Ferris’ Student Government Association has one candidate running to become the organization’s next president.
Economics junior Jake McGaha, who currently serves as the vice president, is planning to take on the opportunity to be the student government’s next president for the next academic year.
McGaha believes that stepping into the presidential role would allow him to make a positive impact on the university and be a good influence on the student body.
“Becoming the president of the Student Government Association is a big deal to me,” McGaha said. “To me, it means the world because I have been in this organization the past three and half years now, and I’ve been able to see firsthand just how much you can impact the campus with such a small or medium sized organization. It means to be doing every single thing in your power to make sure that you positively impact the lives of the students around you and the lives of everybody on campus.”
McGaha has the goal of having every RSO, every program and every person be represented with their choices on the campus.
Stepping down from the presidential position, computer information systems senior and current SGA President Stephen Bender brought up how student government is helping the university and hopes to bring the same goals to future members.
“Improving the university for future generations,” Bender said. “And by reconstructing student government, creating committees, creating divisions, filling cabinet positions, rewriting the Constitution are all ways that I’m setting the future up for success. And a successful student government is what leads to a successful student body because the student body is what student government represents.”
Bender hopes those goals can remain in student government regardless of who’s in the organization.
Business administration freshman and Director of Operations Molina Dewald is running to be the vice president for student government next year. She believes she and McGaha would make a great team taking over student government.
“He’s helped me find my place and see in what ways and avenues that I can help,” Dewald said. “Having this established connection with him, working so closely, I think it’ll be great. Jake tends to take things very seriously in student government and I tend to take things a little more lightly. And I think that’s why Jake can work well together, is him bringing the seriousness and me bringing the fun.”
Dewald is also excited about stepping into the vice president position because of the perspective she developed as the director of operations in her first year as a Ferris student.
“It’s definitely a unique perspective because there’s not that many freshmen in student government, let alone in leadership roles with them,” Dewald said. “So definitely having that different perspective of being new to the university and new to a role like this is awesome.”
Dewald also hoped that with her being younger and McGaha being older, they could meet at both ends of the scale and make connections to different ages and help bridge that gap and work together.
Welding engineering technology junior Ben Taylor voted for McGaha and believes he is a great candidate to be the next president of student government.
“I think he would be a great president is because he is a very personable guy,” Taylor said. “He really hears the voices of the students. He communicates very effectively, which will translate to how he communicates the students’ needs to university officials. And I appreciate him as a person.”
With there being one candidate running for president, it could lead to the election being uncompetitive.
Secondary education senior Rylee Wanamaker finds that having just one candidate running is a problem.
“I find one candidate to be running for student government president unfortunate,” Wanamaker said. “Without opponents, the single candidate has no incentive to address diverse perspectives or respond to public concerns. I was aware of the election but only because I saw a ‘vote for me’ post. However, I did not know there was only one candidate for the position.”
The official announcement of the next president is set to take place at the next Student Government meeting on Tuesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Founder’s Room. Students will receive an email from administrators Jeanine Ward-Roof and Lina Blair if it changes.