Candace Chambers
Blue & White flash / News Editor
It is election season at Jackson State University and candidates are strategically vying for positions within the Student Government Association, along with class officers for the 2013-2014 school year.
To give their student constituents a first look at what they have to offer JSU, speeches and debates were held on Monday, March 25, 2013 and Tuesday, March 26, 2013. The rules were provided for the candidates and those involved with their campaigns. Some included no hanging of materials on any glass doors, no slander or defamation of materials, and rules for personal social media pages.
Gary B. Crosby, executive director for Center for Student Engagement and Inclusion said the election process at Jackson State prepares students to become politically aware and involved.
“They [student body elections] are teaching you how to be involved in your community. Hopefully and ideally, you would have been involved all four years as a student, so being politically engaged will not be a new phenomenon when you graduate from the university,” said Crosby.
There was a strict time limit for speeches held on Monday. The candidates for Miss JSU introduced themselves to the large audience in Ballroom A, with some reciting notable poems and quotes and others proudly stating their platform for the prestigious title. The candidates for Miss JSU are: MaNisha Heard, Jade Hewitt, Deja Knight, Morgan Jackson, Nataya Jones, Ashley Norwood, and Nicole Lewis.
On Tuesday, SGA debates were held in the Student Center Theatre. Once again, there was a packed audience of eager listeners as the candidates answered questions pertaining to their duties if elected.
Alan Johnson, current National Pan Hellenic Council President of the JSU SGA, led the debate by asking questions such as “How do you feel about discretion?” “How do you think you’ll be able to work with the administration and what characteristics do you have which enables you to do so?” The audience also had an opportunity to ask the candidates questions.
After SGA debates, the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 split into different rooms, in order for those running for class officer positions to give speeches and debate. Anthony Robinson, a freshman criminal justice major from Natchez, Miss., came to listen to his peers in order to make an effective decision when casting his ballot.
He said, “You have to make sure you put someone in good. These are our leaders.”
