As the Spring semester kicks off, some students are preparing themselves for the upcoming elections.
It gets very busy around this time for students who plan on running for a title such as Miss FAMU, Mr. FAMU, King of Orange and Green, Queen of Orange and Green, Miss Sophomore, Miss Junior and Miss Senior, to name a few.
You also have students who aren’t too sure about running for a position. Getting a campaign team together and your name out there can be difficult, to say the least.
Sidney Fleeks, the current King of Orange and Green, gives some helpful advice since he was a write-in in the 2019 Spring elections.
“If you’re not sure about running give yourself time, cause I feel like if it’s something that needs to happen, it will happen. But it’s going to happen on its own course,” Fleeks said.
Elections are important at Florida A&M University, especially since the student body is in charge of selecting students who will run the school as SGA president and vice president.
Rochard Moricette, the SGA president, urges students to study the landscape as they prepare to get involved.
“Look at what your soon to be contingents want. You have to look at what issues are prevalent among the student body, what are some things that are important to the student body,” Moricette said. “Don’t promise nothing that is far fetched because people remember your promises.”
Students have complained about how candidates approach them to ask for their support.
“Make sure that you and your running mate have great chemistry, because people can see when something’s fake,” Moricette added.
Jayla Thomas, a third-year animal science student, is looking forward to the upcoming elections.
“As a student, I love when election season comes around. It gets us more involved on campus,” Thomas said.
Many students join teams to help individuals who are running get their name out there to students they might not know. But having a team comes with who does your team know as well.
“If you’re platform points are reasonable and you seem genuine and real about what you’re running for, then I will join your campaign team,” Thomas said. “Some candidates don’t know how to keep it real — don’t sugar coat anything.”
Fleeks said: “Approach everybody with their best interest at heart. Take you out of the way and think about who you’re approaching, Think more selfless when you’re campaigning.”
Declaration is coming up in early February. It’s time for candidates to buckle down and prepare for what’s to come.
Future candidates may be sending out messages via social media or approaching students within the next couple of weeks asking for their support.
Who will be on the next royal court? Who will be the next SGA president and vice president? We’ll find out soon.