SGA inaugurates new president and vice president
After receiving the most votes in the Student Government Association election on April 6, Daniel Hostetter and Riley Foster were inaugurated as SGA president and vice president April 12.
As the school year comes to a close, the annual election gives students a voice by allowing them to cast their vote to elect a new Student Government Association president and vice president.
To prepare for the campaign, SGA held a candidate interest meeting, candidate orientation and election debate throughout the spring semester.
Taking on the role of SGA president and vice president is not an easy task, yet many candidates ran in the election. Hostetter and Foster faced competition from other two-person campaign teams like John Sharp and Ryeana Klopfenstein and Meredith Bernal and Noah Wiggins. An additional candidate, John Van Heest, ran as an individual.
Election day was held April 6, and the student body voted to elect Daniel Hostetter as their SGA president and Riley Foster as their SGA vice president after a long day of campaigning.
“I served in the SGA House of Delegates this semester, and Daniel was the one that helped me get started in SGA,” Brady Badillo, a student who voted for Hostetter and Foster, said. “SGA is important because it lets Liberty University know the opinions, beliefs and general sentiment of the student body.”
For the next school year, Hostetter and Foster will have the opportunity to serve the student body and implement new services, clubs and activities.
“We are looking forward to implementing student feedback regarding physical and mental health services,” Hostetter said. “Students often report limited access to campus health and counseling services, and we will partner with university departments to promote existing resources while also advocating for additional hours and services and reduced-price transportation to community health
providers.”
Hostetter looks forward to the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with students during his time as SGA president.
“Riley and I served in SGA for our entire time at Liberty,” Hostetter said. “Our heart is to serve and love the Liberty community just as Christ has loved us, and through SGA, we are given excellent resources to foster a culture of service, strengthen relationships of trust and build up campus services to benefit and aid in lasting change for all students.”
SGA consists of the executive, legislative and judicial branches. According to SGA’s mission statement, each branch advocates for the student body by enacting regulations, organizing student events and promoting an environment where students can thrive as champions for Christ.
SGA oversees over 100 clubs open to the student body, and serves as a bridge between the students and the administration.
The organization also helps to develop relationships with administrators and community leaders, allowing for a dialogue about campus issues and student needs.
“In the kingdom of God, success is not found in great titles or grand accomplishments, but in humble, everyday acts of faithful service,” Hostetter said. “If Riley and I love this community well and magnify Christ, we have succeeded. Our eyes are fixed on Christ, and our prayer is that we may love him and serve our neighbors for the glory of his name.”
BARTON is a news reporter.