Three students are running for the Student Senate presidential seat: current Treasurer Reagan Farmer representing the Unity ticket, current reinstated Vice President Isaac Davis and Black Student Affairs Senator Kiandra Martin.
Students can vote for their desired candidates all day April 2 via their student email.
Davis, Tandon, Price:
Isaac Davis is running with two other people. Ayshni Tandon, who is running for vice president, currently serves as the minority affairs vice commissioner. Hunter Price, who currently is not in Senate, is running as treasurer for their ticket.
From his time in the Senate, Davis said he has learned how to resolve conflict in a way that is satisfactory for all parties involved. He said the best way to represent Senate members and students’ interests is to remember why Davis and Tandon joined Senate.
“We’re here to help the student body, we really want to be people they look at and can trust to do the jobs that we’ve assigned ourselves, ran for, and were elected or interviewed and were appointed to,” Davis said.
Their platform is based on the acronym B.O.R.G., which stands for Better dorm amenities, Open governance, Reducing barriers and Great times. Their main initiatives include adding things such as communal cleaning supplies in the dorms for students to use, incorporating a three-strike rule for parking tickets before one is fined and having no classes on holidays or federal/state election days. One of the initiatives would also allow students to have registered guests over weekends like Halloween weekend without paying.
If given the leadership opportunity, the ticket said it does not want to be relaxed about its demands when informing the administration about what students want. The trio said it has a clear platform and doesn’t want to be shy about reasons for running.
“I think we want to kind of go in hard and heavy,” Tandon said. “(We want to) be really upfront with the administration about needs, what we want. (We) kind of want to hit the ground running.”
Ultimately, Davis said the ticket wants to be there for students.
Thursday, The Post received a message from Davis in which he requested that the current Senate President Megan Handle and Farmer step down from their positions due to evidence allegedly provided to him by former Senate members.
“Based on the evidence that has come to light about the misconduct of Handle and Farmer, including in pressuring senate members to misrepresent the votes of the voting senate members for whom they were serving as proxies, I am calling on them both to resign from their positions, and I am further calling for Farmer to withdraw herself from contention in next week's student senate elections,” Davis wrote in an email to The Post. “Handle's and Farmer's documented misconduct leaves no doubt that they are unfit to serve in elected office.”
However, The Post has not independently verified the evidence provided.
Unity:
The Unity ticket consists of six students: Reagan Farmer for president, Dan Gordillo for vice president, Johnny Susany for treasurer, Luke Vannus for SAC delegate, Aidan Kirk for residence life senator and Landen Hensel for residence life senator.
Unity’s platform is built off key measures of transparency, funding and allowing students' voices to be heard. Farmer said Unity is directly taking students’ needs and addressing them. She said the SAC, or Senate Appropriation Commission, ran out of money for this year, which is why increasing and properly funding student organizations is one of Unity’s biggest points. SAC takes money from the General Fee and allocates it to student organizations.
Farmer first spoke about Unity’s key initiatives and what the ticket wants students to know about its campaign.
“Here with the Unity ticket, we’re dedicated to making sure students’ voices are heard when it comes to what platform points and initiatives they want to see on campus," Farmer said. “All of our platform points that we focused on is information that we’ve heard directly from students on issues that they see with campus.”
The other initiative Unity mentioned the ticket wanted to focus on was transparency. Susany spoke about the importance of being transparent when holding these leadership positions.
“We want the students to feel as though that we aren’t just a resource on this campus, but that we are allies,” Susany said. “That we are here to help in whatever ways we can. We are not in this position because of our egos, because of our personal pride – we are here because we want to help and that’s our focus.”
Kirk said Unity wants to ensure students feel safe on campus. Some safety things they want to implement are AEDs, or automated external defibrillators, on residential greens. He also stressed Unity’s desire to add shower locks on all campus restrooms. There was an event of voyeurism at the end of February in Dougan House that resulted in the Senate passing a bill that demanded restroom locks.
The New Political published an article about Davis’ removal and reinstatement, which prompted an organized Senate sit-out.
At last week’s Senate meeting, Gordillo helped organize the sit-out to send a message about some Senate members' emotions toward Davis and spark discussion of the issues outlined in the TNP article.
He said he was advised to not speak much about the sit-out or his statement against Davis’ reinstatement to protect himself and others surrounding him. However, he indicates he still agrees with the original message he wanted to explain at the sit-out.
“My statement is straightforward – you can take it to the bank, that's exactly what I meant,” Gordillo said. “There is supposed to be no hidden message. I believe my statement clearly marks what I would like to see from my sit-out, and frankly, I hope that it gets done. I hope that discussion is sparked.”
Martin:
Kiandra Martin is running for president without running mates. Despite running alone, Martin wants to remain committed to giving voices to those who may possibly go unheard or be silenced. She hopes to reflect this in her campaign slogan, “A student for students.”
“As a passionate advocate for inclusivity and equity, I am committed to amplifying these voices and fighting for the rights and well-being of every member of our community,” Martin wrote in an email. “I understand the challenges that many face – whether it's discrimination, lack of access to resources or systemic barriers that hinder progress – but I also believe in the power of community solidarity and collective action to bring about meaningful change.”
Martin said promoting a healthy work-life balance and providing mental health needs is a priority of her campaign. She said she has struggled with mental health, and she feels that she can be an advocate for students who feel as if they don’t have the resources or capabilities to deal with it themselves.
“Spreading awareness by making it more personable that even someone with so much going on, always smiling, happy, and eager to volunteer myself or my services to others … struggling with mental health is universal,” Martin wrote in an email. “My campaign prioritizes the well-being of ALL students. Promoting a healthy work-life balance and providing support for mental health needs is a sole priority of my campaign.”
She said as president, she would be committed to fostering openness, accountability and inclusivity.
“I will build a governing body that truly reflects the values and aspirations of the people we serve,” Martin wrote in an email.
This is a developing story. Last updated March 28 at 8:30 p.m.
