Volume: 59 Issue: 23

Page 1

Volume: 59 Issue: 23

driftwood.uno.edu

APRIL 20, 2016

DELEGATES OF TOMORROW SGA President-elect plans to bring new wave of representatives “My whole plan is to grow the voice of all aspects of campus, that includes nontraditional students. Some of our programs by SAC are targeted toward your traditional students, but it’s time we looked and realized that’s not what we have here.” - Antonio Torres BY CHARLES NICHOLSON Managing Editor “We’ve had some untraditional students be our presidents for the past couple of years and I’ve seen participation in SGA dwindle since, and I just want to come in and see if I can revive it a little, give it a better representation for the student body,” said newly elected SGA president Antonio Torres on why he ran for president. After being very involved with UNO over the past few years, Torres looks to bring a new breath of air to a campus desperately in need of change, a change he thinks he can make. On Wednesday, April 6, SGA released the ballots to the UNO campus for both the president and the senate seats. On the executive ballot, former presidents David Teagle and Joy Ballard-Oliver ran for their second terms against the upstart Torres. The results were collected and released that Friday. The follow-

ing Monday, Torres was the president-elect. The official announcement from SGA is expected near the end of the month. Torres said he thinks part of the reason why he won out is because he is a more relatable candidate. “This is my third year here. I’ve been involved in everything as far as SAC my freshman year, and I’ve also been a resident assistant in the dorms since [then],” Torres said. “I think it was close but with me having the dorm aspect and being able to relate a little more...I think people felt a little more comfortable with that. Joy [Ballard] and [David] Teagle were great candidates, [but] they’re just nontraditional students.” Torres recognized that the campus is largely nontraditional, but being a traditional student himself allowed him to tap into a powerful base of supporters. However, he doesn’t plan to let that separate him from students unlike himself. In order to answer the needs and desires of all students, Torres creat-

ed a theme for his campaign called “Grow Your Voice.” “My whole plan is to grow the voice of all aspects of campus, that includes nontraditional students. Some of our programs by SAC are targeted toward your traditional students, but it’s time we looked and realized that’s not what we have here.” A Kenner native, Torres is a junior business administration major, and though his home is nearby, he chooses to live in the dorms. “I wanted to stay close to home, I wanted to stay close to my family, but still also have my freedom,” Torres said. “So that’s why I stay on-campus though I live so close. It’s the best of both worlds.” In regard to his career plans, Torres said, “I’ve always been interested in business administration, and I want to go to law school after I graduate [from] here. Then I want to go into corporate law.” He hopes to get into the University of Alabama’s law program, but said that he’s keeping his options

open for the future. “I don’t necessarily want to practice, but I like the options. I really just want the law knowledge,” Torres said. In his presidency, Torres wants to form a student government that isn’t just a backdrop to the campus, but an organization that functions along with the students it’s meant to serve. “Most importantly to me is making sure the student body is well represented. Our senate hasn’t really been full since I’ve been here and that means we have a senate that really hasn’t been representative of all of our 8,000 students,” Torres said. “My first goal is to work with the Vice President of Legislation, fill the senate and get more participation in SGA to where we’re more representative of everyone.” Torres said he feels that SGA is disconnected from the student body and plans to increase communication through a larger government. “Having more senators is a way that we can be easier to access. Cer-

tain colleges, if they have, instead of one senator, a full body of senators, then they can reach out to those people who’ll have their voices heard.” Torres said that he wants to put less attention on state-level matters, calling it a “losing battle” in regard to budget cuts and instead means to work with the university directly. “My goals are to focus here, to reach out to the students here. To show them that the SGA really is on their side,” Torres said. “I am going to give the students an opportunity to see that their money is going somewhere. I’m going to try to make changes here so students can really say, ‘Well that’s where my fees are going.’” Torres has some time before he can put his plans into action since he isn’t officially sworn into office until May 1, but clearly that hasn’t stopped him from taking the initiative to better the university. “I really did fall in love with the university and I really want what is best for our students.”


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Volume: 59 Issue: 23 by Driftwood - Issuu