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The Daily Athenaeum 2014 SGA Elections Edition

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

2 | SGA ELECTIONS EDITION

wednesday march 5, 2014

The Trusted Ticket: Meet Chris Nyden & Jake Evans

By Laura Haight Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum

Chris Nyden, presidential candidate

Jake Evans, vice presidential candidate

Kyle Monroe/The Daily Athenaeum

Kyle Monroe/The Daily Athenaeum

Jake Evans is a graduating senior studying political science with a minor in philosophy, and he will attend the West Virginia University College of Law in fall 2014.

Evans is running for vice president of the WVU Board of Governors to continue his previous work on improving campus safety. As a governor, Evans successfully negotiated a contract between WVU and the group LiveSafe to create a phone application that will help students in potentially dangerous situations.

He said he wants to be sure the app is effective and the main goal of increasing campus safety is not forgotten.

“It’s almost (as) if I didn’t run, I would have to give up something I’ve worked hard for this entire year to someone else,” Evans said. “For me it’s not as much as a goal, but a mission that I have to complete – I want to see this through to the end.”

Evans, a transfer student from Shepherd University, said within his first three weeks at WVU, he heard of many reports of violent crimes and his own car was broken into.

“I used to leave my door unlocked at night,” he said.

“There was never an issue re-

ally, and if it did happen, it was so far and few between.”

After a GreenDot presentation at his fraternity house, he said he felt inspired to make a change on WVU’s campus to make it safer for all students.

“We have the power to stop these things,” Evans said.

“If we stop the trend now, we’ll be able to make things better for current and future Mountaineers.”

Evans said he has proven to himself he has what it takes to be vice president of the student body. After a rocky start his freshman year, he left school to pursue his passion for music. He came back with a newfound dedication to scholastics.

“When students make a vote for me, what they’re making a vote for is what I stand for, which is that hard work and dedication pays off,” Evans said. “We may stumble along the way, but through perseverance we can make our own success.”

Evans said his motivation is he truly cares about the students and wants to make a positive change on campus.

“For me, it’s not about another bullet point on a resume,” he said. “The main reason why I’m doing this is because I care about the students and the University.”

Reducing violent crimes on campus will help current students stay safe and not de-

ter future students from attending WVU. Evans said everybody deserves the chance to grow as a person.

“WVU helps people find who they are, and that’s what I think I love most about it,” he said.

With three years of experience in the Student Government Association behind him, Chris Nyden said he believes he is ready to be the next president of the student body.

Nyden is a senior economics student from Charleston who is an avid baseball fan and enjoys working for the WVU baseball team.

When he first joined SGA, he worked on the issue of textbook affordability and increased competition in the three local bookstores to drive textbook prices down.

With this issue headed in the right direction, Nyden said he would now like to focus on making college tuition more affordable for all students.

During the past few years, tuition fees increased an average of 5 percent each year.

“States are giving less to public institutions as enrollment sky rockets, and they’re expecting schools to do more with less money,” Nyden said.

Nyden said he strongly believes everyone should have the equal chance to earn an education.

“It’s such a key issue be-

cause I believe every person, regardless of where they came from, should have the opportunity to go to college if they have the drive and talent,” Nyden said. “They should be able to attend college and create a better future for themselves.”

He said he wants to make sure the state of West Virginia keeps its commitment to higher education. Nyden said he has already established relationships with legislators in Charleston.

“I have had an impact down in Charleston, so I hope we further develop that in the future,” Nyden said.

According to Nyden, the reason behind the name “Trusted Ticket” came from he and Evans and their ability to achieve their goals and make feasible promises.

“We’re not going to make many promises, but I will say that Jake and I haven’t been afraid to back down when people say no this year, and we’re not going to be afraid to do that next year,” he said.

Nyden said he loves the University and the state of West Virginia and said he will represent the students and their opinions.

“The power really truly does lie within the students,” he said. “We know how to get the job done, and I think that’s what sets us apart.” danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

Drew Nexsen/Independent Drew Nexsen is running for BOG because he said he believes student health is vital for WVU to be considered a great school.

“My inspiration for running was when I needed to go to Student Health for a small surgery,” Nexsen said. “I learned about all the facilities that students have available to them, and that I actually wasn’t aware that most existed.”

Nexsen said although he is not a member of a party, he is deeply passionate about his platform and will work diligently on behalf of students.

“I would want students (to know) that I’m running, even without a party behind me, because of how strongly I care about students’ health,” Nexsen said. “No one else can say that on campus.”

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5, 2014

SGA ELECTIONS EDITION | 3

The Launch Party: Meet Farah Famouri & Kartik Motwani

By Sam Bosserman Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum

Farah Famouri, presidential candidate

Kyle Monroe/The Daily Athenaeum

Kyle Monroe/The Daily Athenaeum

Kartik Motwani, vice presidential candidate

Presidential candidate Farah Famouri learned to love WVU while growing up in Morgantown. Now a senior in college, Famouri wants to take the next step in her desire to give back to the community from which she has benefitted so much.

“I grew up at WVU, watching it grow and change as more students step on campus. I’ve been involved in every realm that WVU offers – from academics to student organizations to community service and international involvement,” Famouri said. “I came to WVU wanting to be as involved as I could be, and I believe I have.”

Famouri said her experiences involving WVU make her uniquely qualified for the position of SGA president and will help her in navigating the role if elected.

“This is an opportunity that I do not take lightly,” Famouri said. “I would not have even considered running if I did not think that I was the best person for the job.”

Andrew Sutherland/ The launch Party Sutherland said his platform’s main goal was to get more students to attend collegiate and athletic events.

“One of my ideas is to get student organizations to come out to the games,” Sutherland said. “They can sponsor a game and promote themselves while at the same time helping student athletes by bringing more people to the games.”

Sutherland said a second goal of his platform would be to finally see a student to student athlete meet and greet take place.

According to Famouri, her party’s platform will allow her administration to change the way SGA does business.

Famouri said an integral part of the platform is the Student Body Strategic Plan, which complements the University’s 2020 Strategic Plan by adding in an additional goal of resolving student issues.

“Kartik and I want to redo the way these platforms are created because, as all students have seen, the president and vice president are too busy in their positions to work on these platforms,” Famouri said.

“So our platform is to put SGA back into the hands of the students.

“We have created an organized system to work with the institutional administration rather than against it.”

Famouri said the Launch Party is comprised of some of the most dedicated and passionate students she has ever met. She also said her ticket was made up of personable people who like to engage with students, not politicians just looking to get elected.

She stressed that her ticket members are all very

knowledgeable about the subjects for which they will be advocating.

“When we interviewed them to be on the ticket, we asked about their goals and weaknesses, as well as involvement in the University,” Famouri said. “We didn’t ask what demographic they would fill.

“They are all in this for the right reasons and want to tear down this wall that SGA has built where the organization is exclusive and inaccessible for students.”

Famouri’s vice presidential running mate, Kartik Motwani, said he is especially qualified for the position because of his past experiences within SGA. Motwani has previously served as a BOG member and is currently SGA director of academics.

“My past experiences as being both a member of the BOG and an executive will help me as vice president since the position is the bridge between the legislative and executive branches,” Motwani said.

Motwani’s time on the BOG has been spent advocating for expanded wireless availability, which he said was hindered by prohibitive costs during a time

of increasing budget cuts.

Despite his frustrations while working on his platform as a governor, Motwani said the experience taught him a lot of lessons when it comes to working with school administrators.

“It was a major year of learning the logistics of SGA for me,” Motwani said.

Working in his current position, Motwani said he has been able to add a lot to the discussions surrounding the reshaping of GECs. “This past year I’ve been working very diligently with the faculty senate to go through and try to revise the general education curriculum,” Motwani said.

Motwani said he also worked a good deal on SGA’s presentation to the institutional Board of Governors earlier this year.

“I helped out with the presentation to the institutional BOG, which helped illustrate the student’s perspective to policy makers,” Motwani said.

Both Famouri and Motwani said they hope students will give them the opportunity to be effective leaders and lead WVU into the future. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

Caroline seufer/ The launch Party Caroline Seufer’s platform focuses on health and wellness. Seufer said she plans to promote her platform by increasing awareness of health services offered around campus.

“I would do this by increasing the awareness of dietitians on campus, and by helping on-campus students by posting all of the dining halls nutrition facts online,” Seufer said.

According to Seufer, many students think exercise alone is enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which she said is far from the reality.

“I would love for students to understand that being healthy isn’t solely about exercising but also a good diet,” Seufer said.

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

4 | Sga ELECTIONS EDITION

AMANDA HUTCHISON / the trusted ticket Major: Sport and Exercise Psychology Year: Sophomore Hometown: North Eastern Pennsylvania Platform: Accessibility Services Amanda Hutchison, the only student at WVU who relies on a manual wheelchair, plans to make the campus more accessible to students with handicaps. Part of her plan is to make sure the WVU Accessibility VanService is running more efficiently and is exempt from budget cuts.

“I believe the University should take into consideration students who want to get to class but physically cannot make it,” she said.

Hutchison’s ultimate goal is for WVU to be completely equipped to handle students with disabilities.

“I can’t change the terrain, and I can’t change the fact that (the) campus is built into a mountain, but I can change the way these students get to class,” she said.

“Everyone should get the equal opportunity to be a Mountaineer.”

Ansh kumar / the trusted ticket Major: Petroleum Engineering Year: Junior Hometown: Charleston, W.Va. Platform: Community Relations Kumar plans on creating a student clean-up organization and teaming up with student organizations that need community service hours.

Kumar is working with the City of Morgantown to pinpoint locations that need aesthetic improvement.

“My plan is to have students work together to show the city that we care, and we’re willing to improve the city,” Kumar said.

He believes his platform is something he can definitely accomplish.

“When I decided to run for SGA, I decided I’m going to make a difference,” Kumar said. “If I get this organization together, it could be here for years to come.”

Jessica harris / the trusted ticket Major: Communication Studies Year: Junior Hometown: Baltimore, Md. Platform: Creative Arts Advocacy After being the SGA Director of the Arts for two years, Jessica Harris would like to expand the relationship between the Creative Arts Center and the rest of the University.

“I want to let students know how much talent we (have) in the Creative Arts Center, so they can come and see the performances and be a part of that experience,” Harris said.

Harris is currently working to put a lounge in the Creative Arts Center and is trying to establish an arts council.

“This is something that I love to do. I love serving students at WVU and serving the University in general,” Harris said. “This has a special place in my heart.”

Wednesday March 5, 2014

Andrew dietrick/ The trusted Ticket Major: Industrial Engineering Year: Junior Hometown: Scranton, Pa. Platform: Student Retention Andrew Dietrick has witnessed many of his friends come to college but drop out before graduating. His goals include improving both the graduation rate and retention rate while improving campus resources.

“I think we need more of a focus on completing school and not coming here to party,” Dietrick said. “I want to change the mindset and get students more involved with student organizations.”

Dietrick also wants to set up more academic resources for students and better advertise these resources to students.

“People come for two or three years and leave without a degree, which is unacceptable,” he said.

Keith Wiseman/ The trusted Ticket Major: Political Science Year: Junior Hometown: Columbia, Md. Platform: Student Rights Keith Wiseman is currently the Republican co-chair of Student Advocates for Legislative Advancement and would like to advance his involvement in SGA. He said he doesn’t agree with the current tobacco ban and would like to establish zones on campus where people who smoke cigarettes could smoke freely.

“Essentially, I think a person should have the same rights on-campus and off-campus,” Wiseman said. “As much as people might not like smokers, they do have a right to smoke.”

He would also like to continue the previous project of alcohol amnesty and establish a pilot program. This would protect students from legal consequences when a friend is too drunk and needs medical attention.

“It really hits home with a lot of students and has been proven to save lives,” Wiseman said.

Julie ‘Jules’ Merow/ The trusted Ticket

Major: Advertising Year: Freshman Hometown: Morgantown, W.Va. Platform: Dining Service Improvement Julie Merow’s goals include having Dining Dollars and Bonus Bucks roll over from one semester to the next and have extra swipes roll over into the next week.

“Freshmen don’t realize until the end of their first semester that they can’t keep their Dining Dollars or Bonus Bucks,” Merow said. “So, they end up spending $70 at Eliza’s buying all their friends coffee during finals week, and that’s not fair.”

She also wants to have better accommodations for students with food allergies or students who do not eat meat.

“I’m lactose intolerant, and it stinks, because half the time everything has cheese on it,” Merow said. “I want more options for students like that.”

She also hopes to make the food fresher on campus and to make it cheaper for students who aren’t on meal plans to eat downtown.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5, 2014

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Roshan Daniel / the Launch Party Major: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Year: Sophomore Hometown: Chantilly, Va. Daniel hopes to use his position as a member of the SGA Board of Governors to alleviate the many off-campus problems students encounter. He also hopes to combat these issues by advocating for the creation of a database in which students can write reviews about the different apartments and landlords in the area. Daniel said he would also advocate for improving the public transportation infrastructure around campus.

“The thought surrounding this is that with how heavily reliant we are on public transportation, we need more benches and better coverings for those benches,” Daniel said. “There are certain benches around campus that don’t really garner a lot of use, and the idea would be to go around campus and identify places where they could be better situated.”

He said the redistributing of resources already owned by the University would make the infrastructure improvements more feasible.

Patrick Clarke / the Launch Party Major: Broadcast Journalism Year: Freshman Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa. Clarke is a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon who has been involved in a number of charitable fraternity sponsored events.

Clarke’s platform is based on the belief WVU has room to improve the image it presents to the outside world.

According to Clarke, the WVU Career Services Center has received a lot of negative feedback from employers who have come to campus career fairs and who were not impressed by the attire of students.

“I’m working with the Career Services Center to start a professional clothes drive,” Clarke said. “Professors, faculty and students would be able to donate suits, dresses, ties, etc … in order for students to be able to access these clothes for job interviews and presentations.”

Clarke said a second part of his platform involved working with WVUp All Night to incorporate more student organizations so students know they have the opportunity to join the organizations and get involved.

Lucas Hilsbos / the Launch Party Major: Geography and Economics Year: Junior Hometown: Fairmont, W.Va. Hilsbos said he wants WVU students to be more connected to the residents of the City of Morgantown.

Hilsbos is currently the SGA Director of Neighborhood Associations and has been a summer fellow with Community Water Solutions, a nonprofit organization.

“In the past, I’ve spoken with neighborhood associations, and they’ve said that when they have events, they’d love to see more students showing up.”

Hilsbos said he would work on creating a way for students to learn about getting more involved in the communities where they live.

SGA Elections edition | 5

Quenton King/ The Launch Party Major: Criminology, Spanish and Latin American Studies Year: Junior Hometown: Charles Town, W.Va. King said he thinks every major should offer a study abroad program for which students will still get the credits they need to graduate on-time.

King said there are many scholarships offered for studying abroad but that it can be difficult to track them all down.

“Currently there are a lot of scholarships floating around different departments, and in order to apply to them you have to go to each department’s website and find everything in different locations,” King said.

“There should be a simple web page where you can go and see all of the scholarships available to students for study abroad.”

King said he would like to wire up the Gluck Theatre so students thinking about studying abroad can talk with those currently in a foreign country over the Internet.

Nick Naum/ The Launch Party Major: Accounting and Finance Hometown: Wheeling, W.Va. Naum is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon as well as the Beta Gamma Sigma international business honorary fraternity.

He hopes to make it easier for students to find employment.

“I want to make it more accessible for students to get jobs on campus,” Naum said. “I myself have worked in the College of Business & Economics for the last twoand-half years, and it has been an integral part of my college experience.”

According to Naum, one solution is to have student’s advisers play a more prominent role in helping students get jobs.

Joy Wang/ The Launch Party Major: Biochemistry Year: Sophomore From being a member of “The Pride of West Virginia,” the Mountaineer Marching Band, to sitting on the current SGA Board of Governors, Joy Wang has done a lot during her time at WVU. This year Wang hopes to shift focus to transportation and parking issues. Wang’s first priority will be to advocate the establishment of a Parking Amnesty Program.

“I’ve already met with the director of Transportation and Parking to discuss a program that would give students a choice – either to pay the parking ticket or find an alternative means of absolving the violation,” Wang said.

She said she would like it to be centered around community service because it would benefit not only the student but also the WVU and Morgantown community at large.

While she will start with the parking amnesty program, she hopes to use the connections made to go after many other issues.

“By starting with the parking amnesty program, I can solidify my relationships with WVU Transportation and Parking and work from there,” Wang said.

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

6 | SGA ELECTIONS EDITION

Liz Barnhart / the trusted ticket Major: Mining Engineering Year: Sophomore Hometown: Morgantown, W.Va. Platform: Career Services Barnhart plans to expand the services already offered by the Career Services Center.

“With being a mining engineering student, I’m given many opportunities to build my resume and apply for internships that I feel like other students don’t get but need,” Barnhart said.

She wants to better inform students about the services the center offers and increase communication both parties.

“I’m going to work with Career Services to make sure every students gets opportunities to start on their resume early and be knowledgeable of internship and job opportunities through WVU,” she said.

Barnhart said this would allow students to build their resumes and experience, making them more marketable in the job hunt.

“Having past work experience is important in getting a job,” she said. “You need an extra added edge to your resume.”

sarah Lilly/ the trusted ticket Major: International Studies, Latin American Studies and Political Science Year: Senior Hometown: Independence, W.Va. Platform: Improving Cross-Cultural Exposure Sarah Lilly has traveled all around the world and wants to tie her experiences into improving the relations between international students and the rest of the university.

One of her goals is to increase communication about cultural events on campus including foreign film showings and language workshops.

“Teachers, students and other department members put a lot of work into these events,” Lilly said. “However, from speaking with students across campus, word of these programs aren’t reaching as many people as they could.”

She also wants to serve as a bridge between the University’s international community and the rest of the student body. Allowing international students to better connect with Morgantown and the University will help them get the most of out their time at WVU.

Mike Ibekwe/ the trusted ticket Major: Public Health Year: First Year Graduate Student Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Platform: Health and Wellness Mike Ibekwe is currently the co-chair of the Student Health Advisory Board and wants to integrate his experience with public health into student government.

“From all the things that I’ve learned in my classes, I feel like I have a lot of knowledge, and there are going to be a lot of changes especially with health care regarding the University,” Ibekwe said.

Starting fall 2014, all students will need health insurance through the University in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Ibekwe said he wants to make sure all students understand what they need to do in order to obtain health insurance or opt out while organizing an event to allow students to voice their concerns directly to the faculty.

“I’m not an undergrad trying to get into law school. This is just a way for me to give back to the students,” Ibekwe said.

Wednesday march 5, 2014

matt brow/ The trusted Ticket Major: International Studies Year: Junior Hometown: Saint Mary’s County, Md. Platform: Veteran and Military Affairs Matt Brow currently serves as the military affairs director of SGA and hopes to further improve accommodations for veterans on campus.

WVU Veterans recently got their own resource center in the Mountainlair, but Brow would like to give them a learning center, as well.

“The issue still needs to be worked on. Just because one year is over doesn’t mean I’ll stop working on military affairs,” Brow said. “I think the issues are still there, and the people still need the help and resources to be Mountaineers.

Brow said he’s motivated by the fact his dad was a Marine, which he said instilled a lot of values in him that make him want to give back to the student veteran population on campus.

dustin seabolt/ The trusted Ticket Major: Political Science Year: Freshman Hometown: Craigsville, W.Va. Platform: College Affordability and Academics Dustin Seabolt has three goals to make WVU more affordable and increase the quality of academics.

Seabolt wants to pass a mandate that would require professors to use older versions of textbooks when possible.

“I realize this won’t work for all majors, but for some GECs, it may work,” Seabolt said.

He also wants to require professors to make it clear which textbooks are required for a course and which textbooks are suggested.

Seabolt wants to start a peer advising program for younger students who may not know which classes to take or which professors work best for their learning style.

“Honestly, this is what I’m passionate about,” Seabolt said. “I want to make a difference at WVU and leave it better than I found it.”

Anthony Braxton/ The trusted Ticket Major: Marketing Year: Sophomore Hometown: South Charleston, W.Va. Platform: University Connectivity Anthony Braxton is a write-in candidate and currently serves on the Board of Governors. He said he wants to continue his efforts to help students upon re-election.

He plans to make the transition to college for incoming freshmen smooth. He will also work with the Mountaineer Parents Club to better coordinate buses for students going home during breaks. This will make transportation easier and more affordable for many students.

Braxton said he believes he will continue to be a great governor because he cares about the students, and as a Resident Assistant, he knows what students need.

“I’ll always be around to support students and be in front of them to see what can be improved,” he said. “I will do my best every day to get results.”

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5, 2014

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Hayley Harman/ the Launch Party Major: Psychology, Biology and Spanish Year: Sophomore Hometown: Morgantown Harman said she knows exactly what drives anybody who lives in the area crazy: parking.

Harman’s platform involves making parking inside the Mountainlair garage more accessible.

According to Harman, one solution to the problem could be installing a system to inform students of spaces available inside the garage.

“The system would document how many spaces are available at a given time and allow students to make more informed decisions about parking,” Harman said.

Harman said a second major part of her student convenience platform is getting printer stations installed inside each of the residence halls.

Dillon Muhly-Alexander / the Launch Party Major: International Studies Year: Freshman Hometown: West Union, W.Va. Muhly-Alexander said he wants to focus on connecting SGA to students through better outreach.

“I believe SGA has an obligation to advocate on behalf the students and engage with students outside of the two weeks of campaigning,” he said.

According to Muhly-Alexander, a lot of alumni want to give back to the University but can’t necessarily donate large sums of money.

To alleviate this problem, Muhly-Alexander said he wants to work with the University to help these alumni give back in other ways, such as coming to the University to share their expertise with current students.

“I want to try and work in conjunction with the Festival of Ideas and the B&E Distinguished Speaker Series in order to attract a more diverse array of lecturers and speakers to campus,” Muhly-Alexander said.

SGA ELECTIONS EDITION | 7

Effy Fachuruddin/ The Launch Party Major: International Studies Year: Sophomore Hometown: Borneo, Indonesia Fachuruddin is involved in several organizations on and off campus.

Fachuruddin said her platform would focus on helping international students become more integrated into WVU. “For international students, it can be hard to adapt to American universities, especially if English is not your first language,” she said.

Fachuruddin said she wants to help expand the current program and make it even more effective.

“I really want to make a mentorship program where American students are mentoring international students, particularly in areas where language barriers are often a problem,” Fachuruddin said. “People are always talking about the ‘American college’ experience, and we also want to experience that.”

Fachuruddin said a second focus of her platform would be expanding upon the OneWVU campaign, which she called a great success for creating a friendly environment for all ethnicities and nationalities on campus.

Cody Mullens/ The Launch Party

Major: Biology Year: Junior Hometown: Weirton, W.Va. As a researcher, Mullens said his first priority would be to advocate for the Downtown Library remaining open 24 hours a day.

“I’ve delved into the issue already and have found the problem is not so much about the financial burden of staffing it 24 hours but rather maintaining the fire code,” Mullens said. “What I’ll be doing to combat this issue is to first work with the fire marshal on getting the layout of the library, and then I’ll take the idea to the administration.”

Mullens said he would propose having freshman seminar classes become more student-centered. Mullens’ idea is to have at least portions of these classes be taught by qualified graduate assistants who can better relate to what current students are going through.

Mullens’ third goal is to facilitate student involvement in research by creating a central repository for research opportunities.

“In order to increase the accessibility for students on campus, I’m going to propose the creation of something like a classified ads page where research opportunities for all disciplines can be listed,” Mullens said.

Chelsea Malone / the Launch Party

Major: Finance Year: Senior Hometown: Morgantown Malone’s BOG platform focuses on making sure students have access to the proper mental health resources they require. Malone said her desire to fight for these issues stems from personal experiences.

Malone said one way in which she can help is by advocating for a downtown satellite office of the Carruth Center, which is scheduled to move to a new location on the Evansdale Campus.

Malone said she would also be an effective advocate for mental health issues by pushing for the creation of a student group dedicated to mental health issues.

“I want to create a chapter of Active Minds on campus, which is a mental health awareness student organization,” Malone said. “I want to have a group like this on campus where students can go out peer to peer and talk with each other.”

She said her third goal would be pushing for a post-traumatic stress disorder counselor, who would be able to help students with traumatic events.

Brian Bellew/ The Launch Party

Major: Geology Year: Junior Hometown: Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Bellew’s platform for the SGA Board of Governors has a focus of improving the culture of sustainability on the WVU campus.

Bellew is currently focused on getting the University to measure its carbon footprint.

“With the school’s carbon footprint, we can compare it to our sister universities and will have a baseline to monitor our current energy efficiency programs,” Bellew said.

Bellew said he is also looking into how the University can avoid wasteful practices around campus. One such practice is how WVU’s organic farm sometimes allows food go to waste after conducting research on farming techniques.

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

8 | Sga ELECTIONS EDITION

Mouhammed SAKKaL/ the trusted ticket Major: Biology Year: Junior Hometown: Charleston, W.Va. Platform: Community Service for International Relief Mouhammed Sakkal wants to incorporate his passion for community service and relief efforts into SGA. Sakkal helped start the club Mountaineers for Relief Efforts. The club held a clothing drive for Syrian refugees, a bake sale for the Philippines and worked with the Bartlett House in Morgantown.

One of his main goals is to help build a better connection between WVU philanthropic organizations and the places near campus that need volunteers.

The war in Syria has motivated Sakkal to help refugees in Syria and other nations.

“I have so many family members there, and it drove me crazy not being able to help them,” Sakkel said. “These types of events happen all the time all over the world, so we want to branch our efforts out to other causes.”

Sakkal also plans to represent the Muslim students on campus. He wants to make sure they receive a larger prayer room, because many students are forced to take turns praying.

katt Janelle/ the trusted ticket Major: English and Philosophy Year: Freshman Hometown: Martinsburg, W.Va. Platform: Student Organization Involvement Katt Janelle has been working under current governor Katie Heller to improve student organization involvement on campus.

Janelle also works for WVUp All Night and has been successful in having a different student organization participate every weekend.

She said she recognizes how important it is for students to find their niche on campus and to be involved in some sort of organization.

“There (are) almost 450 student organizations, and a (lot) of people don’t know anything about them,” she said.

Janelle is also working with Kim Harrison, director of Student Organizations, to create a master calendar online of all student organization meetings.

“This is something that I’m passionate about and means something to me,” she said. “I want to give people the opportunity to get out there and do something they might not normally do and get involved with an awesome group that might change them for a lifetime.”

Derrik whitlow/ the trusted ticket Name: Derrik Whitlow Major: Public Administration Year: Graduate Student Platform: LGBTQ Advocacy Whitlow failed to respond with a biography by press time.

WEDNESDAY mARCH 5, 2014

brady smith/ The Launch party Major: International Studies, Political Science Year: Sophomore Hometown: Berkley Springs, W. Va. Athletic Council candidate Brady Smith said his platform will focus on making club sports more accessible to students.

According to Smith, the University touts the number of athletic clubs during tours but then does little to promote them to students once they arrive on campus.

“I’m working to bridge the gap between playing varsity sports in high school and having access to club sports when you get to college,” Smith said.

Smith said he hopes to find ways to reduce the cost of participating. Currently, many club sports require large financial commitments in order to play.

“I plan on getting local businesses to sponsor teams, using SGA grant money and utilizing other grant opportunities that exist on a national level for club teams,” Smith said.

Stephen Scott/ The Launch party Major: Political Science Year: Sophomore Scott spent the last year on the Board of Governors working to improve what he calls the “Three A’s” – academics, advising and awareness.

One of the initiatives undertaken last year by Scott was an advising study designed to gauge areas in which students thought advising could be improved.

Scott said he would use the data he collected from the study to advocate for the creation of an all-in-one advising web page.

“Seventy-three percent of those who took part in the survey indicated a want or desire for more information on the advising process,” Scott said. “Something that would help here is an Advising 101 web page that would have tips and tricks as well as information on advising in general.”

Scott is also proposing the creation of a SGA scholarship program.

He said the scholarship program would help both those awarded money and students as a whole.

Samantha Shimer/ The Launch party Major: International Studies Year: Freshman Hometown: Parkersburg, W. Va. Shimer’s platform focuses on students who are new to WVU. According to Shimer, everybody coming to WVU, either as a freshman or a transfer student, experiences the transition in a unique way.

“Regardless of where you are from or whether or not you were a transfer, we were all new to the University at some point and we all go through that transition differently,” Shimer said.

She said one way to combat the challenges of transitioning to WVU is to create a mentorship program that would connect upperclassmen with those who have just arrived.

“These mentors would be able to give a student insider tips that advisers wouldn’t necessarily be able to do,” Shimer said.

Shimer said she thought a mentorship program would not only help new students academically but socially, as well.