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THURSDAY March 24, 2011
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY
Issue 22
Candidates kick off campaign Garvin, Sapp address parking, budget cuts; Kroboth encourages students to vote JONATHAN MCFADDEN mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com
Experience the change. That was the message that rang out during the official campaign kickoff for student-body presidential candidate Kambrell Garvin and vice presidential candidate Kaitlin Sapp on Monday. About three dozen students gathered around Byrnes at 6 p.m. to listen to Garvin and Sapp give their views on parking, increases in tuition and a transparent student government. Before the campaign, Garvin and Sapp’s supporters hovered. “I think they’re great,” said Jimmy Graham, senior psychology major. “He [Garvin] already has leadership experience.” Adrian Price agreed. “He has it,” said Price, a freshman international business major who is working with Garvin and Sapp on their campaign. “I feel like he’s already fit the position before he started running.” Campaign committee member Melody Lewis greeted Garvin prior to the kickoff with a “I’m voting for you, Kambrell.”
“He’s a good leader,” said Lewis, senior integrated marketing communication major. “He’ll do his best for this campus.” Alongside Garvin is Sapp, who is the only vice presidential candidate. But this doesn’t guarantee that she will take the office. She still has to get 50 percent of the votes plus one. Sapp received her own share of supporters at the rally. Ashley Sineath, sophomore interior design major and annual member of CSL, came out to support both Sapp and Garvin. She said she has worked closely with both of them on CSL and currently working on their campaign committee. “I’ve seen all the work that they’ve done for the school already and I feel that they can handle these big jobs on campus,” Sineath said. Big jobs, indeed. Garvin and Sapp plan to improve parking and lobby legislators in Columbia making higher education budget cut decisions. “Our tuition is going to increase next year,” Garvin said. To drive his point home,
Above: CSL vice presidential candidate Kaitlin Sapp and presidential candidate Kambrell Garvin listen as their opponent Timothy Kroboth encourages students to vote in the election. Kroboth is running for CSL president. Left: Garvin and Sapp asked students to sign their “Experience th Change” poster in support of their campaign. Photos by Claire VanOstenbridge • vanostenbridgec@ mytjnow.com Garvin told listeners about his own experience with signing a contract with The Courtyard for the fall and having no idea of how much money he’ll have to pay. “We’ll be leading a campaign to talk to our mem-
bers in both the state government and national government about ways in which we can lower tuition,” Garvin said. One student voiced concerns about how Garvin and Sapp planned to improve parking.
Their answer: evaluate the parking situation on campus and try to improve the security conditions in the lots around campus. “We’re going to ask questions and figure out the logic behind it,” Garvin said.
Sophomore math major and current member of CSL Andre Isaac asked Garvin and Sapp how their other responsibilities around campus could interfere with their candi-
See CSL page 4
Students empowered to elect CSL leaders CLAIRE BYUN byunc@mytjnow.com
Winthrop students will participate in the first democratic election in 10 years this semester. President and vice president positions for CSL are open for election by the student body. This is the first time a democratic election has been held since the dissolve of Winthrop’s previous student government, nearly a decade ago. The Winthrop Student Government Association (SGA) was dissolved in November 2001, due to a lack of student interest and participation. An ad hoc committee, now known as the Council of Student Leaders (CSL), was formed at the request of Frank Ardaiolo, vice president
for student life. CSL was created to fulfill SGA’s responsibilities, and in Nov. 2002, Winthrop’s Board of Trustees recognized CSL as the official vehicle of student governance. When first formed, CSL was composed of the nine students left over from SGA, as well as then-current leaders of the Resident Students’ Association, Dinkins Student Union, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and the National Pan-Hallenic Council. Dissenting opinion on student government came to the surface during Feb. 2010, according to a Feb. 2010 issue of The Johnsonian. Current student Devang Joshi, who was a junior at the time, created a Facebook group. The group, called “A Real Voice
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for the Students,” united other Winthrop students who had an issue with CSL’s structure. Members of the group attended CSL meetings, and both sides were open to discussion. Sydney Evans, then and current chair of CSL, suggested a democratic election for president and vice president, while keeping a bicameral legislature for the rest of CSL. Joshi’s Facebook group evolved into the Winthrop Student Congress, a group petitioning membership in CSL. During her re-election as CSL chair, Evans said her goal was to erect some kind of election commission by the time she leaves office, according to an April 2010 edition of The Johnsonian. On the same night of her re-election,
For videos of the candidates and more information visit:
the Winthrop Student Congress was chartered by CSL during a weekly meeting in April. Group members said they did not want to work against CSL, but wanted cooperation to benefit Winthrop as a whole. Nearly two semesters later, Evans and other proponents of a student election are meeting their goals. The new democratic elections are open to all students, with three presidential candidates and one vice presidential candidate to choose from. Voting will take place March 31 and April 1, via an online system. Visit winthrop.edu/csl for more informatin on the candidates and to vote.
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