SGA Presidential Candidates Seek to Impact TFC
Voting might seem like a waste of time with only one ticket campaigning for the SGA presidential election this year, but Madison Smith and her running mate Reilly McCullough are determined to prove otherwise.
The candidates have summarized their campaign platform in three simple words: communicate, advocate and include. However, the scope of the vision that lies behind these words is far more complex. Making sure that students are plugged into what is going on at TFC is a key goal. Effective use of social media is one way Smith sees this happening, but she also says she wants more student interaction with the SGA: “I want them to know that we are a resource. They can talk to us and send us questions or emails and we are going to be here to help.” Providing support and guidance for new clubs is another part of this plan. If there are problems on campus, students would find a listening ear in the SGA. “We want people to know that if there’s something they want to see, we are your advocates,” Smith said. The candidates do not want to promote events that cater to one style of humor or set of preferences. Instead, they want to make sure that the interests of different groups on campus (ex. athletes, commuters, etc.) are represented. Included in this goal are the minorities at TFC. “There are really very few outlets on campus for minority students to be advocated for,” McCullough said. “Something I legitimately would love to see is the Black Student Association come back onto campus.”
Even if Smith and McCullough win the election, their ideas will remain hypothetical without a lot of hard work and long hours in the office. Yet, they both believe that their experience on the SGA Executive Council has prepared them for the task. This past year Smith served as the Administrative Specialist. Among other things, this involved overseeing the SGA budget and interacting with TFC’s administration. “It’s just given me more ease going into it. I think I would have been terrified if I had been elected last year,” Smith stated. McCullough served in Community Partnerships, a role that links TFC with organizations in Toccoa, Georgia. Despite the challenges that this position brought, McCullough wanted to work for SGA again. Running for the presidency and vice presidency felt like the right step forward for both candidates. The biggest reason behind their decision to run for office, however, was a desire to bring positive change to TFC. “We don’t want to just get in here to graduate, but we want to leave [TFC] better than when we came” Smith says.
The possibility of a write-in candidate means that the future of Smith and McCullough's campaign is still uncertain. As Smith said: "Even if we don't have competition, at the end of the day we won't be presidents if we don't have votes."