Old problems, new solutions

AUTUMN HALL News Editor

To those who were students last year, it was a difference to see that there would be multiple campaigns running in the 2023 SGA election cycle. One of this year’s two campaigns, titled The Volunteer’s Union, aims to change the narrative of previous campaigns and gear SGA’s focus towards the student body as a whole. The Volunteer’s Union is joined in the election by competitor campaign Commit.

The campaign’s top four executive members include Nikolas Dalton, a junior political science major running for student body president; Kendall Williams, a junior supply chain management major running for vice president; Colin Zimmer, a freshman business management major running for student services director; and Jack Robert Huffman, a sophomore economics and philosophy major running for executive treasurer.

The campaign stands on the three pillars of integrity, inclusion and progression, hoping that they can represent and include all students on campus, even if those students are not affiliated with SGA.

Some of the main focuses included under these pillars include increased diversity in undergraduate senate seats, more student control over budget allocation and creation of new, more inclusive student services committees. Members of The Volunteer’s Union hope to build upon these pillars through an increase of transparency, both in SGA, and in administrative practices.

“Through integrity, we would like to respect the role by making sure that we are as transparent as we expect transparency from the administration,” Dalton said. “Inclusion, because we like to include all ideas and all demographics and all forms of involvement on campus... Progression is that we don’t want to just tear down what was already working, what was already done… we want to continue to expand on what does work and move away from what doesn’t.”

One of the goals of The Volunteer’s Union is to ensure that each student on campus is having their voice heard, and that the student voice is being accurately represented through SGA’s leadership.

Huffman explained that many individuals feel that SGA is not accessible, which is a problem that he hopes to combat if elected.

“We should be talking to our constituents,” Huffman said. “We should be making an active effort to extend either an olive branch or a hand to the students on this campus. If you want more efficient communication, then you need to be more available. I don’t feel that SGA is available to most of our students.”

Echoing Huffman’s claims, Williams sees one of her most important responsibilities as promoting diversity and inclusion, which starts with encouraging more students to participate in SGA.

Williams acknowledges that one of the biggest issues that students face is doubt concerning their qualification to participate in SGA. She believes that in her case, being a new member of SGA has come with positives, especially in ensuring that every voice on campus is heard.

“I’m not going to use the fact that I haven’t been in SGA as a weakness, only as a strength, because I can bring in a new perspective that hasn’t been heard before and also bring in my real life experiences,” Williams said.

This desire for change for all students was one of the inspirations for starting The Volunteer’s Union, as the big four feel as though SGA is often seen as an exclusive club that is closed to public opinion.

“We are not politicians,” Dalton said. “We’re regular students, and it is important to be relatable … We’re just out there trying to solve problems. It’s as simple as that.”

Although The Volunteer’s Union may appear to be a less traditional campaign, the members of the top four do not believe there is a traditional campaign mold

“I don’t know what a traditional campaign really would look like by definition,” Dalton said. “I feel like we’re a traditional campaign. We’re just students who are involved with things on campus. We’re trying to uplift the mission of SGA which is to make a better experience for everybody on campus. I don’t even look at it that way at all.”

Dalton acknowledged that while the campaign’s call for a power shift across campus might be unconventional, he believes that it is in the best interest of the majority of students, which aligns with the big four’s desire to accommodate the wants and needs of all students.

Members of the top four cited specific issues that they would like to address within these three pillars, including the lack of ability that UT’s SGA has to allocate funds compared to other SEC schools.

Huffman also noted that he would like to see more transparency surrounding the way that student services fees are allocated. If elected, Huffman would also like to make SGA budget reports publicly available on the SGA website.

Williams noted that there is no demographic information about SGA’s membership available. This lack of information can make it difficult for students to know who is being represented in the current student government.

Not only are the top four looking to have better funding for their efforts in SGA, but they are also looking to provide more funding accommodations for various departments across campus.

“Through my experiences, I have seen how much the student body needs, but how much it is not happening with SGA,” Zimmer said. “I really want to try as the Student Services Director to create committees that can actually help the student body … and make a student government that everyone can say that they’re proud of.”

Zimmer is well known as the UTK Elf, a persona that he created when he dressed up as a Christmas elf and gave out candy on campus to help students feel better while walking to classes. He created and is the president of a suicide prevention organization called Sources of Strength.

Overall, the members of The Volunteer’s Union feel that their promotion of substantive change is what will drive them ahead of their competitor.

“I think that what we have over Commit is a matter of substantive change and a real willingness to see change on this campus that is not just incremental... but instead, recognizing that our administrations go at max one or two years, if reelected,” Huffman said. “Either SGA needs to be more cohesive and work together, or the SGA needs to be able to fight actively for more dramatic change on this campus.”

More information about The Volunteer’s Union can be found on their Instagram page. Voting for elections will take place April 3-5. You can vote at votesga.utk.edu.