Ten candidates for Mississippi State University’s Student Association Executive Council participated in a debate Wednesday night in preparation for elections Feb. 12.
Michael Hogan and Hayden Nix are the SA presidential candidates for the 2013-2014 school year. During the debate, the two discussed governmental budget cuts on education and how those cuts have affected MSU.
Hogan, junior management major, said he believes cuts from MSU’s education budget would be an injustice to the state of Mississippi. He stated his intention to make sure no such cuts would happen.
“No matter what Congress may put forth in the next few years, they do not have a choice but to realize that Mississippi State is the biggest university in Mississippi,” Hogan said. “We cannot be ignored.”
Nix, junior broadcast meteorology major, addressed the problem of cutting colleges’ budgets. He said he believes education should be a high priority because of the role college students will play in the future of American society.
“Budget cuts are necessary, but I feel like education is just not one of those things that need to be cut,” Nix said. “We need to keep the focus on education.”
Nix also discussed his platform goals. He first proposed his idea to receive student feedback on potentially adding a Mardi Gras holiday to the MSU academic calendar. He then spoke about his plan to work with Aramark Dining to provide more options for students with diabetes and gluten allergies.
“I’m passionate about this university, and I make sure that everyone is aware of that,” Nix said. “I want the best for (students), and that is what I’m here for.”
Hogan said he is excited about his platform, which consists of expanding the out-of-state tuition waiver to include the summer semester.
He said his desire is to be the voice for out-of-state students who hope to spend their summers in Starkville for an affordable price.
“I’m running as one of your peers, and one of your peers is looking to serve you,” Hogan said.
Vice presidential candidates Walton Chaney and Shelby Sims gave insight on their platforms during the debate.
Chaney stated his hope is to create a system in which MSU students can purchase football tickets online. He said he believes MSU has the means to make this possible.
“We are, in fact, the only school in the SEC that does not do online (ticket) purchases,” he said.
Sims said she wishes to install a bike safety initiative on campus. She saidher hope is to make MSU more biker-friendly and pedestrian-friendly by installing more bicycle paths.
“My main goal if I’m elected Vice president is to, before my term ends, have a plan of action so that we can move forward on this,” Sims said of her plan.
Alex Ezelle and Andrew Sprecher are running for SA treasurer. The two spoke about their plans for the SA’s budget in the future.
Ezelle said he desires to keep budget plans as transparent as possible for the MSU student body. He also said he is interested in responsible spending by planning budgets early and effectively.
Sprecher said he wants to increase the budget for Bulldog Bash and The Big Event due to the large number of students involved annually. He said he desires to look at past budgets in order to learn from previous successes and failures.
Candidates for SA secretary Kaeley Gemmill and Nikki Robinson were asked about making SA senate proceedings more available to the student body.
Gemmill said she wants to create a Twitter account for the MSU senate in order to keep students updated on major legislations and bills as well as provide students the opportunity to give feedback.
Robinson expressed her desire to keep students aware of the senate’s progress through recording meetings, posting minutes on MSU’s website and keeping The Reflectorupdated on important topics.
Eddie Mac Huddleston and John Williams, candidates for the position of SA attorney general, discussed changes they would like to see made to the SA Constitution.
Huddleston focused on his desire to keep the SA constitution updated on a consistent basis.
Williams said he wants to add a transparency clause to the constitution.
Students can vote in the SA election on Tuesday via myState.