The Muhlenberg Student Government Association (SGA) held its annual presidential debate on April 14 via Facebook Live. The debate consisted of a series of questions that each candidate had one minute to answer as well as opening and closing statements. Moderating the debate was Jordan Soffer ’21, the current student body president. The debate’s participants and subsequent candidates were Daniel Burden ’23, Zaire Carter ’22 and Jason Ivey ’23.
Soffer defined the role of the president as requiring “extensive time commitment and communication, teamwork and delegation skills.” He also noted that the president must “[serve] as the student representative to Muhlenberg College.”
All three candidates entered the race determined that they could exemplify the position’s attributes. The trio all have considerable experience in the group. Ivey is the current Campus Engagement Committee chair; Carter has been a student representative for three years and has headed many initiatives within the organization; and Burden is the current SGA treasurer.
One of the primary themes of the night was representation and how SGA could best listen to the student body’s wants and needs. Carter summarized his commitment to work for ‘Berg students , saying, “The first part is listening, but remember, listening is just a stepping stone. It’s what you do after you listen to those voices that determines not only what kind of president that you are, but what kind of person that you are.”
Students were the focal point of the event, with every candidate stressing their desire to put the student body ahead of any outside influences. Burden echoed this sentiment, saying, “If elected president, I plan to listen directly to students’ feedback and take actions on what they would like to see addressed on our campus. As mentioned earlier, SGA has always been disconnected from the students. With me, this will not be the case.”
Making laundry free of charge was a more concrete topic touched upon by the participants. Carter declared, “there’s a financial disparity happening on this campus” and that the issue is “number one on [his] list.”
Prioritizing racial injustice was laid out in every candidates’ agenda. Ivey presented his ideas for improving the racial tensions and microaggressions on campus, saying, “one possible way to combat that is education.” He expressed his desire for the student body to be given the same diversity, equity and inclusion training as the College’s administration. Burden echoed this view and touted his contribution to the cause, noting, “As treasurer, I’ve had the opportunity to work with other members of SGA to dedicate 25 percent of our general fund annually to events and organizations centered around diversity, equity and inclusion.”
A rare point of contention among the candidates occurred when Carter expressed his belief that “Government has to have energy, it has to have power, it has to have volume.” He stated that the unwanted alternative was the government acting as a “slow-moving machine;” however, Ivey countered Carter’s comment, saying, “Change is slow, always has been, always will be.” He concluded that Carter’s notions might be giving the student body a “false sense of productivity.”
The need to support student clubs and organizations was also brought up during the event. Burden stated that earlier this year SGA had a leadership retreat where they met with the presidents and treasurers of several clubs. During this engagement activity, Burden noted that “a lot [of the] members, who are student leaders across campus, had no clue who SGA was.” The three candidates all voiced this frustration and expressed the need for the student government to push out more information to clubs and activities. The desire to make their presence known to all members of the Muhlenberg community was present throughout the debate’s entirety.
Election Day is scheduled for Monday, April 19. Every student will receive the instructions for voting through their email. The polls are open from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. For more information, visit the SGA’s Facebook or Instagram page.
