Today is the final day students can vote
for candidates vying to fill the Student
Government Association’s executive and
senate seats.
The executive-branch campaigns headed
by Monroe Park Campus presidential candidates
Steven Latimer and Jibran Muhammad
both said student involvement in the election
process seems to have increased.
“Students seem to want to vote,” said
Joshua Ronk, who is running on Latimer’s
ticket as executive director.
Muhammad agrees.
“I really do feel we have touched a lot of
students,” he said.
—
Steven Latimer
‘Real Change for VCU’
Latimer’s ticket said it aims to increase transparency within the SGA, to decrease and SGA spending and to improve dining services on campus. Latimer said most of the SGA’s funding pays for its own positions, and of the nearly $40,000, payroll costs the SGA about $28,000 a year.
“I think that’s problematic,” Latimer said.
To improve the students’ relationship with ARAMARK, the company that provides food to Shafer Court Dining Center, Latimer said he has attended food-advisory-board meetings about 10 times to discuss how to make food on campus better.
—
Jibran Muhammad
‘The Students for Positive Change’
Although
Muhammad
said
he
thinks
the
SGA
needs
to
be
reformed,
working to increase financial
aid, to cheapen textbooks and
to encourage discussion about the
formation of a VCU football team
are
his main
talking points.
“My campaign is mostly based
on what students want,” Muhammad
said. “I absolutely agree SGA
needs
to
be
reformed,
but
my
major concern is what students
are
looking
for.”
M
uha
m
mad
al
so
s
aid
h
e
thinks
it’s
important
that
the
students
get
involved, and
he
hopes this year more students
will
vote
than
last
year,
when
only
about
1,800
people voted.
“Our university
could be great if
we
wanted
it to
be.”