February 29, 2024 | NEWS | By Havalin Haskell
“Tiiiiiiiigeeeersssssssss,” it’s week two of Block 6, and what does that mean?
Yes, class workloads are starting to pick up, and deadlines for study abroad applications are inching closer, but that is not what is at the forefront of discussions this week.
It is time for Colorado College Student Government Leadership elections — it is time for civic engagement.
This enthusiastic “Tiiiiiiiigeeeersssssssss,” might look familiar to some: it is a call to action directly from the Colorado College Student Government Internal Affairs Committee through an email sent to the entire student body last week, announcing and detailing the application process for the CCSGA open positions for the 2024-25 academic year.
“Each year the CCSGA conducts three school-wide elections,” according to current Vice President of Internal Affairs, Veronica Gonzalez Paris, in a statement attached to the election announcement email.
This semester, during Block 6, elections for six executive members of the Full Council are held. This election is followed by elections for Full Council, including those for class representatives in Block 7.
The positions up for election this coming week are: Student Body President, Vice President of Student Life, Vice President of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI), Vice President of Outreach, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Internal Affairs.
In short, the top leadership of CCSGA.
Candidate applications began this past Sunday, Feb. 26, which means the short window for campaigning before election has begun. Voting is to take place next Monday, Mar. 4, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the informational email sent out from CCSGA Internal Affairs.
What are the roles and responsibilities of each position up for election this coming Monday?
Here are the responsibilities for each role in a nutshell, as summarized by the CCSGA Internal Affairs Committee:
The Vice President for Outreach “serves as the City Council Liaison.” In other words, this position entails maintaining regular communication with city leadership and an “active voice in local policy and lobbies on behalf of students.” Currently, there are two candidates vying for this position: Tor Evenstead and Royce Hinojosa, according to a list of candidates from the CCSGA Internal Affairs Committee.
The Vice President of ADEI is responsible for overseeing and ensuring that the practices of CCSGA uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as promoting these tenets throughout campus community through initiatives, support groups, and events. There is only one candidate running uncontested for this position: Rakim Z Johnson.
The Vice President for Finance is responsible for the management of the student activity fee, which in light of the tuition increase will rise to $510 per student tuition for 2024-2025 academic year. The Financial Vice President is in charge of granting funding and operational budgets for student clubs and events. The budget overseen by the current VP of Finance for the 23-24 school year was $1,023,840, according to budget records.
The Vice President of Finance is the most contested race, with four candidates vying for the role: Veronica Gonzalez Paris, Jessica Duran, George Peltier and Reign La France.
The Vice President for Internal Affairs is in charge of maintaining the Constitution of CCSGA, organizing and overseeing elections, and updating social media and email communications. Candidates running for this role are Talia Cardin, Tahamina Prity and Will Nakahara.
The Student Body President represents “student voices and concerns to the administration and greater college community,” presiding over, setting agendas, and facilitating all meetings of the full council as well as representing student interests in regular meetings with Colorado College’s President.
So, who is running for student body president?
There are two candidates facing off for the role to “serve as the face of Colorado College Students”: Koray Gates and Mikey Richarson.
Here is a quick overview of each hopeful Student Body President’s goals, platforms, and reasons for running:
Koray Gates: (he/him/his), Junior
Why are you running for Student Body President? What motivated you to run?
My decision to run stems from a deep commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive campus community where every voice is heard, and every student’s needs are addressed, and I know that I can effectively lead CCSGA to achieve these goals.
Why should students elect you? What sets you apart as more qualified than your running opponent?
Students should elect me because I am committed to leading a student government that is responsive to the needs of all students, proactive in addressing pressing issues, and dedicated to enhancing a campus community where every individual feels valued and supported. Being deeply involved with departments and organizations across campus in leadership roles, I have extensive experience with how to navigate and work with the administration to get things done. As someone who has served on CCSGA and understands its inner workings, I know what challenges the organization faces organizationally, administratively, and with the student body and how best to reform the organization to address these issues and take advantage of the incredible capacity it has to make CC a better place for the entire community.
If elected, what would be your main goals, initiatives, and/or priorities?
My platform revolves around three core pillars:
1. Cultivating Healthy Community Dialogue: I believe that open conversations are essential for fostering understanding and unity among our diverse student body. As President, I will spearhead the creation of programs aimed at encouraging dialogue on important issues and promoting active participation from all students. By providing platforms for respectful discourse, we can build a stronger sense of community and ensure that every voice is valued and heard.
2. Bringing the Community Together: In addition to fostering dialogue, I am committed to organizing and supporting campus events that bring joy and connection to our community. Whether through cultural celebrations, recreational activities, or social gatherings, big and small, I believe that these events play a crucial role in promoting mental wellness and building a sense of belonging on campus and that CCSGA has the task and resources to make them happen.
3. Improving Communication and Collaboration within CCSGA: As someone who has served on CCSGA and understands its inner workings, I am uniquely positioned to address organizational and administrative challenges and implement meaningful reforms. By developing a culture of collaboration and transparency within CCSGA, we can ensure that student government truly represents the needs and aspirations of our community and is held accountable to all of you.
Is there anything, if elected, you would hope to change or improve about CCSGA and the role of the presidency?
CCSGA is an organization that has become increasingly disconnected from the student body. One of the first things that I would do as president would be to work to make CCSGA more student-facing again. The CC community needs to be more informed about what CCSGA is up to and should be able to easily connect with the organization so that we can advocate for the needs of the students.
As a large organization with many moving parts, CCSGA also struggles with internal organization and administration. For CCSGA to adequately represent students and advance its goals, these are both crucial issues that need to be resolved. Having worked as the Lead Priddy Coordinator planning NSO and as the co-founder and chair of the Injustice Watch club, I am confident that I can use these past experiences in leadership to address the challenges CCSGA faces.
How are you hoping to better represent and reach the student body?
Being more connected with the student body starts with making CCSGA and its many responsibilities known across campus. I plan to do this by publicizing what we are working on and creating more opportunities for students to directly give their input and ideas through discussions with myself and other members of CCSGA. Hosting events and making it fun for the community to be more involved will help CCSGA better understand what students want and will allow the organization to strongly advocate for student priorities.
Gates has a linktree with more detailed information on his platform, such as his official candidate statement, linked below: https://linktr.ee/koraygates
Mikey Richarson (he/him/his), Junior
Why are you running for Student Body President? What motivated you to run?
I am running for student body president because I see and feel a lack of community here at CC. For the three years I have been here, I have noticed for some of my fellow classmates that they do not feel a connection to CC the way that I do — that there is a gap on this campus between BIPOC students, international students, and our white allies. I want to bridge that gap by bringing these communities together so that we may be in solidarity as a campus community and experience joy as a community. I hope to provide more spaces to understand one another’s life experiences and create a positive exposure of what we can offer each other as a community. In doing this I want to further Colorado College’s mission of anti-racism and inclusion with my personal knowledge and experience in this community. I want to engage with the student body in creative and innovative ways such as trying to provide more all campus community events in partnership with the Butler Center and other organizations on campus.
Why should students elect you? What sets you apart as more qualified than your running opponent?
Being an employee for the Butler Center as a peer educator provides me the skills of listening and having empathy for others. As I get to be involved with different organizations and groups of people with a variety of different backgrounds and positionalities. It allows me to be on a personal level with them and gain an understanding of their stories as people and students on this campus. Through event organizing and planning among the BIPOC affinity groups, it has given me the ability to take on stressful situations and be a support system to those who need a voice.
If elected, what would be your main goals, initiatives, and/or priorities?
I hope to provide more spaces to understand one another’s life experiences and create a positive exposure of what we can offer each other as a community. In doing this, I want to further Colorado College’s mission of anti-racism and inclusion with my personal knowledge and experience in this community. I want to engage with the student body in creative and innovative ways such as trying to provide more all campus community events in partnership with the Butler Center and other organizations on campus.
Is there anything, if elected, you would hope to change or improve about CCSGA and the role of the presidency?
My ideal student government for 2024–2025 would be a strong group of dedicated and passionate individuals all working together to accomplish common goals. The ability to communicate quickly and effectively with each other’s wants and needs for our community. Having an understanding for one another through decision making that may come with disagreements but we can persevere through them and come together to make change for the better.
How are you hoping to better represent and reach the student body?
My greatest concerns consist of the isolationism within a variety of organizations on campus. We are too small of a school to not learn someone’s name or get to know someone new. College is a time to explore, create meaningful relationships, and connections for when we leave Colorado College. How we look is so divided as individuals we only worry about what benefits us instead of how we can all lift each other up. We can move from the path of being individuals by supporting each other’s organizations and projects if we take the time to step out of our comfort zone. We all have the ability to help one another in some form that creates unity and trust. Though we all come from different places and positionalities we are the same because we are students at Colorado College together trying to get an education and gain life experiences. I want to leave this campus better than I found it, and with your support, I will give it my all to make that change.