I showed up to the required meeting for all SGA candidates knowing absolutely nothing. I got an election packet, listened to campaign rules and took it all back to my dorm room. I filled out my forms, and after checking off my intent to run for President, I looked for the SGA constitution to find out what I’d actually be doing as president.
In my sophomore year, I can’t really name one thing that SGA has done or a hot-button issue that SGA has helped address. My entire SGA experience could be summed up with: one of my friends announced he was going to be a College of Music senator in my freshman music theory class and Ashley, the cute girl with the funny last name, ran for president last year. Other than that, SGA hasn’t existed in my college experience.
So I decided to jump head first into the deep end and try to make a splash. There is a very simple change I want in the SGA and that change is visibility.
The SGA exists online only as an extension of the “loyno.edu/sga” Web site, a sporadically updated Facebook page and a Twitter account that is targeted at people who really wanted to read the Facebook updates a second time, but on a different web site.
I think problems can be fixed with a simplified SGA Web site that makes it easy for students to make suggestions or complain about their college experience and see how their suggestions or complaints are being addressed by the SGA.
Such a Web site would also have senate minutes – something that people can read that lets them know what’s happening. It’d also be great if updates like these could be put in the Maroon.
In addition to a modified online presence, senators could host monthly dinners for their colleges that would feature the senators as well as the president and vice president.
The increased visibility would force members of SGA to be accountable for their actions — or their lack thereof.
Finally, I would like to see the president’s full tuition remission turned into a scholarship for a more deserving student.
Regardless of who wins the presidency, there are changes that need to be made to make the SGA a more effective body that works on behalf of the students.
John Valdespino is a music industry junior and a candidate for SGA president.
He can be reached at
