SGA candidates discuss priorities in annual debate

By Jaylen Beaner-Walker, Staff Writer

The Student Government Association held its annual debate for the open president, vice president, treasurer, attorney general, and senator positions. This year there are two candidates running for each position except for senator which has five.

Candidates were given two minutes to make an opening statement. During the debate, each candidate was asked questions and were given a minute to answer each question. The Towerlight has compiled their answers below.

President: Allyyah Aali and Mina Bacha are the candidates.

Allyyah Aali is running for president as a part of the The Catalyst ticket. She is currently the SGA director of communication.  

“My campaign is grounded in advocacy, inclusion, student wellness and mental health, campus services and student life, and transportation and safety,” Aali said. 

Aali aims to highlight student advocacy for issues that are impacting marginalized groups and hopes to hold the university accountable for some of its decisions that may have negatively impacted students. 

Mina Bacha is running for president as an independent. Bacha is the current vice president for both the Towson Pakistan Student Association and the Muslim Student Association. 

Bacha said that she believes in face-to-face advocacy and wants to encourage and support student activism at Towson.

“As your SGA president, I will ensure transparency and amplify student voices,” Bacha said. 

Key Questions: What steps do you think the SGA should take to understand and address the needs of students in the future? 

Aali: “I think that to bring us together, I would work to put on more representatives onto the SGA board to talk about their opinions without feeling censored, without having their voices silenced by Towson faculty or staff…I want SGA to be the pillar of advocacy.” 

Bacha: “I’ve been with students, I’ve heard their concerns, I’ve organized a town hall with the Student Solidarity Coalition where we heard so many grievances from students that I don’t think I ever would’ve heard.” 

What does leadership and being a leader mean to you? 

Aali: “I believe that leadership means listening first and acting second.” 

Bacha: “To me, leadership is accurately representing what student demands are and accurately representing what students are saying to you.” 

How do you plan to balance inclusivity efforts with ensuring all voices go heard and respected? 

Aali: “I want to work with the director of communications to break down the legislation that is being passed within SGA so that the student body that is not a part of SGA, that might not understand the diction that is being given to them, can understand what is happening.” 

Bacha: “I think that there should be more time where SGA is directly meeting with cultural organizations. Especially with project 2025 initiatives kicking in and marginalized groups are going to feel at risk.” 

Vice President: Liam Brinton and Jania Tasker are the candidates.

Liam Brinton is running for vice president as an independent. He currently serves as the rules committee chair of the Towson Committee Senate.  

Brinton aims for student advocacy and the protection of student rights.  

“I want to promote inclusivity on campus not just through events and promotion but through legislative advocacy along with protection of rights,” Brinton said.

Jania Tasker is running for Vice President as a part of The Catalyst ticket. She is the current government operations chair for the SGA.  

Tasker hopes to highlight underrepresented and marginalized groups on campus along with closing the gap between the student body and student admin. 

“My advocacy is grounded in three pillars; transparency, bridging the gap, and fostering inclusivity,” Tasker said.

Key Questions: How do you plan to support the president while bringing your own ideas and leadership to the table? 

Brinton: “I believe that making sure you are working with the right senators, you’ve positioned the committee the right way…you work with the right people to make sure that the president’s vision is being executed, along with the other members of the legislative and executive branch, is how to best serve the president.” 

Tasker: “My advocacy is striving to have boots on the ground action…so that I can bring back concerns straight to the president. Fostering a great relationship as well, just to make sure that is something that is being officially handled.” 

Treasurer: Madison Allen and Amirah Dockins are the candidates.

Madison Allen is running for treasurer as a part of The Catalyst ticket. She currently serves as the SGA director of community outreach. 

Allen said that she is driven by making sure that there is transparency and clear communication to students about financial information such as budget allocation.  

“Students are the most important stakeholders at Towson University, for that I will ensure that financial information is understandable, available, and open,” Allen said.

Amirah Dockins is running for treasurer as an independent. Dockins holds prior experience as a student ambassador for the College of Business and Economics.  

Dockins aims to make financial decisions easier to understand for students while also supporting student organizations with budgeting and other financial guidance.  

“If elected, I’ll make sure the budget allocation process is clearer, faster, and more student friendly,” Dockins said. 

Key Question: What steps would you take to ensure financial transparency within the student government? 

Allen said she would want financial documents such as budget allocations to be more accessible to students. That way they could properly understand how much is going into the SGA’s funding as well as other student organizations.

Dockins said she would want to implement a system where all financial questions asked by students would go immediately to the treasure. She also said there should be more public specifics about the SGA’s budgeting regarding where money goes.

Attorney General: Georgia Edwards and Fiyinfoluwa Sanya are the candidates.

Georgia Edwards is running for attorney general as a part of The Catalyst ticket. Edwards is currently serving as student senator in the government operations vice chair.  

Edwards said that she believes in the importance of principal leadership and wants to be able to re-evaluate how processes are serving students at Towson. 

“As AG I won’t just speak to the student body but will look inward into the structure of SGA itself, evaluate, re-evaluate, and rebuild to ensure that we’re serving our diverse and vibrant community,” Edwards said. 

Fiyinfoluwa Sanya is running for attorney general as an independent. Sanya is the current SGA chief justice. 

Sanya aims to prioritize accountability and justice for students who may be unheard or overlooked in important discussions.  

“I believe in representing the marginalized, the unheard, and those who have been left out of the conversation for far too long,” Sanya said. 

Key Question: What are some ways you will be a present figure in the student body while maintaining your responsibilities? 

Edwards describes how if elected, she will make sure to hear the concerns of the student body, emphasizing transparency. 

Sanya explained the importance of bridging the gap between the student body and SGA to make sure students feel more comfortable reaching out to the SGA. 

Senator: Quincy Appiah-Koduah, Ell Mill, Kamari Williams, Natnael Yonas, and Rayne Rivera-Forbes are the candidates.

All five senator candidates are running as independents. 

Quincy Appiah-Koduah is the president of the freshman council and hopes to amplify the voices of students at Towson to make sure that they are being heard in important decisions that impact them directly.  

“If elected, I will work to create more spaces for student input, push for transparency and leadership and ensure that no voice goes unheard or overlooked,” Appiah-Koduah said. 

Ell Mill is the current senator of SGA and is looking for reelection. 

Miller aims for more effective marketing to have students allow for more funding for student organizations. 

“I would really like to make sure that these students know that they have this money available to get the word out there, and to really just make sure students know the finances and funding that they have available from SGA,” Mill said. 

Kamari Williams is the current vice president for the freshman council. William’s objectives as senator include making sure that the Towson student body feels safe and comfortable.  

“Through written legislation or through student initiatives, to make the student body more aware and to also make this campus more safe. Not that it isn’t already safe, but to sustain that culture that we have already and to make it better,” Williams said.

Natnael Yonas is looking to build a strong relationship with the student community at Towson as senator.  

“Some of my goals include having a strong relationship with students, representing student needs and wants. Lastly, working hard to make a genuine and lasting impact,” Yonas said. 

Senator candidate Rayne Rivera-Forbes was not present at the SGA debate.