East Carolinian

Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Contributed

Media Credit: Contributed

Media Credit: Contributed

Media Credit: Nicholas Thigpen

The Student Government Association (SGA) is having elections this Wednesday and Thursday for the new president and officers.

The heated race for the positions of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer began about a week ago.

It has boiled down to three different tickets; each featuring candidates that have proven themselves to be well-rounded student leaders on campus.

Ticket one features Brad Congleton for president. Running with the platform "Value opportunity through student experience," the Wendell, N.C. native plans to focus on building better relations with ECU students and SGA, safety on campus and the SGA budget.

"We want to focus on being the voice to students," said Congleton. "We want to have an open line budget in which all students are able to access, so they know where their money is being spent."

Ticket two features Michael Harris for president.

Coming from Virginia Beach, V.A., Harris is involved with the ECU track team and represents the team on the Student Athletic Advising Committee (SAAC).

Harris and his running mates are campaigning with the platform, "We are here for you. Rise up and imagine all the things ticket 2 can do for you," and plan to focus on achieving tax-free textbooks for students, working with the financial aid department to help assess funds, scholarships and grants for students' education and working with Student Health to implement specialized health months informing students on how to become healthier on campus.

"Our whole concept is imagine," said Harris. "We're going to be there for you 24/7."

Harris also plans to do the job for free.

"[The] SGA president earns $7,400 a year. I plan to give all that back to help our community," Harris said. "[By] either turning it back in the form of a scholarship for students or holding a forum on where my salary can be put into."

Ticket three features Patrick Sebastian for president, a Raleigh, N.C. native and current Interfraternity Council president at ECU. Sebastian is using the platform, "The time is now," and aims to push legislation on the grade appeal process, creating a women's advocacy center that will help female students in need and improving campus transit (parking, transportation and bus routes).

"I want to open all doors to SGA and let the light shine in," said Sebastian. "I want to build better relations with students and student media to utilize both to help push every student's concerns through."

Sebastian makes it aware that even when the election is over he will be there to serve.

"You will see us after the election," Sebastian said. "We plan to host weekly press conferences with an open door policy allowing anyone who is interested in attending."

Voting will begin on March 25 and 26. Students can log onto OneStop to submit their ballot.



This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.

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