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THE MIAMI HURRICANE February 18, 2020 - February 24, 2020 THE MIAMI HURRICANE December 3, 2019 - January 21, 2020
NEWS
2020
NEWS
Your Your guide guide to to the the 2020 2020 Student Student Governme Government nt Election Election Meet the Candidates BY ANNA TIMMONS
Managing Editor
ALL IN (from left): Jason Perez, Abigail Adeleke, Amanda Rodriguez
LEVEL UP: (from left): Shirley Gelman, Randy Fitzgerald, Louis Shaw
ANDRES ESCANDON
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ASHER WALKER
The student government elections for executive officer and senator positions at the University of Miami began Monday, Feb. 17 at midnight and will run through Thursday, Feb. 20. This year, there are three candidates running for president. Abigail Adeleke and Randy Fitzgerald, the speaker and speaker pro tempore of the student senate respectively, are running on opposing campaigns, competing to make their visions of campus a reality. Andrés Escandón is running an independent campaign for president while Asher Walker is running as an independent candidate for vice president. The candidates each announced their campaigns on Wednesday, Feb. 5 and have since then been palm-carding around campus and engaging with students at events such as Meet the Candidates hosted at the Rock Plaza on Feb. 6 and Feb. 11 and the student government debate on Thursday, Feb. 13. Adeleke, a junior majoring in journalism and psychology, is joined by her running mates, prospective vice president Jason Perez and treasurer Amanda Rodriguez, on the “All In” ticket. “My team and I are running on a platform of inclusivity, creating spaces for SG to interact with the rest of the student body, and to increase the intellectual and ethnic diversity of SG,” Adeleke said. In doing so, she organized a diverse ticket and group of supporters.
Perez, a junior majoring in political science and communication studies, said that as vice president he hopes to help improve the culture of student government. “I’m looking forward to a great year of getting stuff done and improving the life of UM students in any way that I can. That’s why I’m ALL IN,” Perez said. Both Adeleke and Perez have been involved in student government for three years, while Rodriguez, a junior majoring in business legal studies and finance, and the third member of the “All In” ticket, is involved in several other organizations on campus, including Federación de Estudiantes Cubanos and Camp Kesem. With an outsider’s perspective, Rodriguez stated at the recent debate that she has been able to experience a divide between student government and the student body first-hand, and because of this hopes to prioritize all students’ voices. Joining Fitzgerald in the “Level Up” campaign are vice president and treasurer candidates Shirley Gelman and Louis Shaw. The goal of their campaign is to take student government to the next level, Fitzgerald said. With over 50 initiatives to do just that, the team hopes to provide changes that will benefit students from all backgrounds and from every part of campus. “Different students have different experiences and different students have different needs. And so we wanted our platform to
reflect that there are multiple Miami experiences,” said Fitzgerald, a junior majoring in political science, international studies, economics and history. Both Perez of the “All in” ticket and Gelman from “Level Up” were members of the Freshman Leadership Council their freshman year. If elected to be the next vice president for the 2020-2021 calendar year, one of them will be responsible for leading FLC, a body of 20 freshman student leaders who work on projects during the school year under the mentorship of experienced members of student government. Perez said he is qualified for this role due to his experience in project management as an administrative liaison for the past two years. Gelman, however, is excited to build relationships with the incoming freshman team. “I had such incredible mentors when I was on the Freshman Leadership Council and I look forward to mentoring freshmen as well,” said Gelman, a junior majoring in international finance and marketing and management. Similar to the “All In” ticket, “Level Up” features two veteran members of student government, Fitzgerald and Gelman, and one outsider, Shaw who has spent his time at UM involved in greek life as a brother of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, treasurer of the intrafraternity council and as a member of the club soccer team. Shaw, a junior majoring in finance, said he is in this race to make sure that under-
The Initiatives represented portions of campus are given a voice. “What Level Up really means is representing every single student that is a part of this campus. I think traditionally speaking, I know that there are various communities on campus that don’t partake in student government and that might not be involved in the kind of decisions that are being made by student government and the university in general,” Shaw said. Two groups he said he is particularly interested in reaching are the greek and international student communities. Escandón, a sophomore and the only independent candidate running for president, said he hopes to improve government austerity, increase student involvement in student government and encourage freedom of speech on campus. “Students should vote for me because I have experience working with young people, I will make sure that the student government is important for the students and because I am mature,” said Escandón, an international student from Chiapas, Mexico studying marketing. The other independent candidate, Walker, said in his election bio that as vice president he will aim to make easing student anxiety his top priority. Some of his ideas include improving class scheduling, the advising system and creating defined midterm periods for each semester.
-All In
STUDENT LIFE:
ACADEMICS:
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Create a life skills cognate that will feature courses covering topics such as financial literacy, multicultural competence and public speaking Require teachers to use Blackboard Mock graduate exams on campus for the LSAT, GRE, MCAT, etc. Increase study abroad opportunities
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Wellness Wednesdays at the farmers market: Incorporate a wellness tent at the farmers market with activities to help students de-stress Start an internship fair for international students Advertise UM events in the shuttles
CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS: •
Create a mural wall on campus in partnership with the UM art program Start a hammock rental system Add lighting around campus to improve safety Place a crossing guard in between Red Road and the University Village
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DINING: • • • •
Expand meal swipes options outside the dining hall Open the dining halls for Late Night during finals week Offer smoothies at the dining hall Coordinate a student discount for a grocery delivery service
-Level Up ACADEMICS:
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Extend library hours year-round, initially to 3 a.m. at Richter Make English 105 more accessible year-round for students learning English as a second language Promote diversity among the faculty
STUDENT LIFE: • • • •
Offer jump-start money for new student organizations Create new canes spirit traditions Increase student input in administrative decisions involving greek life Proactively address food insecurity, for example by implementing graband-go options
CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS: • • • •
Add more study spaces and gliders to campus Upgrade laundry facilities in the dorms Add printers in the Whitten Learning Center and the Greek Suites Place traction tape in Dooly to prevent slipping
-Andrés Escandón GOVERNMENT AUSTERITY:
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Decrease waste in the student government suite by removing amenities that aren’t used and aren’t necessary
INCREASE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT: •
Encourage an open-door policy in the student government suite so that students can come and voice their opinions
FREEDOM OF SPEECH: •
Celebrate different ideas by creating on-campus debates
DINING: • • • •
Bring Chipotle to campus Extend dining hall hours Increase vegan and vegetarian options Expand meal swipe options beyond the dining hall
