Six candidates are on the ballot for Central Connecticut’s Student Government Association 2019 Executive Board elections, with two contesting each position of president, vice president and treasurer. There will be a debate March 4 at 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall’s Constitution Room and students can vote from March 5 to March 7 on TheLink.

Here are your 2019 candidates and their goals if they land a seat on the SGA’s e-board. All photos are courtesy of the candidates.

President

SGA Senator Roshanay Tahir, left
“Currently, I’m on SGA as chairwoman of the External Affairs Committee where we represent Central Connecticut in matters that concern taking action on law and policy that directly affect university students at the town, state and federal level. [Our committee has] also been making strides to build a connecting bridge between CCSU and the town of New Britain. By pushing for this effort, it has given me the opportunity to gain personal connections with representatives of the New Britain’s Common Council. With these connections, I also want to continue to work with the New Britain government to produce jobs for graduating students.”

SGA Vice President Dante Solano, right
“My main goal is to get [the] Senate back on track. I believe that, over the past year, senators have lost sight of who we are supposed to represent and even how to effectively represent them. I want to instill fiscal responsibility and fair mentalities into the senators so that all of our clubs and students are treated to the best of our ability. I would also like to encourage more conversation between the senators, especially regarding the motions we pass. To address this, I would like to reform the SGA meeting structure and have a period of discussion time before addressing “New Business” so that we can not only be on the same page, but senators can have their thoughts and concerns addressed.”

Vice President

SGA Senator Andrew Pilkons, left
“I am committed to working to improve the club liaison program, [the] Senate bylaws and giving senators the training they need to assist the clubs they’re assigned to. I will also push to reform liaison meeting requirements so senators are meeting with clubs at reasonable times during the academic year. Student access to SGA also needs an update, the SGA website is out of date and unhelpful. I look forward to working with the Public Affairs Committee who have already started to tackle this issue, expand the information available to the public including voting records and up-to-date club liaison assignments.”

SGA Senator James Angelopoulos, right
“If elected, I plan to rework the responsibilities of the vice president from its foundations. I do not mind the contract, the bylaw maintenance and semesterly review; however, I believe that the vice president should take a more hands-on role of the SGA and treat it as a managerial role. At the end of my term, I want to give the senators all the tools to achieve the goals they had set when they ran their first time around. I want the senators to be able to keep their promises and go beyond the bare minimum that is expected of them. I believe with my background of managing a team of 20 people during my charity work lends me to be able to achieve that goal.”

Treasurer

SGA Senator Nicole Elsinger, left
“If elected, I will work to reform the Student Wellness Services on campus. There are a number of concerns I’ve heard from my peers regarding this service, which is unacceptable. Mental health is vital to the overall success and wellbeing of the student body, and as such, these issues must be resolved. Another issue I’ve experienced through my time on the Finance Committee is the lack of resources available to students regarding our financial process. To amend the anxiety regarding submitting a request, I will increase accessibility with information on the inner workings of the Finance Committee. Lastly, I will strengthen the relationship between the Finance Committee with Student Activities/Leadership Development to gain a holistic perspective on the allocation of money and how clubs are spending it. This will better the committee’s understanding of the financial side of club operations.”

SGA Senator Demitric Baez, right
“If elected SGA treasurer, my goals would be to assist in providing student organizations with the funding they deserve, treat all organizations equally and keep them informed at all times. I believe that communication is key, as it can make or break anyone’s experience, whether with monetary matters or matters of any other nature. I would keep in constant communication with student organizations regarding funding and be there to gladly answer any questions. No organization should feel left out or feel that they were treated unfairly. A treasurer is more than an individual who handles money – they must also have people skills, and I possess both financial management and interpersonal communication skills.”