This past week, two very important things happened regarding SGA elections. First, the SGA debate was held in Waldron, covered via live stream by Edge Magazine, the Gannon Knight and our own campus station, 90.5 WERG. Secondly, the Gannon Knight released their SGA election issue, providing an interview with each presidential candidate as well as the others who are running.
I would first like to give thanks to the Gannon Knight’s Sammie Janik for giving me permission to reference her well-stated interviews for the following summaries of the candidates. I would highly recommend anyone interested in the election check out this source’s material by clicking the links provided below. At Edge Magazine, we cannot express enough the importance of voting so the SGA president best represents the student body; and so without further ado, I would like to introduce the candidates.
Michael Haas is an Erie native and sophomore political science and theater major. His campus involvement includes being the E-marketing assistant at the admissions office, being involved with countless shows at Schuster Theater, especially throughout the Fringe Festival, as well as being a contributor at Edge Magazine and the Gannon Knight.
When asked why students should vote for him, Hass responded, “The students should vote for me because I have the leadership experience. They should vote for me because I’m going to go out there and advocate for them. I’m not just going to sit behind SGA desks and wait a year until it’s over. I’m not just going to take my scholarship and run away and hide. I’m going to be out there fighting for the students each and every day; and if you’re electing me, you’re electing the opinion of every student on campus.”
Taylor Shaffer is a junior accounting student from West Sunbury, Pa. She is a part of the dance team, Alpha Sigma Alpha and honor society Phi Eta Sigma; she is a University Ambassador, and is currently serving as SGA Treasurer.
When asked why she was running for SGA president, Shaffer said, “I’ve been in SGA since my freshman year and my goal was to always become president. I feel like the SGA president is someone that everyone looks up to and they can go to with any issue or concern. The SGA president is a well-known, well-liked person and I’ve always wanted to be that person. I’ve been on SGA for a while and I really enjoy it. We’ve become so close. We all get to know each other so well; it’s like a family.”
Cristiana Sibley is a junior English student and member of Sigma Tau Delta and Phi Sigma Sigma. She also spends her time involved with Army National Guard and is the Afterhours chair for APB, as well as serves as Treasurer of the Legal Studies Club. She hails from Franklin, Pa.
“Regardless of groups, titles and honors, I would also remain a student first and therefore hold close the wants and needs of my peers before politics. I want freshmen through seniors to know that though Gannon’s campus may be smaller than other universities, the policies here are really great. As president of SGA, it’s important to remember that we’re trying to relay the possibilities from the faculty to the students, and we’re trying to relay the message of the students who are asking for possibilities to the faculty. So, keeping that chain of communication is the number one thing that students should keep in mind while voting,” Sibley explained.
This is merely the tip of the iceberg, folks. I urge you to dissect Janik’s interviews in order to not only recognize, but to understand each candidate’s reasons for running. The person we elect will lead us throughout the year and it is with that in mind that we should all take advantage of our democratic right to choose this leader. From Edge Magazine, we would like to wish only the best to each of the candidates, as we are sure that no matter who is successful they will certainly continue to represent our students and university in the best ways possible.
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