The Student Government Association is currently holding elections for the 2011-2012 school year on EdWeb, and there are two sets of candidates for president and vice president, who run under one ticket. There are also 12 senator positions available for next year, but only nine students have opted to run, leaving the seats uncontested for them. Running for senate seats are Chris Bynoe, Brady Faglie, Nairod Woods, Rebecca May, Josh Phillips, Curran Kelley, Octavio Sanchez and Leigh Anne Winger. Here are the platform statements of the presidential and vice presidential candidates as they were submitted.

Vianney Becerra

I, Vianney Becerra, am running for president of the Student Government Association. After observing the great disconnect between the student body and the Association, I realized that the direct link between students and our campus needs to be strengthened. I feel that I am the appropriate candidate to initiate that strength and am willing to begin working immediately if elected.

With four consecutive semesters in Student Government, I am currently serving as chief justice of the Student Court of Appeals, a resource to students who wish to appeal parking violations. With a fair and unbiased opinion, which has been the result of heading our school’s judicial branch for two years, I believe that my observations and experience on the Court have helped me become in tune with student concerns. During the course of my campaign I will stop at nothing to continue listening to students and to always have their interests in mind.

Students’ needs don’t stop after the campaign, either. As president, my main priority would be to provide proper leadership and oversight for members of SGA and to re-focus the three branches of government to directly mirror the concerns of the student body. Working closely with the vice president of the Association, I will strive to maintain a healthy and responsive governing environment.

I encourage all students to vote this upcoming election and to be a part of real change.

Ryan Villarreal

The Student Government Association has failed to fulfill its responsibilities to the student body. It has been eroded by an insular culture of hyper-political and hollow rhetoric. The Association has lost sight of its goals and, most importantly, the responsibility it has to the St. Edward’s community. SGA must be revolutionized, redirected and recommitted to ensure that the voice of the students is understood and represented.

As vice president, I, Ryan Villarreal, will work hard to make the Association a direct link between students and campus administration. The organization must be refocused through an aggressive realignment of priorities. Our foremost responsibility will be taking up the issues of the student body and presenting them directly to the administration. SGA should be a solid platform that promotes the interest and welfare of all students. No longer can we afford to sit idle and apathetic. We must stand up and fight for causes that we, as students, feel passionately about championing.

The Becerra/Villarreal ticket firmly believes that the Student Government Association can be a catalyst for true change on our campus. With strong, effective and proactive leadership we will be victorious. Join us in our effort to take back the student government.

Karissa Eudy and I am a junior pursuing studies in elementary education. Outside of academics, my time at St. Edward’s has provided me with opportunities to work with a variety of student organizations and hold leadership positions in several of them. These ventures have enriched my St. Edward’s experience greatly, and it is my hope that I have also been able to contribute positively to the experience of my fellow students.

Karissa Eudy

Hi, my name is Karissa Eudy and I am a junior pursuing studies in elementary education. Outside of academics, my time at St. Edward’s has provided me with opportunities to work with a variety of student organizations and hold leadership positions in several of them. These ventures have enriched my St. Edward’s experience greatly, and it is my hope that I have also been able to contribute positively to the experience of my fellow students.

I recognize the need for a student government that not only makes itself available to the student body, but actively goes out and engages student opinions and ideas. If elected to serve as student body president, I aim to meet this need by incorporating the work that I have facilitated this year as the chair of the Student Outreach Committee into every aspect of what Student Government does. That focus on listening to the voice of fellow students and turning those ideas into initiatives that promote tradition and a greater sense of community can only set Student Government on a path towards more effective representation of the students that we, as an association, exist to serve.

Noah Corn

My name is Noah Corn, and I am asking you to re-elect me as Vice President of the Student Government Association. In the past two years, I have been elected to the position of sophomore and School of Humanities senator. I was elected as the vice president last semester, and in that time I have brought stability to SGA, facilitating a greater universal representation. Through close evaluation of the Association’s current structure, I have been able to facilitate stabilization, preserving the aspects that promote direct student benefits while encouraging the addition of more effective methods of representation. I would promote and execute the needs of all students, making this the focal point of our Student Government.

If re-elected, I would continue to lead our senators in the way that best represents the needs of the student body, to serve as a means for greater involvement with all areas of campus, and to protect the interests of each individual. As I have done, and will continue to do, my re-election to this office will ensure that the needs of the student body are met, and that the Student Government Association does everything it is capable of to reach that goal.