Temperatures are dropping, leaves are beginning to fall and homecoming has arrived. Fall is here, and so are the new freshman student senate, president and attendant.
The hopeful nominees hit the ground running vying to be the next elected student officials and members of the 2016-2017 royal court after a delayed candidacy period.
Deputy electoral commissioner Kierra Clinch said the campaigning process hindered due to complications within the Student Government Association (SGA). The candidacy period was originally set for Sept. 6 but was rescheduled for Sept. 19.
“The elections were pushed back due to the fact that there was no appointed Attorney General and there was no quorem in the Judicial Branch,” Clinch said. “I do not believe this affected the election outcome.”
The general election was held Oct. 11. The freshman attendant race, however, required a run-off after the general election.
“If no candidate in any particular race achieves majority vote (50 percent plus one), they will go into a run-off election,” Clinch said.
Of the four ladies who ran, Phyllisity Walters and Sierra Sirju received the most votes, so freshman students came to the Grand Ballroom Oct. 13 to vote once more. Sirju won the freshman attendant race.
The freshman class also elected eight senators: Isaiah Butterfield, Aaricka Freeman, Taylor Hall, David Jackson III, Andy Jean-Baptiste, Jabari Knox, Christopher Miller and Rochard Maricette.
Among freshman students like Knox, a prominent concern is communication between SGA and the student body. Knox said his main goal is being transparent with his constituents.
“Information is what FAMU ‘20 has lacked. When the president got ‘kicked out,’ the majority of FAMU ‘20 was uninformed on the issues surrounding it. Many didn’t know she was getting ‘kicked out’ until the day of,” Knox said. “Being informative is my goal, and also being as transparent as possible.”
Breyanna Williams, who lost the freshman presidential race to Dock Luckie and his running mate Jeromee Conner, feels that SGA could be more informative as well.
“They should have more workshops to get students involved, and explain what’s really happening in the school,” Williams said. “I feel like we need more of a voice and to understand where the money is going.”
Walters, however, feels differently.
“I believe that SGA is doing a great job publishing information. They do their best to keep the student body informed. I do believe we, as students, tend to allow others to be our resource instead of going to find the information ourselves.”
Walters went on to say it’s up to the students to stay informed.
“It should be our duty as students to seek out information for ourselves and attend the events that are created just for us,” Walters said.