The Recorder interviewed both Elizabeth Braun and Erika Dawson-Head, candidates for Student Government Association vice president, by asking them the same set of questions. Articles are separate to make it simpler to distinguish one from another. Elections are April 19 and 20.
By Skyler Magnoli
Erika Dawson-Head, the self-proclaimed “underdog” in this year’s Student Government Association elections for vice president, wants to use the prospective position to advocate diversity and represent the student body.
Dawson-Head has a lot on her plate. She is raising a family, is a member of multiple clubs around campus, is dual majoring in sociology and political science and is now in the race for SGA vice president. Dawson-Head’s goal is simple: she wants to make CCSU a better place for the students. She wants to create an atmosphere on campus that fosters diversity and promotes what the student body and clubs organizations want.
“I am running for vice president because I need to advocate for students and because I need to make things happen,” said Dawson-Head. “I’m not running for vice president for me, I am running for all the clubs out there and for all the students.”
Dawson-Head first joined the SGA two years ago through her involvement with clubs and other organizations around campus. She was attracted to the senate because she wanted to help clubs and organizations meet their goals.
“I really enjoy when I see a program come off and I know I had a hand in making that happen,” said Dawson-Head.
She uses her current senator position at the SGA to help students with their organizations so they can be heard within the senate and around campus.
Dawson-Head is the mom of a mildly autistic son and has been advocating for autism for the past three years. She wants to use this experience and start advocating for students and diversity around campus.
“I have been on senate for two years, I have also been on finance committee for two years. I have talked to groups and been totally involved around campus” said Dawson-Head.
When it comes to club organizations Dawson-Head has a vast level of experience. She is a member of multiple clubs, along with the SGA, and she has also helped create the SGA Economic Sustainability Committee where they’re trying to start programs to help raise enough funds for the SGA to be able to eventually operate on its own. Outside of CCSU she has held managerial positions at companies and was Parent Teacher Association president at her sons’ school.
If elected, Dawson-Head would like to make some internal changes to the SGA.
“One of things that I think that can make our senate better than it already is that if we made the vice presidential position where we are more assertive in allowing people to voice their opinions,” said Dawson-Head.
She wants to have fairer unbiased voting when it comes to voting for a club’s budget by asserting equality.
Outside of the SGA Dawson-Head would like to create a new committee geared towards on campus programs that would be something separate from the Central Activities Network that would give money to students who would want to create on campus programs.
“Try to create a programming board with a set amount of money where you have funds that are allocated to on campus events,” said Dawson-Head.
She wants students to have resources to plan and create what they want CCSU to be. Dawson-Head also recognize some leading issues that affect CCSU students, such as students not graduating CCSU in four years, the high cost of living and attending CCSU, and the limited parking around campus. She hopes by addressing these issues students will become more involved in on campus events.
Dawson-Head says she is hoping for the best during elections and says that it would be an honor to be elected by her peers.
Although she wants the students of CCSU to be fairly represent in SGA meetings and says she wishes the best for everyone who is in running for a position.
“Being vice president personally means to me that I would have a chance to make things better for students at CCSU,” said Dawson-Head.
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By Sara Berry
Student Government Association Interim Vice President Elizabeth Braun is looking to get rid of the interim title from before her name.
Braun has served as a senator since the fall of 2009. She first became involved in the SGA after serving as an orientation leader. Through this experience, she met and became friends with other orientation leaders who were involved in SGA. She saw that by getting involved in SGA, she could have her voice heard rather than simply complain about what was wrong on campus.
Braun’s favorite part of SGA comes in her opportunity to advocate for others. As a member of the finance committee and the student life committee, she is able to interact with students and speak on their behalf. Through finance committee she is able to speak on behalf of clubs and try to get them the funding they need. As a member of the student life committee, she is able to interact with students and give voice to their opinions.
While serving as interim vice president, Braun says she has worked on the club liasion program. A major part of SGA is determining club budgets and Braun feels that the SGA cannot accurately and fairly distribute money to clubs that they do not know about. In that spirit she has urged SGA senators to meet with club e-boards so that clubs can show the SGA what they are about and how they can use the money given to them.
One of Braun’s major goals is to make the SGA more productive.
“There tends to be a lot of unproductive debate,” Braun admits. She wants to create an atmosphere where the SGA can accomplish things that make a difference to students.
While one of the major functions of the SGA is to determine club budgets, Braun would like to “limit finance discussions to the finance committee,” so that the SGA can move their focus to other things.
“We received budgets from 74 different clubs, all of them with at least ten documented active members,” said Braun.
She also notes the turnout at SGA-sponsored events and activities.
“Students may not be directly involved in SGA, but they are involved in the clubs that SGA funds,” said Braun.
Braun also wants students to know that they can make a difference. Few people know that they are welcome to attend SGA meetings to voice their opinions, or that there are student spots on administrative bodies such as Faculty Senate. “I would like to see senators take some of those spots,” she said.
Recently the SGA has begun holding coffee talks, where SGA members go out across campus with coffee and donuts for students. In return, students are asked for their opinions and concerns, and those issues are then taken back to the SGA. Braun says that these talks are one of her favorite parts of her job.
One of her goals is to make students aware of these opportunities and to see more students get involved. Braun would like to be a mentor to the senators in the same way that previous SGA members have been mentors to her.
“If I can get senators to be more productive, it will be like a hierarchy of influence,” said Braun.
Braun hopes to be able to influence senators to reach out to students and then they can impact what goes on in SGA and on campus.
annanabanana • Apr 18, 2011 at 1:56 am
from this article and the open forum in semesters liz braun comes across as very controlling. "a hierarchy of influence" and being a mentor for kids the same age as her? this is clearly not a team spirited person and not somebody who should be in a position of power, the last thing sga needs is a power hungry vp after two resignations this year