By Graciela Vazquez
EDITOR’S NOTE:
To watch the forum from home, click on the link here. The stream will commence at approximately 5:30 p.m. CST
Texas Tech students will be able to cast votes for 2020-2021 student body representatives online starting March 4 through March 5. In anticipation of the election, candidates from both campaigning blocs elaborated on their goals.
The election is composed of two campaigns, “For the Future” and “Tech Together,” both of which feature female candidates for student body president. Regardless of the result, Tech students will elected a female president for 2020-2021—which has not occurred since Suzzane Williams won in the 2009-2010 election, according to the Student Government Association’s list of past officers.
The presidential candidates are Haley Pratt, junior journalism and public relations major, and Hunter Heck, junior Spanish and philosophy major.
Student body president candidates Haley Pratt, left and Hunter Heck, right. Photo by Graciela Vasquez.
Although both campaigns have similar core initiatives, the areas where they contrast make them distinct.
Textbook affordability, increasing security and lights around campus, the inclusion of “micro-aggression training” for all Tech students, partnerships with Red Raiders Against Drunk Driving to create coalitions and increased transparency are a few of the shared initiatives.
Pratt, member of “For the Future,” is involved in the Student Alumni Board, Women in Business, College of Media & Communication’s MCTV Newscast and Sigma Lambda Alpha honor society. Pratt said her bloc’s priority initiatives come from student feedback.
“If we had just come up with those core initiatives ourselves, a lot of students wouldn’t have accurate representations of the things that they want to see,” she said. “So, I know that’s how I want to make SGA more efficient, just making it more student based, not just me and my ideas.”
“For the Future” would work towards bringing a farmers market on campus, lobby for updates to dorm aesthetics and buildings in need of renovations, increasing passing period between classes, implementing a smoothie bar at the recreational center and improving incentives to get rid of parking tickets.
Heck, member of “Tech Together,” serves as the president of the Texas Tech Mortar Board. She is a peer mentor in the Honors College and a student assistant in the Office of the President in addition to being a small-group leader for Redeemer Church.
“What makes this organization unique compared to most is that we have the opportunity to not only interact with the students around us but actually work with administration, faculty and other members of the university to enact change and provide solutions to issues,” Heck said. “SGA is here to see the needs of our students and provide solutions to those through advocacy and through providing funds.”
Because sexual assault prevention is a major pillar of their campaign, “Tech Together” will partner local bars with Safe Bars, a program that educates servers on bystander intervention strategies, she said. Assuring the health and safety of students during finals is also a priority of the campaign.
“Last semester,” Heck said. “I wrote a piece in work with the Board of Regents to fund over $2 million for increased counseling services in mental health resources.”
Heck said she would increase the number of town hall meetings for SGA because there was only one last semester.
“The reality of our situation is that we have students on our campus who have no idea where their next meal will come from, who are so overwhelmed by the way of mental illness that they can’t make it to class,” she said. “We have students from marginalized communities that don’t feel seen, heard or valued. Student government has the unique capacity to not only recognize these problems but provide solutions and let our Red Raiders know that we see them and that we are together.”
If her campaign for student body president is successful, Heck said she will institute an open-door policy so any student can feel comfortable coming to speak to SGA members in their office located on the third floor of the Student Union Building.
Rolando Bernal, junior marketing and finance major, is the internal vice presidential candidate with “For the Future.” Bernal is a member of the Texas Tech Mortar Board, a Rawls Dean student council member.
Internal VP candidates Klay Davis, left, and Rolando Bernal, right. Photo by Graciela Vasquez.
President’s Select, an organization of student ambassadors chosen specifically to serve the university through the Office of the President, chose Bernal to oversee the SGA senate, he said. The role of the internal president is to oversee legislation that is written by college representatives
“So with this position,” Bernal said, “what I see is having the ability to inspire our senators to not only write legislation just to write legislation, but to write legislation that’ll actually have an impact on students and future students as well.”
Bernal said he is a first-generation minority student and understands struggles students may have gone through or go through and wants to advocate for those.
Klay Davis, junior animal science major, is running for internal vice president for “Tech Together.” Davis has been a senator for the past two years and works in the Department of Undergraduate Admissions.
“I’m very passionate about service here at Texas Tech,” Davis said. “I really care about each student that I interact with and it’s special to me if I can provide some reasoning for a student to come here.”
Establishing a new multicultural center at Tech because the current center is not in a convenient location on campus would be one of his priorities if elected, he said. Additionally, he would work towards eliminating all 7:30 a.m. finals.
As an animal science major, Davis said he is passionate about agriculture and feels the agriculture groups on campus need a voice.
Emily Shriner, junior marketing and management major, is running for external vice president “For the Future.”
Emily Shriner, candidate for external vice president, on stage at the executive candidate forum. Photo by Graciela Vasquez.
Shriner, a Rawls Diplomat, is a member of Pi Beta Phi where she serves on their executive council as vice president of fraternity development, she said. Because an external vice president’s responsibilities encompass all external affairs, Shriner would be in charge of community relations in Lubbock and secure sponsorships for campus events if elected.
“So that’s going to be a big thing,” she said. “Going to town hall meetings, keeping up with the city and making sure that we’re moving at the same pace as them.”
It is important to create networking opportunities with Texas Tech students and alumni to create more job opportunities, she said.
“We need to make tough changes and innovations now so that the future can be fruitful, emphasizing inclusion, diversity and student involvement,” she said. “We want to make Texas tech a home for everyone and selflessly serve our student body.”
Hayden Gonzales, graduate student studying business administration, is the candidate for graduate vice president with “For the Future.”
Gonzales said, he would like to expand a career management center for each college — there is currently one in the Rawls college, and have an accessible one for graduate students. As well as a rotational program for grad school students in engineering.
“I want to build with a major corporation like Exxon or Shell, or a major wind energy corporation because oil is a huge part of Texas culture,” he said. “Not only will we be able to feed our students to that company, but they’ll be able to send even more students that aren’t from our school to us.”
Candidates for Graduate vice president, Charles Ramey II on the right, Viet Nguyen, center and Hayden Gonzales, left.
Charles Ramey II, doctoral student studying educational psychology, is the graduate vice presidential candidate with “Tech Together.”
Students should be able to use their student meal plan funds at other locations, such as Market Street, and have access to $5 nutritious lunch options, Ramey said. He is also working to find affordable insurance options for international students who pay, “at least 1600 dollars a semester.”
Ramey said he is passionate about including an international attorney who will be available for students studying abroad and would give a voice to student organizations that may not have one.
There will be a forum between the executive candidates on Friday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Matador room of the SUB. Students are encouraged to attend and submit their questions for the candidates during the event.
About Reece Nations, Managing Editor
