Platforms have been submitted, campaign posters displayed and the candidates have debated.

Now, it is your move. Which of the candidates for Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) president, vice president and treasurer will you choose to represent you and your peers?

Juniors Katey Kaiser and Amber Penna are running for president along with each of their vice president candidates, junior Emily Mashuda and sophomore Nick Latta, respectively. \

Junior Brooke Miller and sophomore Zane Taylor are each running for the position of treasurer.

If elected, each of the candidates has expressed a desire to greatly improve communication both between executive board members and the MSG Senate and between MSG as a whole and the student body. Kaiser and Penna have both stated they would try to represent student views to the board of trustees, even if they may not agree with those views.
Kaiser and Mashuda are running to serve as an advocate for students, including working with the administration to extend student privileges, and also to foster a greater sense of Laker Pride.

“We both really felt that we have a lot to contribute to the positions because of our broad spectrum of interests and involvement around campus, and we both really feel that is what MSG needs to move into the future,” said Kaiser, on behalf of her and Mashuda, who is currently studying in Ireland this term.

Penna and Latta hope to implement new traditions to improve the lives of students, such as through several academic and residential life initiatives. They also hope to promote campus unity.

“I enjoyed the work of being a junior class senator and addressing the concerns and ideas of my fellow classmates,” said Penna. “I love trying to make things happen for the school and represent the student body as a whole.”

Latta is running with Penna to implement projects that will “have positive impacts on the Mercyhurst community.”

For more information, both Kaiser and Penna have been campaigning through social media, and both of their platforms, including specific events, initiatives and projects they intend to implement, can be viewed on Facebook.

A large component of the MSG treasurer’s job is interacting and budgeting with Recognized Student Clubs and Organizations (RSCO). Both Miller and Taylor have emphasized improving communication with and the budgeting process for RSCOs, including by moving important documents and forms online for easier access.

Miller plans to increase RSCO efficiency by creating a Blackboard site and building better, more helpful workshops.

“More informed RSCOs lead to better events, more ways for students to get involved, and a better campus life for all of us here at Mercyhurst,” Miller said.

Taylor intends to make the budgeting process smoother and easier for RSCOs by using Facebook to provide faster interaction and take them through the financial process in small groups.

“I want to fix anything that is broken with the current system, while making the process as easy as possible,” Taylor said.

In addition to the positions of president, vice president, and treasurer, the MSG executive board has three appointed positions, which include a Student Activities Council (SAC) chair, a MSG event coordinator and a PR coordinator.

Following the election, the newly elected Executive Board members will appoint eligible applicants to these positions.

To vote in the upcoming election, use the ballot delivered to you via your school email account. Voting opened at noon on Tuesday, March 19, and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 21.