Volume 138, Issue 27 Wednesday, April 8, 2020 utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon
SGA debates held over Zoom, foster discussion of leadership and representation GABRIELA SZYMANOWSKA Editor-in-Chief CAROLINE JORDAN Managing Editor ALEXANDRA DEMARCO Campus News Editor
The 2020 Student Government Association election season kicked off with the candidate debate on Thursday evening, April 2. Unlike previous debates, this year’s debate occurred over Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic. Candidates for student body president, vice president, student services director and executive treasurer debated in the two-hour long event. Representatives from three campaigns — Change, Promise and We Hear You UT — tuned in from their homes and debated for each of the four positions in four rounds of 30 minute debates. The debate wasn’t open to the general public because of concerns about the Zoom system becoming overloaded, but a recording of the event was posted the following day and can be viewed here. Although there were a few technical difficulties amid muted microphones and lagging video times, overall, the debate proceeded smoothly. Student Body President The debate’s first round occurred between candidates for student body president: from Change, junior studying English Karmen Jones, from Promise, sophomore studying political science Walker Hoover and from We Hear You UT, junior studying anthropology Nikki Hernandez. Questions for the debate were fielded from Election Commissioner Nicole Painter. She inquired about many subjects including the candidates’ style of management, plans for student engagement and ability to coordinate with state legislature. Each candidate was allotted a one minute rebuttal during the questioning period that followed. In her opening statement, Jones explained her campaign’s emphasis on bringing about positive change on campus.
“The Change campaign is committed to three important pillars. The first one is compassion, the second one is collaboration and the third one is community. I count it as a privilege to be constantly involved with administration and being invited into those spaces, but I do recognize that not all Volunteers have been invited into those conversations. That’s why it is the goal of the Change campaign, and mine, to make sure that we bring complete student representation to the highest level of the university’s priorities,” Jones said. Next was Hoover who emphasized student engagement as one of his campaign’s most important goals for their administration. He explained that as a Resident Assistant and member of Sigma Nu fraternity, he has experience with students approaching him and explaining that they don’t understand what SGA is and hopes to changes this. “Through these leadership positions I’ve found that many students come to me looking for advice, looking for answers. ... They would often come to talk to me about financial insecurity, social insecurity, academic insecurity and food insecurity. They would often bring questions to me that I didn’t have the answer to. But, as a student who is ready to be your next student body president, I promise that I will always give students the resources they need to prosper,” Hoover said. Additionally, Hernandez focused on explaining that her campaign is aiming to represent each and every UT student. As a first generation college student, Hernandez is passionate about ensuring that every student, including those who may have been underrepresented in the past, has a voice on campus and in SGA. ”It’s just by showing that no matter how small their position is in SGA or how big their position is in SGA that they have a voice and they can be heard here in this organization. And that’s why we’re called We Hear You UT
because every student should be valued and every student is important,“ Hernandez said. In response to a question about how candidates would correspond with state legislators, Jones explained that her experience in working with government has prepared her for the task. “I actually paged for the House of Representatives, and I work with the Shelby County government every summer interning so I understand the culture across Tennessee. A lot of people serving in Nashville are alumni of UT, and we can draw that connection and make more connections through making sure we continue those relationships,” Jones said. Student Body Vice President Next, candidates for student body vice president debated during the event’s second round. The candidates included, from Change, junior studying aerospace engineering Raj Patel, from Promise, sophomore studying political science Carly Broady and from We Hear You UT, junior studying American studies Sophia Rhoades. The debate ensued in the same format as that of the presidential candidates. Because the vice president is charged with residing over the senate, much of this section’s debate consisted of inquiries about what type of changes would be made in SGA’s senate and First-Year Council. While discussing how eight at-large seats in the senate body should be allocated, Broady expressed her interest in adding representation from Greek life to the senate and maintaining a seat for a veteran, while Rhoades and Patel discussed adding representatives from Multicultural Student Life, Women’s Coordinating Council and the LGBTQ+ community. “It’s truly critical that we are ensuring that those eights seats are diverse and are representing underrepresented groups on campus,” Rhoades said. Patel, who stated that he comes from a diverse background, feels equipped to represent
the diverse senatorial body consisting of 60 students. Rhoades added that as vice president, she would like to aid senators in writing bills and seeing through with legislation that they have passed. “Legislation shouldn’t just be something that passes and then we don’t see anything come from it,” Rhoades said. “I would love to see mental health education at student orientation. That is the bill that I wrote a year ago. I question why nothing has been done with it yet.” In terms of re-organizing First-Year Council, Patel and Broady echoed their wishes about forming FYC into a group that prepares students for leadership. “Students can take the skills that they learned in first year council forward to be successful not only in senate or student services, but whatever organization they desire, even if it is one that’s not involved in SGA,” Broady said. “I think this has the added benefit of increasing connections to SGA with organizations outside the student government, with the main added goal of making an SGA that is reflective and representative of all students on Rocky Top.” As a sophomore, Broady is younger than both Rhoades and Patel. However, she explained that this situation will work to SGA’s advantage if she is elected as student body vice president. “Second semester, I’m not worried about graduation. I’m not worried about where I’m going to get a job or my plans. I am in it, and I’m here, and you know where to find me, and I think that that’s really important in a vice president, is knowing that they’re accessible,” Broady said. In her closing statement, Broady challenged her fellow students to hold her accountable for the promises she made during the debate.
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