Tiger Tickets: who’s running for SGA and what they stand for

Candidates from Ohana

President: Gayon Sampson. Currently a senior and SGA Chief of Staff.

Vice President: Kyle Bamberger. Currently a senior and SGA Director of Athletic Affairs.

Treasurer: Sam Figueroa. Currently a junior. Former SGA Director of Civic Engagement. Vice President of Committees for Phi Mu.

Attorney General: Maia Williams. Currently a junior and secretary of the Black Student Union.

Chief of Staff: Brandon Wharton. Currently a sophomore and SGA Deputy Chief of Staff.

Courtesy of Gayon Sampson
Courtesy of Gayon Sampson

Why do they want to run?

 

Gayon: “The reason I want to be President is quite simple, I had a lot of great opportunities on campus. A lot of them. And I’ve been fortunate enough to meet with a lot of great people, work with them. And a lot of the opportunities I’ve been afforded, I want to make sure that every student on this campus gets the same opportunities. And I think by being President I’ll be able to shape that vision so that everyone on our campus will be able to have the opportunities I’ve had.”

 

Kyle: “When you talk about vice presidency, when you’re president of the senate, one reason I love the senate is just representation and being the voice of the students. I think it’s phenomenal that we have a group of students that is a direct voice of the students, of the student groups in particular.”

 

Sam: “I want to run because I do believe that students have great ideas, and I really think that the Student Government Association allows students to take their ideas to the next level and a big part about that is budgeting and finances. And you might have a great idea, but it might be slightly out of your budget, so I think that identifying with the student groups – or even just a student, if you have a really great idea come into the Student Government Association.”

 

Maia: “I would like to be AG because I really feel like there needs to be fairness and equality for all student groups and all students in general at Towson.”

 

Brandon: “I want to be the Chief of Staff because really what I think we need to focus a lot on is advancement. A lot of things we’ve been doing as a University and an as SGA that have been really good, but I really think we could make it exceptional. And so that’s what I want to do.”

 

Initiatives

 

Gayon: Keep the SGA discount cards, reevauluate the plus and minus system, bring Greek Housing to campus.

Kyle: Raise the value of a meal to $6.00, expand the senate to 29 students.

Sam: Launch a philanthropy fund that students and student groups can access, create a fundraising catalogue for student groups.

Maia: Establish a fund for TUPD and SAFE at SGA-affiliated events, reform SGA financial policy to make funds more accessible to students

Brandon: Allow student groups more space in academic buildings for meetings, partner with local business to create student job and internship opportunities.

 

Candidates from The Roar

 

President: Kurt Anderson. Currently a junior and SGA Director of University Communications.

Vice President. Taylor James. Currently a sophomore and SGA Senator.

Treasurer: Rebecca Ellison. Currently a junior and SGA Senator.

Attorney General: Vanessa Agbar. Currently a junior and ADC president

Chief of Staff: Jamal Washington. Currently a junior and presidential ambassador. Brother of Alpha Kappa Psi.

 

Courtey of Kurt Anderson
Courtey of Kurt Anderson

Why run?

 

Kurt: “For me, I looked at it and saw that I’m coming up to my senior year and I was looking at it and saw there were some things that needed to be changed. I also feel that some people are in SGA for themselves, to better serve themselves, and I don’t think that’s everyone and it’s not a rampant issue, but I want to see a culture shift in the SGA.”

Taylor: “I came in as a freshman, really excited to participate in leadership. I interviewed for a freshman senator position and didn’t get it but still stayed involved in SGA. That taught me that unless you were in an elected position no one really noticed you. Being in SGA I saw this. Serving as vice president, I would want to include not only every senator but every person on campus. It shouldn’t be consolidated to these certain elected positions on campus. I want to empower more students.”

Rebecca: “I’ve realized that as part of the SGA you have so many connections, whether it be with your peers or in the administration. They work with you, they come to you and ask them to help. And it’s unfortunate to me that students who aren’t in this organization don’t receive that. That’s something that really drove me. We should be helping them, we should be aiding them, we should be providing them those same connections that we have.”

Vanessa: “A lot of why I wanted to run is because I”m on the side. But I saw that it shouldn’t be sides. It should be working together. But I know what it feels like to think the SGA isn’t on your side and that your needs aren’t being met by the people you elected to represent you. … It’s important to know that you have an SGA here to work on the things you find important.”

Jamal: “I want to run, just going back to Kurt’s point about changing the culture. As a senator, I witnessed what the SGA was like, the isolation and the exclusivity. I wasn’t a fan, so I didn’t come back. As a senator I felt like my voice wasn’t heard as much as it should have been. Coming in on this exec board they allow me to have a voice and it would give students on a campus a voice.”

 

Initiatives:

Kurt: Create a President’s Council where leaders of student groups get together and discuss issues.

Taylor: Rework Tiger Stripes and make senators more accountable for the program

Rebecca: Make all Greek chapters eligible to apply for the collaboration fund. Online banking for student groups.

Vanessa: Diversity training for people involved in SGA. Oversight committee to hold SGA spending accountable.

Jamal: A “meal bank” that students can donate to for students who fall on hard times to draw from.

  — Compiled by Cody Boteler

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