West Virginia University students vying for Student Government Association positions for the 2013-14 school year kicked off their campaigns on Monday (Feb. 18).
Two parties will compete for students’ votes this year: THE (Trusted, Hardworking, Experienced) Party led by presidential candidate Christian Guy and vice presidential candidate Andrea Mucino, and the Revolution Party led by presidential candidate Ryan Campione and vice presidential candidate Ben Seebaugh. Students will also campaign for board of governor and athletic council positions.
The SGA elections debate will take place on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Mountainlair Food Court.
Voting will take place on Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at three polling locations across campus (the Mountainlair, Student Recreation Center and an alternating location at either Brooks Hall, the Engineering Sciences Building or the Health Sciences Center). The winners will be announced on Feb. 28 around 7:15 p.m. in the Mountainlair Food Court.
For more information on the election, visit http://www.sgaelectionhq.com/ or follow SGA on Twitter (@WVUSGA). Use the hashtag #wvusga to join the conversation on Twitter.
More on THE Party
Guy is a senior industrial engineering major from Clarksburg, who has made strides this year as a governor by involving students in their local and national elections by partnering up with TurboVote – an online voting system. He helped more than 1,600 WVU students vote in the past year. His prior experience as the co-chair of Student Advocates for Legislative Advancement gave him the opportunity to create and present a bill to the state legislative, as well.
Mucino is a senior international business major from Morgantown, who has been a governor for the last year. She worked with the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties and was selected as the student coordinator for the WVU Student United Way 2012 campaign, which raised $30,000 –more than $8,000 the previous year.
THE Party’s main platforms are building a community atmosphere within WVU, improving safety and starting new, positive traditions.
Find out more information on THE Party by visiting http://thepartygm.com/ or following it on Twitter (@GuyMucino). Use the hashtag #THEParty.
The following are members of THE Party for a board of governor position: Mohammed Amin Afshari, Johnny Barringer, Molly Callaghan, Jason Cohen, Matt Elder, Paul Garton, Rob Gill, Dan Harris, Holden Hudson, Liz McCormick, Joe Reidy, Victoria Vini, Haven Williams and Sara Zuccari.
The following are members of THE Party for athletic council: Clark Douglas and Hillary Wolford.
THE Party’s Board of Governor candidates
Afshari is a junior mechanical engineering major from Morgantown. He hopes to make the initial transition to WVU smoother for international students by increasing funding for relevant international student organizations.
Barringer is a senior mining engineering major from Youngstown, Ohio. He plans to improve University hospitality by showing the news on infostations and adding more Evive stations around campus. He would also like to improve the music at the PRT.
Callaghan is a sophomore chemical engineering major from Charleston and is seeking re-election. She plans to improve the promotion of higher education and continue to stop bullying at WVU.
Cohen is a senior political science major from Raleigh, N.C. and is seeking re-election. Cohen plans to work with the Center for Civic Engagement to improve iServe, an online community service program, to increase accessibility to service opportunities.
Elder is a freshman marketing major from Boca Raton, Fla. He plans to improve freshmen student living by placing RedBox machines in dorms and the Mountainlair. He also hopes to improve WVUp All Night to make it more of an enticing alternative to partying.
Garton is a philosophy and international studies major from Jane Lew. His platform is academic advising with a focus on undergraduate students’ futures. He hopes to broaden students’ knowledge about post-bachelor’s degree opportunities and require academic advisers to complete an online course before advising students.
Gill is a senior sport management and exercise physiology major from Oreland, Pa. He would like to promote sustainability on campus with downtown cleanups and recycling in all campus fraternities. He would also like to advance the relationship between SGA and Sunnyside Up, a neighborhood revitalization group in Morgantown.
Harris is a political science major from Dover, N.J. He plans to give students more dining options among local businesses and make the WVU I.D. more important and useful to students.
Hudson is a junior multidisciplinary studies major from Annapolis, Md. He plans to improve the Student Rec Center to include more hands-on instructional training and updated equipment. He would also like to develop a partnership between the Student Rec Center and WELLWVU.
McCormick is a junior public relations and vocal performance major from Parkersburg. She intends to bring more visibility on the Downtown Campus to Creative Arts Center events.
Reidy is a junior English major from Hedgesville and is seeking re-election. Reidy plans to work alongside the University Registrar’s Office to improve students’ rights.
Vini is a freshman forensics science major from Jakarta, Indonesia. She plans to reinforce safety of students and propel the improvement of sidewalks and crosswalks around campus.
Williams is a sophomore petroleum and natural gas engineering major from Hagerstown, Md. She wants to make the campus more health conscious by improving the availability of nutrition facts at dining facilities. She would like to add more of a variety of vegetarian options, as well.
Zuccari is a sophomore multidisciplinary studies major from McLean, Va. She plans to improve the SGA Mobile program by having meetings in more locations to allow for better student attendance at weekly meetings.
THE Party’s Athletic Council candidates
Douglas is a junior marketing major from Morgantown. He plans to improve the atmosphere and attendance at sporting events by implementing ideas inspired by other schools.
Wolford is a junior public relations, advertising and communication studies major from Capon Bridge. Her platform is sports attendance, specifically women’s events. She intends to implement a rewards system and improve transportation to events.
More on the Revolution Party
Campione is a senior industrial engineering major from Morgantown. Serving as a governor for the past three years, he amended the visitation policy within the residence halls and increased food options on Evansdale Campus. He has championed the student voice in student academics and has worked with students and administrators to change the time restrictions in the student meal plan.
Seebaugh is a senior political science, international studies and women and gender studies major from Parkersburg. He is WVU’s 22nd Truman Scholar. He is participating in a study abroad program at the University of Manchester School of Law in the United Kingdom this semester. Seebaugh has been active in organizations like the Young Democrats, the Student Advocates for Legislative Advancement and SGA.
The Revolution Party’s main platforms are improving the transparency of SGA, providing a visible SGA budget and live streams of meetings, and aiding students in unforeseen problems by providing the possibility to deal with those problems without affecting their semester.
Find out more information on the Revolution Party by visiting http://sgarevolution.com or following it on Twitter (@SGARevolution). Use the hashtag #VoteRev.
The following are members of the Revolution Party for a board of governor position: Blaine Blankenship, Anthony Braxton, George Capel, Adam Carte, Renzo Diaz, Jake Evans, Katie Heller, Evan McIntyre, Afsheen Misaghi, Chris Nyden, Morgan Riddle, Stephen Scott, Joy Wang, Spenser Wempe and John Williams.
The following are members of the Revolution Party for athletic council: Ashley Morgan and Dillon Tucker.
The Revolution Party’s Board of Governors candidates
Blankenship is a sophomore secondary math education major from Beckley. He would work on a platform of mental illness awareness to include mental illness education in the freshman orientation program to teach students to recognize the signs of mental illness.
Braxton is a freshman philosophy major from South Charleston. He plans to improve the choices at dining halls to include dietary preferences and give students a voice when it comes to food choices.
Capel is a sophomore political science major from Parkersburg. He would like to increase student involvement in the Morgantown community by expanding service-learning programs. He also plans to increase communication between the student body and SGA through technology.
Carte is a junior biochemistry major from Hico. He would like to further research participation among undergraduate and graduate students by creating the WVU Association of Undergraduate Researchers, which would assist students participating in academic research in any field.
Diaz is a freshman engineering major from Charles Town. He would like to improve student diversity by enhancing minority recruitment and retention. He would also work to create a new requirement in the WVUE 191 first-year seminar course where students must join a student organization.
Evans is a junior political science major from Martinsburg. He plans to improve security on campus by collaborating with University Police, Morgantown Police and Morgantown City Council to update lighting on campus and develop new ways to alert police of an emergency.
Heller is a junior public relations major from Saint Marys. She hopes to improve Student Organizations Services by increasing student participation and plans to establish better student housing options for dorm residents and international students during University breaks.
McIntyre is a freshman industrial engineering major from Cumberland, Md. He would like automated external defibrillators installed in residence halls and free classes available to students in first aid and CPR. He also plans on expanding the leadWELL program.
Misaghi is a freshman theater and chemistry major from Charleston. He will be working on plans to construct a fitness center on the Downtown Campus through using portions of excess student fees. He would like to provide healthier drink options in the dining halls and revamp the AlcoholEdu program.
Nyden is a junior economics major from Charleston and is seeking re-election. He is running on the platform of college affordability and textbooks, and doing so through the introduction of an affordability campaign across campus. He also intends on working with faculty to curb the use of books that are underutilized.
Riddle is a sophomore international studies, Russian and French major from Ripley and is seeking re-election. Riddle hopes to improve study abroad experiences by creating a website that would help students better prepare for their trips.
Scott is a freshman political science major from Shepherdstown. He will focus on protecting and improving academics on campus via tutoring sessions during midterms and finals to improve retention.
Wang is a freshman biochemistry major from Charleston. Wang plans to improve career services on campus, focusing on helping students find careers after graduation with the help from faculty members and seminars.
Wempe is a sophomore international studies and Chinese major from Harpers Ferry. Wempe plans to enhance advocacy for the military and veterans on campus by obtaining priority registration for ROTC members and would like a permanent post-traumatic stress disorder specialist on campus.
Williams is a junior political science major from Morgantown. He hopes to make students safer by bringing back the “Drop a Cop” program, a seminar used to train people in self-defense, and would also like to expand the Campus Cadet program, an initiative to ensure students arrive home safely after a late night, by offering credit hours to criminology majors who participate.
The Revolution Party’s Athletic Council candidates
Morgan is a sophomore sport and exercise psychology major from Hilliard,
Ohio. She would like to bring recognition to healthy athletes and encourage others to follow a healthy lifestyle. She will also work to raise student attendance at sporting events and use Mountie Bountie at concession stands.
Tucker is a junior finance major from Scott Depot. He will work to better promote Olympic sporting events and improve transportation to and from all sporting events.
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