The race is on

Candidates for student body president are announced, election to be held April 21

VOTE - Chris Ragan and John Luke Robertson are running for student body president and VP Photo Provided

VOTE – Chris Ragan and John Luke Robertson are running for student body president and VP
Photo Provided

Six Liberty University students running for student body president and vice president for the 2017-18 school year kicked off their campaigns Tuesday, March 21 in preparation for the April 21 election.

As the student body president and vice president, two of these students will be responsible for leading Liberty’s Student Government Association (SGA) and representing the student body to the university’s administration next year.

According to SGA’s Chief Justice Jacob Broadway, this year’s election will be the first in several years to feature three separate tickets. Broadway leads the Election Commission, a group of five students representing every branch of SGA that oversees the election and ensures its fairness.

“I’m excited about the tickets we have this year,” Broadway said. “This is the first time in several years I’ve seen more than two (tickets). I think it’s going to get people to vote and find students that might not ordinarily interact with SGA.”

VOTE - Isabelle Shelbourne and Thomas Lisa are running for student body president and VP Photo Provided

VOTE – Isabelle Shelbourne and Thomas Lisa are running for student body president and VP
Photo Provided

Caleb Johnson and Jared Cave, who are running for president and vice president respectively, are hoping to use the platform they already have as president and vice president of the current sophomore class. Johnson and Cave’s goal in running for office is found in their tagline — “Passion.
People. Purpose.”

“We have a passion for people to fulfill their purpose, and we want to ensure that Liberty is doing Everything they can to give the students the tools they need to succeed here,” Johnson, a political science major, said. “Every single student here can achieve anything they put their minds to. We want to ensure they believe that, and Liberty is

making that a reality.”

Johnson and Cave will be facing presidential candidate Chris Ragan and vice
presidential candidate John Luke Robertson. Ragan, an account manager for SGA’s executive branch, and Robertson, an associate justice for the judicial branch, believe that as president and vice president they could help the student body use the opportunities they
have through SGA.

VOTE - Caleb Johnson and Jared Cave are running for student body president and VP. Photo Provided

VOTE – Caleb Johnson and Jared Cave are running for student body president and VP.
Photo Provided

“We want to help people and bridge the gap between them and the administration,” Ragan, a junior finance and economics double major, said. “We believe that SGA has a platform that’ll allow students to train as champions for Christ by connecting them with people of similar interests through clubs.”

Finally, SGA Delegates Isabelle Shelbourne and Thomas Lisa are running for president and vice president, respectively, to promote greater understanding and transparency between the students and the
administration.

“One of my goals in running is to (make) the communication between students, SGA and administration clear,” Shelbourne, a junior psychology major, said. “I hope that students can see the positive aspects of SGA that are usually swept under the rug.”

According to Broadway, candidates are not allowed to start campaigning until election week.  Candidates like Johnson and Cave have started planning creative events like “Caleb’s Corgis” and “Morning Joe with Jared” to capture students’ attention.

If elected, Johnson and Cave hope to address some of the student body’s concerns by making the Liberty Today App more student-friendly. They believe the app could be used to address issues with dining and attendance by tracking meal swipes and including a class calendar.

Cave said he initially had the idea to upgrade the app during a Liberty Town Hall Meeting.

“I was just sitting there, listening to all the different things people were wanting to change,” Cave said. “And it hit me that we could solve a lot of these problems through the app.”

Like Johnson and Cave, Ragan and Robertson want to address issues surrounding dining and class attendance. Robertson also hopes to increase support for commuter
students like himself.

“There are so many commuters on campus, and I feel that, at times, a commuter who isn’t well-connected can feel left out of campus life,” Robertson, a sophomore camp and outdoor leadership major, said. “One of my biggest passions is making commuters feel more included on campus.”

Ragan believes he and Robertson’s experiences in multiple branches of student government will give them the wisdom they need to represent the student
body well.

“I think that between John Luke and I, we have similar goals, but we have different experiences,” Ragan said. “Between the two of us we know what it’s like for every
student on campus.”

For Shelbourne and Lisa, open communication between students and administration is central to their platform.  This commitment to transparency will strongly affect the way they campaign this month, Shelbourne said.

“Being honest and open is big deal to me,” Shelbourne said. “I’m not going to promise things I can’t come through on.”

At their orientation March 20, current Student Body President Jack Heaphy encouraged the candidates to honor God, SGA and themselves during the election.

“The election is an opportunity for SGA as a whole to leave a good impression on the student body and to show them why we’re here and how we serve them,” Heaphy said. “With each interaction you have, you’re not just representing yourself — you’re
representing SGA.”

Dean of Students Robert Mullen spoke to the candidates at their orientation about leading with integrity throughout
their campaigns.

“I want to challenge you to be transparent, to be a person of integrity and to not promise things that you know you can’t deliver,” Mullen said. “Don’t say anything you’re not ready to follow
through on.”

Through this election cycle, Broadway hopes to show the student body the vital role that SGA plays in serving them and representing them.

“We don’t want to be a burden to students during the election process, but we want to get the word out,” Broadway said. “Our elections are the number one way we get out our name and our mission, which is to
serve students.”

Covey is a news reporter.

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