you want to establish if elected and why?
Benoit: I plan on creating a campus theme task force officer who will serve as a direct student representative working with SGA senators, faculty, and staff as well as administration in order to support the campus endeavors of that said particular theme, which in the upcoming year will be sustainability in the environment.
Nick Lyons: Increase student engagement
Photo Courtesy of Nick Lyons
WCJ: Describe the platform you are running on and why you are running on that platform.
Lyons: My goal is to accommodate student needs and increase student engagement by cultivating a loving and caring campus. (Why?) There are apparent discriminatory issues on and around Western Carolina’s campus. The path WCU is taking has the potential to be revolutionary in the way we respect each other. I want to encourage diversity in its entirety.
WCJ: What do you think is the most important issue at WCU and why?
Lyons: There’s a communication problem. WCU is making more great changes towards progressing WCU, but we cannot look to the future of WCU without recognizing that we are the future of WCU. Coming to college is like jumping white water rafting for the first time, without the proper guide(s) to help you down the river, you might drown.
WCJ: What is the first initiative that you want to establish if elected and why?
Lyons: If elected, I will visit organizations throughout the remainder of this year to ask and grasp a wider perception on how different groups of students feel about attending WCU and ask what they view as a need on campus. Why- the best form of communication is direct face to face contact.
Buck Steel: “Improving engagement between students, administration and SGA”
Photo courtesy of Buck Steel
WCJ: Describe the platform you are running on and why you are running on that platform.
Steel: I joined SGA on the basis of creating positive change here at Western Carolina University. My deepest concerns are that our students do not have equal opportunity, are unaware of the opportunities the institution provides, and graduate wishing there was more they could have gained. This is what fuels me to focus my efforts of engaging our student body, implementing more amenities, investing in infrastructure that serves the needs of the student body, and enhances the learning outcomes that will better prepare them for the workforce post-graduation. It is my hope to build a greater foundation for all students of Western Carolina University. Therefore, I am asking all Catamounts to join forces with me and ‘Build With Steel.’
WCJ: What do you think is the most important issue at WCU and why?
Steel: The most important issue is the lack of engagement between students, administration, and SGA. If there was better engagement across the board, I believe the student body’s overall perspective would be better understood by SGA and upper administration. Perspectives regarding the lack of equity for our students, the drive that some students lack to truly succeed, or the overall needs our students fail to voice that could otherwise be communicated in order for all students to have a better experience during their four years at WCU. I believe if we had more engaged students we could understand how to bridge the gap of unequal opportunity, students would be more aware of their resources, and all students could graduate with a sense of fulfillment. With students being more engaged, we would better understand how to serve our students most effectively.
WCJ: What is the first initiative that you want to establish if elected and why?
Vice Presidential Candidates
Fiona Buchanan: “This SGA will be a Student Government of, by, and for the students”
Photo courtesy of Fiona Buchanan
WCJ: Describe the platform you are running on and why you are running on that platform.
Buchanan: My platform consists of the following:
– Advocacy: It is our job as officials in Student Government to advocate for the student body. Our sole purpose is to represent our fellow students and to propose policy changes that would improve the campus experience. As vice president, I would ensure all students are properly advocated for by increasing student involvement with SGA so that we, as an organization, are accurately informed of the wants and needs of the student body.
– Transparency: Once SGA receives information regarding student issues or concerns, we should be as transparent as possible in the possibilities of combatting that problem, and with the process, we are going through to write legislation or change policy. The student body should be aware of what SGA is doing, and by being as transparent as possible, students will be able to form the strongest ties with their representatives.
– Accountability: It’s simple; SGA needs to be held accountable for our actions. In the past, SGA has made empty promises to the student body, and that needs to stop. When we are a transparent organization, students will know what we’re doing, and if they feel as if we are not properly serving in their interests, they are able to hold us accountable and hold us to our word.
– Integrity: SGA is not a place for political pawns. We are an organization whose sole purpose is to represent and support the students. The entire organization needs to be reminded of this.
WCJ: What do you think is the most important issue at WCU and why?
Buchanan: Choosing one issue to label as most important, I feel is an impossible task. Every student has a different perspective as to what our administration and student government should combat and strive to improve, whether it be related to inclusivity, parking and transportation, academics, or dining services. I have been a student at Western Carolina for going on four years. I have never felt that the Student Government Association has represented me or made a positive change on this campus that affected every single one of us. As a senator for SGA, I have noticed many pieces of legislation that have been presented to the floor have received input from the student body. In my position as vice president, I will be serving as the Chair of the Student Senate. I see it as a necessity for the senators to consult the student body on a regular basis in order to write legislation that accurately represents the wants and needs of the student body.
WCJ: What is the first initiative that you want to establish if elected and why?
Buchanan: Elaborating on the previous question, my main initiatives will be geared towards guaranteeing the student body has a beneficial relationship with their senators. I would like to see monthly events where the student body is able to meet one on one with their Senators, express their concerns, and give Senators the opportunity to accurately represent them. For legislation brought to the Senate floor regarding external affairs, i.e. the student body, I would like to mandate that senators must have consulted the student body before submission. I want to ensure that this SGA will be a Student Government of, by, and for the students.
WCJ: Also, why did you decide to run for VP and not President?
Dawson Spencer: “Student Body deserves and should know what their SGA is doing”
Photo Courtesy of Dawson Spencer.
WCJ: Describe the platform you are running on and why you are running on that platform?
Spencer: As far as my goals are concerned, I want to motivate my fellow senators, your representatives, to write the resolutions/legislation regarding concerns of our student body. The suggestions that you give help better our university and keep us moving forward. As your SGA Vice President, I will not only continue to address these goals, but I will also like to continue to better our organization by providing transparency and building bridges between SGA and the student body. Many students here at WCU have no idea what their SGA does. We are your Student Government, and it is our job to reach out to you; not vice versa. And here are some of the ways I plan to create that connection with our WCU community:
- Enhance our social media presence.
- Host our Student Senate meetings live via our WCU website.
- To host “Ask a Senator” sessions on the UC Lawn.
- Creating an Organization Outreach Committee.
- Reaching out to the Western Carolinian to publish resolutions that Senate pass.
- Hosting bi-weekly Instagram videos to share updates and future goals.
- Taking “Senate on Tour” which will be when the Senate splits into different groups and goes around campus to listen to students.
Lastly, I would also like to address diversity and inclusivity around campus. As I see it, we should be discussing our differences and our similarities because it allows us to challenge ourselves and others, which is a pillar of a college environment. Therefore, I think we should bring SGA further into the picture of Diversity and Inclusion by creating a committee within the Senate for the Director of Diversity and Inclusive Excellence to utilize. Furthermore, I plan to theme one of our Town Hall meetings around diversity. We, as a community, can ask questions and discuss campus climate/diversity, but especially focus on the topic of inclusivity. Diversity is more than the color of your skin, it is having an open mind and extending a helping hand to programs and departments such as the University Participate (UP) Program, athletics, the arts, and International Catamounts so we can feel the full power of the Catamount spirit together. All in all, I will lead student senate instead of managing it and will always put the Senate’s wishes before my own to create an environment for an efficient team.
WCJ: What do you think is the most important issue at WCU and why?
Spencer: There are many things on campus that deserve to be addressed although I think one of the most important is being put on the back burner, sustainability. In due time the university will officially announce that next year’s theme will be Environment/Sustainability, which is a big step for us to take. We have an office and a council made of student staff that oversees such activities on campus, and they have done an excellent job. I would like SGA to take a step in the same direction. I want to talk about energy management, recycling, ride-shares, community outreach and education, and events such as the Tuck River Clean Up. I would like to start by investigating the use of paper straws for certain drinks and combining our campus safety committee into a campus safety and sustainability committee.
WCJ: What is the first initiative that you want to establish if elected and why?
Spencer: I touched on this within my mission statement, but transparency would be my first initiative as vice president because the student body deserves and should know what their SGA is doing. Our number one responsibility as the Student Senate is to represent and connect to the students, but how are we going to that without reaching out to them? I want to reach out to the student body by doing a couple of things such as hosting Student Senate meetings live via our WCU website, to host “Ask a Senator” sessions on the UC lawn, creating an Organization Outreach Committee on for senators and organizations will have direct access to each other but most importantly a connection, reaching out to the Western Carolinian to publish resolutions that Senate pass, as well as hosting bi-weekly Instagram videos to share what SGA has been doing those two weeks from the small things to goals for the future, and marketing supplemental funding opportunities for organizations, as well as taking Senate on Tour which will be when senate splits into different groups and goes around campus to listen to students.
WCJ: Also, why did you decide to run for VP and not President?
Spencer: When I became a senator, it was a back of the mind dream to become the Vice President of the Student Government Association. I always saw myself staying within SGA as a senator because they are the most important office you can hold in SGA. So, when applications opened up and I started asking my colleagues about who’s running for VP and President they keep asking and insisting that I was the right man for the vice presidency and after self-reflection, I realized all the good we could do not only for SGA, but for the University as a whole. As vice president, your job is to know the Constitution and Bylaws, to understand Roberts Rules of Order, to become the helping hand and supervisor of Student Senate, and to remain unbiased throughout the discussion and to only bring facts to the table. All these jobs I was already doing by nature as President Pro Tempore and Parliamentarian without even realizing it. Also, one of the important issues that SGA has currently is transparency with the student body. The majority of the reporting news happens within Senate, and as VP, that is something that I want to make sure the ball is not dropped on. I also fully believe that Student Senate deserves to have a leader that will make connections and build a team rather than managing and creating an unhealthy and less productive environment.
