The 22nd of February marked the day petitions for Student Body President/Vice President tickets were released and what is sure to be an exciting election season began.  In the coming weeks, campaigns for these tickets, as well as for Senior Class President, will begin emerging all across campus—we will likely see t-shirts with catchy slogans, posters with names and faces, and die-cut window decs as far as you care to look.  All of these campaigns have one goal in mind: to represent the student body. This campaign cycle, I encourage you to engage with what the campaigns have to offer and become a truly informed voter in an election that will impact the student experience at Missouri State for years.

Getting engaged in these campaigns can be very beneficial to students. The tickets campaigning for these offices are going to directly affect students and the quality of their time at Missouri State.  After all, holding one of these executive positions encompasses more than just an impressive title; the ticket you choose will be saddled with great responsibility and backed by a budget (approximately $32,000 per year) that is funded entirely by the student body.  These tickets will be representing you when they meet with faculty, staff, and administration to discuss changes to the university and its policies, and when they actively propose projects and bring forward proposals that they have conceived themselves.  The platforms that these tickets run on will be realized through your student fees, and in the coming months the students of Missouri State will be given an outlet where they will decide whom they trust with their representation.  From midnight on Monday, April 4th until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6th, the polls are open at elections.missouristate.edu; last year, approximately 1,600 students spoke for a campus of 20,000.  If you think your vote doesn’t count, think again.

The Student Government Association is always working for you, and I encourage you to reciprocate by taking some time this election season to become acquainted with these candidates and their separate, unique platforms.  Equally important are the ballot initiatives, like Wyrick Proposals, which will be available for review on the SGA website in advance of the opening of the polls.  Each ticket will be proposing changes they would like to see SGA work on to advance the rights of students as well as improve the quality of the University—and while it is the candidates’ job to give you that information, it is up to you make an informed decision as to whom you would like to see representing the entire student body.