Sarah Hardison
2017 SG Candidates
It’s campaign season again. In preparation, Technician sat down with all of the students running for NC State student body president vice president. The debate for student body president, student body vice president and student chief justice will be Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Talley Student Union Governance Chamber, room 4140. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT
Jackie Gonzalez, junior studying political science
Experience: This is my second year in Student Government. I ran the spring of my freshman year. I’m a chair of the university relations committee and university relations is mostly tasked with the community. Last year, I was the vice chair of GRO [Government Relations and Oversight]. I am the current donor development chair for the Krispy Kreme Challenge. I’m the chair of the Student Media Board of Directors. I was a CHASS ambassador my full sophomore year. I’m an at-large member of SCBOD, the Student Center Board of Directors.
Platform: Mia and I are really interested in communication. Mia and I are the most experienced in Student Government, and the best way to fix issues within Student Government is not bringing an unqualified person in, it’s to get someone from the inside that knows the ins and outs and knows the system. Mia and I, we like to think of ourselves as average students. We’re not overly involved. Another thing we’re going to accomplish, and Mia’s particularly excited and passionate about this part, is programing within Student Government.
Alberto Quiroga, senior studying aerospace engineering
Experience: I joined [SG] my freshman year as a member of the government relations department. Then, my sophomore, I became associate director of the department and now, currently, I’m the director of the whole department. Outside of that, [I am] a former engineering ambassador with the College of Engineering.
Platform: We definitely want to bridge the gap between the student body and Student Government itself, get to know the student body better, know their ideas better and how we can serve them as student representatives. I would say [the] top three ideas from our platform we definitely want to hit in [are] diversity, sustainability and bridging the gap between Student Government and the student body.
Meredith Biechele, senior studying mechanical engineering
Experience: I currently serve as the executive assistant within Student Government, so as the fourth in command of the student body, I help with Colin [Beamer], assist behind the scenes and do whatever I can to support our student body president and vice president. I have a lot of experience knowing what goes into the role of being student body president and vice president. I [have] also previously served as a student senator from the College of Engineering. I used to be the vice president of programming for the Quad Area Council in the Honors Quad. I’ve been a Leader of the Pack Finalist, and I also serve as a Chancellor’s Aide.
Platform: Alex and I have done a lot of research and a lot of work with what we want to enact. We researched our 17 peer institutions and cross-referenced what their student governments are doing to see what’s practicable and what’s feasible. If I were to condense [the platform] down to three main points, they’d be student unity, so really uniting members of the Wolfpack. Another aspect of our platform is student health, and thirdly is transportation.
Brad Barbee, junior studying statistics
Experience: The main leadership positions I have held so far have been within my fraternity, Kappa Sigma. I’ve held numerous roles there, the most prominent being treasurer of the fraternity this past year. My experience in Student Government is limited. I just got appointed as a College of Sciences senator this semester, so call me an outsider if you want to. I’m also a member of the Scholars Program.
Platform: Our campaign message is “We’ll actually do stuff.” We feel like right now, our Student Government has kind of fallen numb to the voice of the students. We say we think that Student Government has kind of become the political commentary club, that they really aren’t listening to the students.
STUDENT BODY VICE PRESIDENTS
Mia Connell, sophomore studying sociology
Connell is running alongside Gonzalez.
Experience: I’ve been part of Student Government as a senator since freshman year. I’ve worked on bills such as the Missouri Solidarity Act and the Talley Charger Loan bill. I’ve also worked on some of the executive initiatives. I was invited to be a second executive assistant, and within that, I worked on Wolfpack Welcome Week events, tabling at Campus Connections and hosting the SG open house. I’ve also been with UAB since freshman year, working on programming and organizing events.
Platform: There are three things we’re focusing on. First is internal relations with SG in terms of communication. The second is campus concerns, things that the student body is concerned about. Last is what we’re calling the “big picture,” things that affect NC State, in addition to the outside world.
Jayna Lennon, junior studying political science
Lennon is running alongside Quiroga
Experience: I was a first-year senator and I served on the government relations and oversight committee during my first semester, and I currently serve on the university relations committee and the appropriations committee. The latter really gave me a thorough understanding of how campus functions. I sit on the University Dining committee. I worked on the Krispy Kreme Challenge and the North Carolina Coordinated Campaign. I’ve also had internships at the Democratic office, both in my home state and in Raleigh.
Platform: We both understand that Student Government is for the students, and that’s our main driving force of the platform. We want to be able to communicate to students everything we have to offer. We’re that middle man between students and the higher-ups. My goal as vice president is to be genuine and a voice for students, somebody who loves NC State, wants to make the school better, wants to help give students what they see for their college experience. Our main focuses are sustainability, diversity and Student Government presence. Our slogan is “your vision is our vision,” whatever you want, we want that and we’re the body that can make it happen.
Alex Mitchell, junior studying meteorology
Mitchell is running alongside Biechele
Experience: Come senior year, I got more interested in actually helping the students and helping the university as a whole. I became an orientation leader over the summer, then I joined SG. And as a College of Sciences student, that’s not something that I actually initially thought of. [I joined] a lot of committees, such as the most recent one I joined, which was the transportation committee.
Platform: The main three things that I am the most passionate about, along with Meredith too, is the unity of our students, student health in general and, number three, is innovation with transportation.
Jack Pashby, senior studying nuclear engineering
Pashby is running alongside Barbee
Experience: I have been a senator for the past year. I was involved in the appropriations committee as well as the government relations and oversight committee. Those two committees are basically at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I’m also involved with club swimming and my professional development, American Nuclear Society.
Platform: As you can probably tell, we’re the outsiders. We’re kind of the new voice for SG. We’re the people that have new ideas. I think that a lot of people that have been caught up in SG for a long time do ‘same old same old,’ and we’re trying to bring a new idea, a new voice to SG.