The Mercury 3/26/18

Page 1

March 26, 2018

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WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE?

Vice Presidential Candidate William McKiernan

Presidential Candidate Yilong Peng

Presidential Candidate Eric Chen

Your Voice With a platform focused on communication and bridging the gap between students and Student Government, two candidates are running for president and vice president on the Your Voice ticket in the first contested election in two years. Both molecular biology sophomore Yilong Peng and global business junior William McKiernan, who are running for president and vice president respectively, have served as senators for the 2017-2018 SG administration. They said they used their experience on the Technology and Communications Committee to develop a platform with a focus on bridging the gap between the students and the senators. “Our platform is composed of seven things, anything from accessibility, transparency … but our big focus is communication, because it is about ‘your voice,’” Peng said. While having a clear direction and achievable goals play an important role, McKiernan said the experience he and Peng have as senators influenced their decision to run for higher positions. “Having been the boots on the ground, so to speak, you’re better to lead the new senators,” McKiernan said. “In the capacity I’ll serve, it will be easier to mentor them and guide them through that process and encourage them and give them more of what they need.” To achieve this primary goal of increasing communication, the candidates on the Your Voice ticket aim to include students and club leaders in weekly meetings, as well as committee meetings to give

Vice Presidential Candidate Carla Ramazan

Catalyze STORIES BY: ARIANA HADDEN | MANAGING EDITOR GRAPHICS BY: MATT STRACK | GRAPHICS EDITOR PHOTOS BY: NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF

www.utdallas.edu/vote

Two candidates running for Student Government president and vice president on the Catalyze ticket represent a platform focused on spirit, communication and sustainability during the first contested election in two years. Actuarial science junior Eric Chen has served as the Communication Committee’s chair for the 2017-2018 administration, and undeclared freshman Carla Ramazan has served on the Student Affairs Committee. Both said the goal to spark a change within the student body is what encouraged them to run for the positions. “The name catalyze came from our vision to want to start a reaction on this campus,” Chen said. “I think that the student body really wants people in office who can bring real change, and I think that catalyze kind of fit into the unique intellectual culture here at UTD. We really pride ourselves in being a STEAM university, and we felt like catalyze really embodied that.” Chen said after serving as a senator, his desire to do more for campus and the students are what lead him to branch out from his position. “As a senator, you are a little bit limited to one realm, and as president you really get to have hands in all different parts, all different initiatives, and you have the opportunity

→ SEE YOUR VOICE, PAGE 16

→ SEE CATALYZE, PAGE 16

Student Government leaders reflect on time in office President, vice president remember year’s accomplishments as well as drawbacks, hopes for future of Student Government MADELEINE KEITH Mercury Staff

STUDENT GOVERNMENT | COURTESY

Student Government President JW Van Der Schans speaks at a general senate meeting on March 6. Van Der Schans and SG Vice President Alex Holcomb (left) reflect on their time in office as the election for next year’s representatives approaches.

The president of UTD’s Student Government pulls over a chair from his corner office and takes a seat next to the desk of his vice president. While SG’s election day edges closer, neither man will occupy these seat much longer. Soon new representatives will arrive to take their mantle and act as the primary voice of UTD. When Van Der Schans and Holcomb began their venture as president and vice president of SG, they entered into leadership on the platform of CometUnity, with an emphasis on improving both communication within SG and student involvement as a whole. Van Der Schans said developing transparency and availability has been in constant development and he admits student involvement is always in need of improvement. “Alex and I came into this year with a drastic uphill battle in terms of not a lot of students knowing about SG and not many caring,” Van Der Schans said. “I think from our side, communication has improved a lot. Utilization of social media has improved a hundred-fold, and I feel like the idea of us being here and being available is also been

transmitted the best we can. But (student involvement) is going to be a perpetual issue that needs resolution.” Though Van Der Schans and the rest of SG continue to work towards that resolution, SG’s outgoing president said he is most proud of the steps he and his fellow senators have taken to advance engagement and involvement with UTD’s faculty and staff. “I’ve heard time and time again that this year has been a really great year in terms of building relationships with staff,” Van Der Schans said. “SG has the ability to act in a number of ways — use our budget, use our influence — but at the same time, certain projects need cooperation with multiple departments and offices to actually get them done. So I think that that reputation increase is really important for SG going forward.” Perhaps the accomplishment Holcomb said he is most proud of is the institution of the arts initiative on campus, which allowed for an additional piano to be placed outside the Student Union, funded a mosaic on the northern wall of the School of Management and will aid in placing student-produced art around the SU.

→ SEE REFLECTION, PAGE 16


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