As the end of an accelerated campaign season draws to a close and the polls begin to open, each executive candidate for the Student Government Association stood in front of a live and virtual audience to explain and advocate for his or her right to represent the students of UT in the 2015-16 SGA.

President

Will Freeman: Connect UT.

Freeman, a three-year SGA veteran, emphasized the need to reach out more to the student body while encouraging the different branches of SGA to connect more with each other.

While Freeman’s talking points primarily advocated for connection and communication within SGA, he said that connecting with independent students outside SGA is a difficult, albeit necessary, task. He added, however, that students also have a responsibility to inform themselves as well.

“This is one of the starting points to get the ball rolling with student involvement in SGA,” Freeman said. “We’re not new to SGA, and we really care about building up a program that represents the students at the university.”

Seth Watkins: Seth, Leala, and Willie.

Watkins said he hopes to pass legislation that addresses student safety in the community while pushing for a more informative and transparent SGA that strives to connect with the student body.

Watkins commended the use of email to keep the student body informed about the inner workings of SGA while lamenting his belief that students and student organizations only come together as one community during football games.

Watkins said he believes SGA can be a positive example for students when it comes to civility and that he hopes to continue making progress connecting students to the administration.

“Each SGA president has changed a culture,” Watkins said. “And I hope to change a culture through my diversity of leadership.”

Grayson Hawkins: Hawkins-Kiefer.

Hawkins, an independent candidate, advocated for his platform which addresses issues such as sexual assault prevention and campus beautification.

Hawkins criticized his competitors’ failure to address independent students, stating that a campaign that focuses on only a third of the student body is not effective.

Hawkins’ comments focused on the disconnect between students, SGA and the administration.

“I’m the only independent candidate, and I’ve put hours into researching my platform,” Hawkins said. “It’s what’s happening on campus, and there are actual solutions.”

Vice President

Leala Marlin: Seth, Leala, and Willie.

Marlin, currently serving as the SGA Senate Secretary and senator for the College of Communication and Information, advocated for a separate orientation for non-traditional students in order to address their specific needs, and added that she intends to push for policy that engages and communicates with the student body.

“We want to engage students, so everything we do, we want it to be for the students,” Leala said. “I think personal engagement would be a good way to make sure that all students are talked to and their needs are met.”

Madison Kahl: Connect UT.

Kahl emphasized that her more detailed knowledge of how SGA functions will allow her to push through more collaborative measures that address student needs, such as the gender neutral bathrooms bill passed earlier this semester.

When asked about non-traditional student orientation, Kahl stated she has worked closely with many incoming freshmen, traditional and non-traditional, through her work as an orientation leader and better understands their needs.

“The past three years in SGA have given me insight into what’s worked, what hasn’t and what needs to be improved upon,” said Kahl. “I’ve navigated these waters before.”

Student Services

Mariah Beane: Connect UT.

As a seasoned SGA veteran, Beane advocated for a student services branch that is in touch with the issues the student body feels is important and is able to represent a variety of student organizations through the committees under her control.

While she said she thinks the current student services director has done a good job bringing bills to the table that represent student groups that often go unheard, such as the gender neutral bathrooms bill, she added that she would like to make the freshmen council more of a learning experience and create a new committee dedicated to the “physical and mental well being of the students on campus.”

“Ultimately student services is the outreach element of SGA as a whole,” Beane said. “In order to make students feel feel heard, it needs to remain cognizant of what elements remain important to the student body as a whole.”

Willie Kemp: Seth, Leala and Willie.

Kemp spoke positively of the current student services program, saying the committees represent a broad range of students and student interests. He suggested, however, greater involvement with the president and vice president in order to further connect the different aspects of SGA and the different committees that would fall under his leadership.

“I think they’re doing an excellent job and they need to continue doing an excellent job,” Kemp said.