by Kassidy Hart-Morningside Student Government elections are right around the corner and, this year, there are three candidates running for President: Garrett Anderson, Garrett Arbuckle, and Collin Adank.
Each candidate is focused on different conflicts that have arisen in past years, but they all have one thing in common – their dedication to serving the student body and working to fix certain conflicts that are at hand.
One of the biggest issues that faced student government this past year was the tension among the group members that created a hostile environment and took up a lot of the scheduled meeting times.
“Advocacy from the Senate is especially important, but at the end of the day, the type of student government you are going to have is up to the senators,” current President Kiki Bennett said.
Sophomore Garrett Anderson sees this issue as a top priority if he is elected president.
“One of the first issues I would take on as president is fixing the current senate environment. We have devolved into political games and I witness too many people who cannot handle those who disagree with them,” Anderson said.
Another important issue, one that moves beyond the internal workings of the group, is furthering Student Government’s connections with students through other groups on campus. Sophomore Garrett Arbuckle is advocating for a focus on this if he is elected president.
“The issues that I want to focus on are bridging the gap between students and the organization, bettering campus involvement and working to assist various departments of Morningside so students are always the main priority. I want to make the organization welcoming to all and enact change that will bring more joy to campus,” Arbuckle said.
Beyond the relationship conflicts that most agree need addressed, a third and more specific area is student government’s roll-over budget. Sophomore Collin Adank has decided to focus one aspect of his campaign on addressing this issue.
“Aside from diversity and inclusivity, I would also like to work with the special projects committee to address the rollover budget surplus. Addressing the rollover budget will allow student government to directly and positively impact the experiences of students,” Adank said.
While these candidates find their opportunity to run as president to be impactful on the group, their views on each of these conflicts are just the tip of the iceberg. All three of them are looking for more modern ways to get student voices heard and recognized across campus, something students desire.
“In a president, some things that I look for are attributes of respect, confidence, belief, and understanding in what they are saying, positivity, professionalism, composure, and if they do the little things,” sophomore Emma Hannasch said.
Bennett acknowledges the importance of using the benefits of their position to advocate for students, helping their voices be heard, and addressing their concerns. The president’s personality traits must align with the mission of the group in order to help benefit Morningside as a whole.
“I think that a big trait of a president is someone who cares for the students and not pushing their own personal agendas. It’s also extremely important to stay unbiased, which is something that I think a lot of people forget about when running for office,” Bennett said.
As students are encouraged to go online and vote February 15, 16, and 17, student government as a whole would like to encourage students to continue bringing their questions and concerns about campus-wide issues to their attention – reminding campus that the open-door policy is set in place in hopes that they can change Morningside for the better.
To get further information on what these candidates stand for individually, visit their Instagram accounts linked below.
Collin Adank: https://instagram.com/collin_4_president?igshid=nddhnc3u0s6b
Garrett Anderson: https://instagram.com/anderson4mside?igshid=quqm9t4jmseb
Garrett Arbuckle: https://instagram.com/arbuckle.formside?igshid=1eskqh8z6nqcz
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