SGA Election Coverage | The Wright State Guardian
The future of SGA hangs in the balance as the organization ushers in a new administration in an era of decreased student involvement. Candidates voice their thoughts on the prominent issues of student involvement and retention at WSU.
President
Four out of five candidates running for office were uncontested. Two of such uncontested positions are president and vice president. The candidate for SGA president is Blake Bailey, campaigning with his running mate Brandon Blair for vice president.
Political science Junior Bailey is the current Chief of Staff of SGA and has one semester of experience in the organization.
“I think what makes me qualified is being that extrovert that is going to go out and get to know you no matter who you are,” Bailey said.
Bailey decided to pursue the role of president because of his major and his want to give back to the university. He describes his values as “Faith, People and Passion” with faith being his most important value.
“My goals as SGA president kind of reflect President Edwards’ goals for the university. When she started here she gave us the three R’s: recruitment, retention, and relationships,” Bailey said.
To remedy this issue, Bailey wants more recruiters going to area high schools and increasing awareness of what the university has to offer. Bailey is also considering adding a senate seat for students with disabilities and hopes that more international students will consider joining SGA.
Bailey said that this year SGA has succeeded more as an event-planning organization rather than a “voice for the student body.”
According to the SGA website their purpose is to advocate for and represent the interests of students at Wright State University.
“We are committed to promoting student participation in the overall policy and decision-making processes of the University, enhancing the quality and scope of education at the University, and promoting the general welfare of the student body,” according to the SGA website.
SGA is not described as an event-planning organization, but rather a policy-making one. As Chief of Staff, Bailey communicates with the President and committees on policy-making matters.
Bailey shared his opinion in regard to other campus policy matters.
A policy that Bailey said he conformed to without fully agreeing with is the masking policy, describing it as “almost an overkill.”
Vice President
Computer science sophomore Blair has no experience in SGA, but has leadership experience as the president of theater and improv group and being on the e-board for engineering organizations.
Blair describes his values as “Broad-Minded, Constructive, and Tenacity.”
The goals of these candidates follow these values. Both are especially focused on the issues of student involvement and student retention. As of Fall 2019, WSU’s retention rate was 64.5%.
Commuter Senator
The commuter senator position was the only race with more than one candidate.
Alaina Collins is the current commuter senator and president of the commuter student association.
“I would say these three words are my main running points; introduce, inform, involve,” Collins said.
Collins hopes to increase involvement in WSU’s commuter population and plans to hold more collaboration events with the Commuter Student Association and other student organizations to help remedy the issue of low student engagement.
Gabriella Ramos is a junior biological sciences major and the only other person running for the commuter senator position. Ramos is not involved in SGA but is passionate about the issues that commuter students face.
“I feel like our voices [commuters] aren’t heard as much, so I thought, with driving all this time, I would best represent my peers as commuter senator,” Ramos said.
Ramos’ goals include adding a commuter-only parking section in front of the Creative Arts Center and having more events during the daytime since commuters may not want to drive back to campus when it is late in the evening.
Ramos also suggests possibly trying a carpooling system for commuters to cut down on money spent on gas.
Voting for SGA elections starts Monday, March 21 and closes at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 24. Students can vote through the WINGS homepage.
