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Printer-Friendly ModeThree-way race for SA president
March 26, 2007 —
The year is winding down and Student Association is preparing for the next by announcing its candidates for next years presidency.
Current SA representatives Chelsea Robl and Jon DiBartolomeo have both thrown their hats in the ring, and so has Jeremiah Stanghini, a representative from URA.
Robl, the current SA Ombudsman, says that if elected, one of her main goals would be to bring SA back to the students.
"In the past there have been situations where SA appears unapproachable and that is something that I want to combat," says Robl. "
She would also like to see SA, Program Board, and URA work more cohesively.
"As three major organizations on campus, it is important to work together to provide the best services and programs to the students as well as to tackle issues that are important to the student body as they arise."
Additionally, Robl says that if elected, she would like her school spirit to rub off on her fellow students.
"I would like to work towards higher attendance at sporting events, and through that, be able to increase red pride," says Robl. "We have a beautiful campus and excellent athletics, I would hope to increase the number of students who love SVSU as much as I do."
Fellow SA representative DiBartolomeo says one of his main concerns and one of the problems he intends to address if elected is that of student health insurance.
"There are a lot of people here without health insurance, and I feel that we need more access to an on-campus nurse," DiBartolomeo says. "We have one, but she is only here three days of the week, and it is hard to get in."
He also argued that despite Saginaw and Michigan's sagging economy, SVSU can still stand out as a hub of economic activity in the area and the state.
"Even though Michigan's economy isn't really hot, our campus is, and I want to keep it that way," DiBartolomeo said.
Stanghini says that recycling would be one of his main points of emphasis as SA president, and that he would work toward making it an easier process on campus.
"I was speaking with some students the other day and asking them if they recycle in their room on-campus and they responded back with strange looks implying to me that they didn't even know SVSU recycles," says Stanghini. "I didn't like this at all. I would like to see SVSU make recycling a much more important part of the campus."
He and Robl agreed on the point that in order to improve campus life at SVSU, student organizations must work and collaborate together more efficiently.
"If I were elected the President of Student Association, I would love to improve the communication between SA, Program Board, and URA," says Staghini. "It is a possibility that all three of the presidents of the organizations will be living on-campus during the summer. I would want to frequently meet with them to make sure that we will have some exciting things planned for the coming year"
A debate is scheduled for this Wednesday at 4:30 in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall. The debate will give each candidate a chance to go deeper into their stance on many of these issues. All students are welcome to attend.