On Tuesday, April 3, the UTM student body will have the opportunity to vote for candidates from two parties, the Unite UTM Party and the Real Deal Party, as well as on a potential Athletic Fee increase.
The Election will last from 10:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Students can vote outside the cafeteria or online at www.utm.edu/election. There will be a Run-off election on Wednesday, April 4 if a candidate running for Executive Council does not receive more than 50% of the vote.
Students who missed the original deadline may still run in the election as a write-in candidate. The student must take the candidate test and turn in the appropriate number of signatures 24 hours before the election opens.
The referendum for the Athletics Activity Fee is on the issue of recommending to increase the athletic activity fee by $40 per semester effective Fall, 2012. According to the referendum, this recommendation would be made with the following stipulations:
1. Funds resulting from this increase would be restricted for athletic facility improvements and additional gender equity improvements if any improvements are deemed necessary to comply with Title IX gender equity guidelines.
2. The administration will not seek another activity fee increase for at least four years. This stipulation would not apply to percentage increases applied to all fees during this period.
3. Funds resulting from this increase would not be allocated to scholarships for student-athletes unless the scholarships are related to gender equity requirements.
4. The UT Martin administration would have the discretion to determine facility improvement priorities.
The following candidates are running for the various available offices within SGA:
President:
1. Brittany Sturgill-U
2. Alex Wilson-RD
Vice President:
1.Teresa Fowler-RD
2.Amber Futrell-U
Secretary-General:
1.BenAllen-U
2. Jake Hart-RD
Justice (5 positions):
1. Bosede Afolami-U
2. Sean Boers-RD
3.William Morris-RD
4.Matt Masengill-RD
Student Defender:
1.Dimitric Brown-U
Attorney General:
(open)
Senator for the College Humanities and Fine Arts (8 positions):
1. Holly Payne-RD
2. Garret Mills-RD
3. Rick Drewry-RD
4. Mark Fallin-RD
5. Kaitlin Wilson-U
6. Allie Avery-U
7.Chase Cartmell-RD
8.Katie Jarvis-RD
9.Brittany Meskiman-RD
10. Jaime Arnett
Engineering and Natural Sciences (4 positions):
1. Bryan Carmichael-RD
2. Joi Vincent-RD
3.Celeste Johnson-RD
4. Teal Ford-U
5.Lashae Massey-RD
6. Jennifer Garbina-U
Health, Education, and Behavioral Science (9 positions):
1.Denton Peebles-RD
2. Eric Kennedy-U
3. Krista Gizzard-U
4. T.J. Harris-U
5.Anna Dicus-RD
6.Erica Pugh-RD
7.Jessica Watts- RD
8.Riley Rich-RD
9.Mary Grace Rodgers-RD
10.D’Rae Harris-RD
11.Greg Frye-RD
Agriculture and Applied Sciences (5 positions):
1.Carrie King-U
2. Katie McCullough-U
3.Andrew Jordan-U
4. Seth Tennant -RD
5.Emily Collins-U
6.Jacob Everett -RD
7.Kristal Henderson-RD
8.Whitney Crow-RD
9.John Brewer- RD
Business and Global Affairs (4 positions):
1.Garrett Cole -U
2.Cassandra Rogers-U
3.Mitchell Poke-RD
4. Marilyn Tyree-RD
5.Taylor Flanagan-RD
6.Jordan Sims-RD
7.Sarah Appleton-Independent
There is a Meet-the-Candidates Forum on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in Watkins Auditorium The Candidate Debate is Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m., also in Watkins Auditorium.
“We have a number of wonderful candidates and two very active parties. It’s going to be a very eventful election season at UTM. Don’t be afraid to walk up to candidates, talk to them and ask their opinion, and get to know them,” said Abigail Castleberry, SGA Elections Commissioner.
The Unite UTM Party Platform falls under five categories:
1. Creating a United Campus
A. Create Student Involvement and Unity- Work with representatives from all groups and organizations on campus to unite students and create unified goals to work towards.
B. Increase Communication between SGA and Students- Follow through with the posting of SGA representatives’ information so that clear lines of communication are open between the students and the Student Government Association.
C. Strive for Diversity- Strive for a diverse group of individuals involved with SGA that will appropriately represent the diversity of students on our campus.
2. Academic Success
A. Academic Advising-Continue to coordinate with Faculty Senate to find new ways to monitor and improve academic advising as well as student retention.
B. Commencement Ceremony Attire- Continue to pursue the acceptance of non-academic regalia at the commencement ceremony.
C. Honor Code- Make sure that an appropriate Honor Code is established that accurately describes our University and what we as a University stand for.
3.Financial Policy
A. Safe Guard Against Unnecessary Fees and Fee Increases-Work closely with the Administration to protect students from unnecessary fees and fee increases.
B. Financial Transparency in SGA-Work to assure that our assembly will work wisely with our budget, and make sure that we use it to help benefit the students in the best ways possible.
C. Organization- Work towards positive organization for SGA finances and policies.
4. Student Services
A. User Friendly Campus- Create a more user-friendly campus that will increase our overall campus appeal.
B. Student Free Prints- Push for the regaining of student free prints on Skyhawk cards.
C. Support Campus Beautification and Improvement Efforts-Continue to support the necessary improvements to our campus that will increase our campus image as well as safety.
D. Prioritization- Make sure that our assembly stays organized and takes into consideration what should be our top priorities according to what will benefit students the most.
E. Childcare Facility Improvements-Create communication to work with the Campus Childcare Facility and Administration to expand access for student parents.
5. Showcase and Continue Success here at UTM
A. Lobby Support for Higher Education- Continue to support our Tennessee State Government to increase the support given to the individuals who strive for higher education.
B. Green Energy- Continue to support the efforts of our campus to increase energy conservation and education.
“I’m really excited about the possibility of serving as the SGA President because I know that given the opportunity, our party has the potential to create a positive impact on our campus,” said Brittany Sturgill, Unite UTM party presidential candidate.
The Real Deal Party Platform also falls into five categories:
1. Financial Policy
A. Safe Guard Against Unnecessary Fees-Work closely with Board of Trustees to prevent unnecessary fee increases.
B. Financial Transparency-Work to assure the next assembly is under budget as the current assembly has been.
C. Access Outside Funds and Grants-Pursue grants and other forms of outside support for student initiatives.
2. Student Services
A. Childcare Facility Expansion-Continue to cooperate with the Childcare Facility and Administration to expand access for student parents.
B. Student Free Prints-Continue to fight for student free print to be restored.
C. Support Campus Beautification and Improvement Efforts-The aesthetic quality of UTM is an asset for the University and it is vital to continue upgrading our facilities. We fully support campus restoration efforts and campus improvements, such as the Fine Arts Renovation.
3. Academic Issues
A. Registration-Support class based registration and encourage professors to take every effort to resolve individual registration issues.
B. Academic Advising-Coordinate with Faculty Senate to find ways to improve academic advising and ultimately student retention.
C. Graduation Ceremony Reform-Work to allow students more freedom to include non-academic honors in graduation.
4. Community Engagement
A. Support Increased Tailgating and Skyhawk Spirit-We will review policy governing tailgating and other forms of student support at campus events.
B. Engage Campus Organizations-Coordinate with student organizations and the residence halls to incorporate as many students as possible in campus events and to improve campus retention.
C. Embrace Satellite Campuses-Maintain open communication with satellite campuses so that the concerns of every UTM student, including those from the satellite campuses, are heard.
5. Market UT Martin’s Success
A. Support Campus Conservation Nationals-Support campus conservation program and support policies that improve efficiency and ultimately save University resources.
B. Showcase Undergraduate Research-UT Martin produces many excellent examples of undergraduate research and highlighting it is a way to increase the value all of our degrees.
C. Lobby Support from the Legislature for Higher Education-Work with our connections in the Tennessee State government to promote support for higher education, and especially UT Martin.
“I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to again serve as President of the UTM Student Government Association through the 2012-2013 school year. With the aid of the excellent Executive Council members — Teresa Fowler, the current UT Student Trustee, and Jake Hart, the current SGA Secretary General – and an outstanding group of Senators, I feel that we can effectively serve the UT Martin student body in the finest possible manner,” said Alex Wilson, The Real Deal party presidential candidate.
“So few students show up to Senate meetings anyway, and so few know what legislation is being passed. The least a student can do is be sure to vote for someone that will work for them, their goals, and UTM,” said Castleberry.
For more information on the write-in process, or any other general SGA Election questions, contact Election Commissioner Abigail Castleberry at abiccast@ut.utm.edu.
