by Erin Turner | Apr 4, 2015 | Opinion
Open Letter to the Student Body: My name is Lauren Gardiner, and I am running for Vice President of the Student Government Association 2015-2016. I am a Sophomore Informatics major with a Business concentration from Lexington, Kentucky. I strongly believe that my vision, passion, drive and skill make me the best fit to serve as your SGA Vice President this next year. Qualifications: When I came to Lipscomb, the one thing I knew I wanted to get involved in was SGA. Due to a debilitating illness in high school, I did not have a good high school experience, so I knew I wanted to use my leadership skills to not only give myself an incredible college experience, but my classmates as well. My time in SGA so far has made this dream come true, and I want to continue this work and take it to the next level. These past two years, I have been honored to serve on SGA, work on both the social and communication committees and help revamp our constitution. I strongly believe that my knowledge of SGA, coupled with my management experience and passion for people, has provided me with the best skill set to lead SGA and make the Lipscomb student experience even better. If Elected: A major project that SGA started working on last year was the issue of having to pay to get credit for summer internships. I have a strong desire to see this change because I believe experiential learning opportunities should be encouraged to help develop our student body. A main goal, if elected Vice President, would be to continue...
by Erin Turner | Apr 4, 2015 | Opinion
Open Letter to the Student Body: My name is Ezra Fritz, and I am running for Vice President of the Student Government Association 2015-2016. I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major from Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Having had the privilege of serving on SGA during these past two years, and having had the trust placed in me by the SGA executives to serve as Communications Committee Chair this past academic year; I believe I have both the leadership experience and the drive to make a good Vice President, and to bring strong and competent leadership to SGA. This will ensure that we get projects accomplished that you, the students, raise your voice about and care about deeply. One potential problem that I noticed as Communications Chair and have worked to lessen, was that there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between SGA and the student body; and I would be honored if I could continue my work of helping to bridge that gap, as the next Vice President. One example of the many small projects my Communications Committee undertook this year to aid in creating good communication was to create a place online where you can go and see a profile picture, some information and a contact email for every member of SGA. We created the “Meet-Your-SGA” tab on our SGA webpage so that you can get directly into contact with any one of your representatives, as well as the SGA executives if you have a question, comment or concern. I also helped to organize the information tables as well as our survey, both of which have given many...
by Erin Turner | Apr 4, 2015 | Opinion
Open Letter to the Student Body: My name is Margaret Rox, and I’m running for President of SGA for the 2015-2016 school year. I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Qualifications: I have been on Student Government Association since my freshman year. Three years of being on SGA has taught me a lot about how this organization works and how the school’s administration runs. I also feel like I really understand the needs of the student body and how I can improve communication between us and the administration. A few things I have accomplished during my time on SGA include getting straws in the cafeteria and helping to get a printer in Ezell. This year on the academic committee, I have been working with other members on potentially making internships free for students during the summer (no tuition required), organizing the SGA blood drive and installing more water bottle refilling stations, like the ones in Swang and the SAC. If Elected: I’m not going to make any promises I can’t keep. For example, parking is not something SGA or the student body can control. I can’t promise more parking spots. I can promise communication about the students’ need for parking (as always). This year, Drew has worked a lot with the administration on getting us a sand volleyball court. This is the kind of action a president can take, and should take. If elected, I promise to strive for more developments on campus like this. The student body needs someone advocating for them who is not just interested in donor funding, but also interested in what’s...
by Erin Turner | Apr 4, 2015 | Opinion
Open Letter to the Student Body: My name is Julia Allen, and I am excited to be running for President of Student Government Association 2015-2016. I am from Albany, New York and majoring in Social Entrepreneurship. If elected, my mission is to use your resources responsibly, communicate your ideas effectively and continue to make Lipscomb’s environment more of one that pushes you to be the best you can be. I will: Push for the ability to apply summer tuition costs to fall or spring semester. Work toward more and better meal plan options. I am particularly passionate about more off-campus options and Cookout milkshakes. Reduce food waste. Encourage and facilitate students supporting other students (athletic events, productions, other events). Student Government President has been one of my main goals since freshman year, and I have been preparing myself for the potential of an executive position since. I have been a senator on SGA since my sophomore year and have grown to love serving the campus in this way. I have also worked in the office of Student Life for over two years, which has allowed me to build relationships with various clubs, organizations, faculty and staff. My friendships are diverse, and I am confident that I can represent the student body well. I love our university, and ultimately, my desire is for you to have the greatest opportunities that will set you up for success here and further in our world. I want to meet you and work with you to make your college experience unforgettable. Vote Julia Allen for SGA President this...
by Erin Turner | Apr 4, 2015 | Opinion
Open Letter to the Student Body: My name is Jordan Beale, and I am a presidential candidate for Lipscomb’s Student Government Association for the 2015-2016 school year. I grew up in a small town in Western Kentucky on a farm. I am majoring in biochemistry, with hopes of one day moving on to medical school. My story at Lipscomb: I came to Lipscomb without knowing anyone, and I intentionally searched for ways to change that as quickly as possible. When I heard about SGA, it sounded like a golden opportunity to get involved. During my freshman year and fall semester of my sophomore year, I served as a senator on SGA. I quickly learned the pace of meetings, proposals and voting, but more than anything, I experienced the amount of time and compassion these procedures required. I gained a huge respect for the organization as well as the individual leaders. A large part of my involvement, though, was on the spiritual life committee. We wanted to see a greater community growing, specifically through intentional conversations and small reminders. We planned many daily events as well as late-night devotionals. I gained a lot of experience by seeing passion come to fruition through hard work and camaraderie. I specifically met with the chapel office to discuss ideas and give them student feedback. In my opinion, the only way to be an effective leader is to understand the people you are serving. One of the best ways for me is to be involved in many facets of campus. Throughout the past three years, I have been a part of Greek life, campus...
