It is that time of year: time to choose who will be your MSG President and Vice President for next year! There are some great candidates that are looking to secure a spot, so they need all the support that they can get.
There is only one student running for MSG Vice President—sophomore Political Science major and Communications minor Ethan Frey, who is already the current Vice President.
Although he is running unopposed, being able to earn the support of students on campus is a great and rewarding responsibility for Frey.
“Although the primary role of the Vice President is to run the Senate, which is why it comprises of most of my platform, I have some ideas for how we can progress as a university,” said Frey. “I want to continue providing students with opportunities to voice their opinion through surveys, like what we saw with the meal plan survey last semester.
“MSG was integral in transforming meal plans for next year, and it’s because of feedback from other students. I think we can do similar things with academics, mental health/wellness, campus life, and campus involvement.”
A lot of students are unaware of what people in MSG do on a daily basis.
“I would also love to promote our weekly meetings to all students. We rarely get students from outside MSG to come to our meetings, and I would like to enhance the advertising so that anyone can come to our meetings,” Frey said.
“I want to gather student input on how MSG can help the university be more inclusive to all diverse groups of students. We should also have more campus wide clean-ups to keep our campus looking beautiful. We also need to have our students know who their senators are/who represents them in MSG so that they can easily contact them with their concerns,” he said.
Vydalia Weatherly, junior Criminal Justice and Political Science double major and MSG President candidate, also feels that weeks of campaigning will pay off if she is elected as President.
“As Mercyhurst Student Government President, my main goal is to create a campus culture that is inclusive to and supportive of all students,” said Weatherly. “The well-being of students is my top priority; therefore, as president, I will work every day to improve efforts related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ), school spirit, campus involvement, academics and health (mental, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social).”
“During my presidency, I want to work to protect the campus’ beauty and global environmental impact through clear initiatives that will boost sustainability efforts on campus and educate students on the importance of treating Mercyhurst grounds and the planet with respect.”
Kaitlyn Low, junior Sports Medicine major and the opposing MSG President candidate, also believes she can implement critical changes if she were to be elected as President.
Low’s platform, titled UNITY, includes four pillars: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Campus Wellness, Student to Faculty Relationships, and Student Body Engagement.
“I feel that it is important for me to run for this position because of the immense experience I have in the MSG organization,” said Low. “I am one of the longest current standing members, so I have more knowledge on how to get change for the students.”
“What I have learned in my first three years is that compromise is huge when advocating for the students and that small steps toward an ultimate goal are better than no steps,” Low said. “I think one of the greatest advantages the student body has in electing me is that I already have established relationships with the people in all the departments across campus who can help me get change into action immediately. I want to listen to the students wants and take it to the people. The happiness of our students and the unity of our community are a few of my priorities, and I want students to know that I will fight for them and with them for their best interest every day I am in office.”
Voting is open now until Friday, March 3. The ballots were sent via email to all students, and they are encouraged to vote before Friday.
These are all very accomplished students who can do wonderful things as MSG President or Vice President, so be sure to vote!