Candidates for Mississippi State University’s Student Association Executive Council were given the opportunity to expound on platforms and present ideas Wednesday night during a debate in McCool Hall’s Rogers Auditorium.
The two candidates for president, Shelby Balius and Morgan McDowell, both addressed the need for improvement in several areas in Student Association and at MSU.
Balius, senior management major, said better transparency in SA and the increased use of the SA’s public relations resources is key to showing students the impact the group can have.
“Having a press secretary as one of the appointments, as opposed to the structure that we have now, I feel would channel the resources we have better,” she said.
McDowell, junior marketing major, went outside SA and pointed to the Sanderson Center as one of the places needing the most improvement at MSU, especially with the growing enrollment.
“Every time you go to the Sanderson Center to work out it’s always packed,” he said. “The Sanderson Center definitely needs to be enlarged, and we need to get some new equipment in there.”
McDowell also stressed the importance of the revitalization of the Difference of One campaign, a website that helps students find the right on-campus organization for them.
“This is a great way for students to get involved and really helps you find your place on campus,” McDowell said.
Balius agreed with McDowell on the importance of promoting the Difference of One campaign but said this was a small responsibility for the SA president. She said more focus should be put on the relationship SA has with university administrators.
“Things that need to be accomplished at the university can be taken care of very quickly if the lines of communication between the students, faculty and administrators are clear,” she said.
McDowell and Balius emphasized ensuring MSU’s student body voice is heard not only on campus but at the Mississippi Capitol as well. With budget cuts inevitable, both candidates want to keep students on the mind of the legislators.
For the SA vice president position, Park Wynn and Gavin Barnett debated plans to strengthen the SA Senate and discussed the benefits of having a Faculty Senate and staff council.
Barnett cited Texas A&M’s student senate when he discussed what he said he sees as a lack of proficiency in MSU’s SA Senate. He excluded the last couple of years, saying the senate has begun to pass real legislation that actually matters to students, but he said he wants to increase this number.
“It’s great to say thank you to people who come and speak at senate, but, as the student body senate, it is your job to make impactful changes,” Barnett said.
Wynn agreed with Barnett’s stance on bringing more important legislation in front of the senate but proposed a different solution. He said he wants to increase the communication between the SA Senate and the faculty as a whole.
“I’d like to increase the number of meetings with the Faculty Senate from once a year to once every two months,” Wynn said.
Shelby Sims, unopposed SA secretary candidate, presented her ideas for the upcoming year and laid out her platform. She addressed the needs for SA in three points: communication, transparency and organization.
Sims said her ultimate goal is to ensure that students are more aware of the SA’s position and power.
SA attorney general candidates Rob Franklin and Donnie Banerjee were asked to explain their plans for the SA constitution.
Both candidates accentuated constitutional adherence regardless of the changes made, but both had different focal points.
Franklin said he would focus on publicizing the constitution and make sure more student organizations utilize it.
Banerjee said he wants to focus on clarifying certain sections and articles in the constitution that are vague.
Blake Shepherd and Larry March, candidates for treasurer, answered questions regarding MSU’s budget.
Shepherd emphasized transparency, while March stressed budget submissions by student organizations.
Elections will be held Tuesday Feb. 28.