Candidates preview: Who is running for SGA presidential election?

The season of SGA presidential elections is upcoming, with the presidential debate being held Tuesday, March 28 at 6 p.m. in SU 107A and available via Instagram live at The Northerner’s Instagram account. Voting will take place on March 29 and 30 in the Student Union lobby.

Two presidential slates have announced their campaign: Isaiah Phillips/Lucy Burns and Ragan Savage/Gracie Copfer. The candidates provided statements about their platform, problems they seek to solve and why students should cast a vote for them below.

Isaiah Phillips and Lucy Burns

Name: Isaiah Phillips

Hometown: Covington, Ky.

Year/major: Sophomore psychology and sociology double major

Involvements: SGA Vice President, PiPi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Lt. Strategus, NKU R.O.C.K.S. mentor

Name: Lucy Burns

Hometown: Louisville, Ky.

Year/major: Second-year environmental science and integrative studies double major

Involvements: Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, Presidential Ambassadors, SGA University Improvements Chairwoman, Honors College

What is your campaign?

Phillips/Burns: Our campaign is Take Back Your College Experience by helping us make NKU R.E.D. R.E.D. stands for Retention, Engagement and Diversity, and we believe these three focuses serve as our best chance to regain control of our college experience despite the chaotic and uncertain climate we’ve happened to find ourselves in here at NKU. We’re running on a platform that is very intentional in valuing the experience of every student here by supporting them in any way that they need to feel supported. We want to not only give them opportunities and platforms to advocate for themselves but rebrand SGA so that when they do so they can trust us to direct them to the best possible avenues to influence the positive change they’d like to see within their personal experience or those of their peers. We want every student to feel like they belong here, and we want every student to want to be here.

What is a problem(s) on campus you would like to bring awareness to or solve?

Phillips/Burns: A few problems on campus we’d like to bring attention to are the lack of pride students have at this university, the silos of different communities and the lack of support for students in underrepresented communities.

We can do this by creating an Instagram page called WaysToEngageNKU to highlight the different opportunities we have here as students. What good is having the best event or being a part of the best organization if no one knows where to apply? We want this to be a one-stop shop for students to get immersed in the wonderful culture we have here at NKU.

We can also do this by utilizing Victor Talks to further bridge the gap between different communities of students, not only to spread our awareness of the different problems that could be inflicting these communities, but also to spread awareness of opportunities that we could be unaware of. Being in a Victor Talk would give these different communities of students the platform to speak on their experience in detail with their peers and faculty and staff members.

We can also do this by impeding Cultural Competency Training in UNV 101 courses and go through this training as an organization. Cultural Competency Training is a tool that gives us insight into the issues inflicting different demographics of students within their culture and any identity issues they could face even before they step foot on NKU’s campus. How can we be tasked to represent the entire student body and advocate for these groups of students if we don’t know the things they’re dealing with? As an administration, we want to be very intentional about meeting students where they are and showing them we value their individual experiences by supporting them in any way they need to feel supported no matter what.

Why should students cast a vote for you?

Phillips/Burns: Students should cast a vote for us because we care. We’ve developed a passion for NKU throughout our couple of years here and want to do our parts to influence positive change for ourselves and our peers despite the circumstances. We also have experience within SGA already as executive board members where we have successfully done so. We’ve developed a vast network throughout our time here with the administration and our fellow student body that would help us accomplish any goal within our administration. We want to make NKU a better place than we found it. Help us take back your college experience by supporting us as we support you.

Ragan Savage and Gracie Copfer

Name: Ragan Savage

Hometown: Louisville, Ky.

Year/major: Junior theatre major

Involvements: SGA Senator, Dance ‘23

Name: Gracie Copfer

Hometown: Cincinnati, Oh.

Year/major: Sophomore journalism major

Involvements: SGA Secretary of Public Relations, The Valhalla, Student Advocacy Committee, NKU Sports Talk Radio, Friday Football Live

What is your campaign?

Savage/Copfer: Our campaign consists of the three C’s. Convey students’ desires, cultivate diversity for NKU’s success, and connect community outreach. I believe these three C’s will connect with most students if not all students. We want to work with the student body and be the voice. Our slogan is One to One. One Vision, two voices, one student body.

What is a problem(s) on campus you would like to bring awareness to or solve?

Savage/Copfer:

• Retention of students
• Culture and view of NKU to the tri-state area
• Lack of student support for the SOTA, athletic team’s events
• Lack of late-night food options for students
• Lack of support for commuting students
• Lack of a consistent platform for organizations and NKU-sponsored events

Why should students cast a vote for you?

Savage/Copfer: Students should vote for us because we have one united vision to support the entirety of the student body through our 3 C’s, illustrated by our campaign goals:

• Convey students’ desires
• Cultivate diversity for NKU’s success
• Connect community outreach