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Story by Miranda Carpenter, Staff Writer
Candidates for the Student Government Association’s Executive Board debated issues important to the University.
On March 4, The News and SGA co-hosted a debate where candidates answered questions from moderators and the crowd. Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Candidates who spoke at the debate include Trey Book, Alicia Hubbard, Kailey Bold, Ernest Kenty and Warren Norman.
Kelsey Calhoun, vice president of administration candidate, did not attend.
Students can vote in the election via MyGate on March 11 and 12.
Presidential candidates: Trey Book and Alicia Hubbard
What made you run for this position?
Book: “One thing that is very important to me and many other students is mental health. I want to get to the bottom of this, see why students are more stressed and show students all the resources Murray State offers for mental health. I want to help alleviate some of the pressure and let their voices be heard.”
Hubbard: “I want everyone to feel like they are at home again – for this campus to just not be a place to learn, but to come on campus to see your friends or a familiar face. I want to also see how we can change health services back to how it was, to make it feel more like home than just talking to a virtual doctor when we are sick.”
How do you plan on establishing credibility with other Board of Regents members?
Book: “I have a great working relationship with many people on campus already, really just getting to know them and why they are doing what they are doing at Murray State.”
Hubbard: “I want to get to know the Board of Regents and see why they do what they do and put my emphasis on why I love Murray State and be the voice of our campus.”
What do you see as the top three issues facing students?
Book: “One of the biggest ones is mental health, whether that being financially with tuition increasing or other issues. Overall, mental health, finances and students retention.”
Hubbard: “Making sure the budget is in line. For example, when we have to cut professors, the students don’t get the correct help they need for classes. Overall, mental health, losing programs and faculty members.”
How do you balance your time between academics and extracurriculars?
Book: “I use my calendar on my phone a lot, I plan each week to make sure I am on task and doing what I need to do. I also prioritize and make a list of what I need to get done. When I have study time that is all I do, I don’t do anything else during that time.”
Hubbard: “I use my planner a lot. At the beginning of the week, I always plan my entire week. Just by being able to have study time, social time where I’m involved in other clubs where I have executive positions, planning where I can focus on each organization equally while making sure school is number one.”
As chair of the Senate, how will you remain fair to all members?
Book: “I will remain fair to all members by listening to everyone’s opinion, listening to everyone’s concerns. I am a big advocate for constructive criticism and feedback, I want strong communication between myself and all the senators and all the students here. By keeping the open line of communication and really getting to know everyone very well.”
Hubbard: “Letting each senator know I am here for you, I don’t want to put them in a position where they can’t talk to me or go to someone else to get their point across.”
What is your demographic priority for appointing vacancies?
Book: “I would look and see what kind of demographic with current members and see what areas on campus that we already have a lot of senators from. Then, I would look at other areas that we don’t have heavy involvement in and make connections and go to them in person and ask them to join SGA.”
Hubbard: “I would be looking into the presence on this campus and putting out a search to everyone so that it’s not just specific to a certain group. I want everyone on campus to know that this is for everyone, that everyone has a voice and should use their voice.”
Executive Vice President candidates: Kailey Bold and Ernest Kenty
What do you see as the most important responsibility for this position?
Bold: “My main responsibility as VP would be campus activities and with that I want to make sure all 12 positions on the board are filled with the correct people. I think my main priority would be that and working with the president with whatever they might need.”
Kenty: “I feel the most important part of this position is making sure everyone is represented, getting more demographics on the board and make sure everyone’s voice is heard. If your opinion is the minority, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter. I want to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.”
How do you plan on being a contributing member to the Student Senate?
Bold: “That goes along with communication and a line of transparency. For my role, we have to communicate to know what events are going on and what is going on within the Senate. I want to make sure everyone on the Senate is aware of what events are going on and the students are aware they can come to our meetings at any time, that they are just as important as any of the chair members on the board.”
Kenty: “Make sure everyone is represented, if your opinion is the minority, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. We have to make sure we go about things with a certain manner, we have to keep implementing new ideas and make sure we take everyone’s opinion into consideration.”
What position on the Campus Activities Board would you like to enhance the most, and why?
Bold: “I would like to enhance innovative acts.They are the ones that put on the events we see on campus. With that I want to make sure they are meeting the students’ needs as well as fitting in with the budget.”
Kenty: “I want to enhance the finance the most and boost finance on a student level.”
How do you plan to manage the Campus Activities Board budget?
Bold: “I think the most important thing is having communication with the treasurer, because it is impossible for one person to know all the information regarding the budget. Communication is key, letting them know when events will be happening and if the budget allows it. Ultimately, it comes down to communicating with the treasurer and making sure anything we are able to do fits in with the budget.”
Kenty: “I’m the secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, so I have the experience in finance and how you manage it – by making sure you are in contact with the right people. We have to be in contact with the vice president of finance, making sure we are on the same page. I want to listen to students and see what they want and see if it will fit into the budget and not give false hope to the students and make sure we are doing things reasonably.”
Vice President of Administration candidate: Warren Norman
How do you plan on being impartial to SGA members and holding them accountable?
Norman: “I will hold accountability for each member to be at the meetings, that starts with showing up. You can’t have your voice be heard if you are not there. Say you are from a residential college and you have a problem, if you are not there, your issue won’t be heard.”
Describe your organizational style.
Norman: “I use a planner each week; I start my week off Monday morning by writing everything I have that week. I am wanting to use this more with SGA, that way we can have all our events or University events, those events will be known. The more we can share these events with the students, the more participation we can have, with that comes more retention.”
What inspired you to run for this position?
Norman: “My inspiration honestly had to come from J.T. Payne because I have seen what he has done around the University not only on the staff side but other aspects. This has shown me we can be the top university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and strive for success.”
Do you plan on being an active role in both the Senate and Campus Activities Board?
Norman: “I don’t know what position I would like to hold yet, but I do know I want to apply for one.”
Watch the debate here.