The Student Government Association (SGA) election campaign season kicked off this week, but no seats will be contested for the 2021-2022 term, virtually guaranteeing all candidates their positions.
SGA President Julia Nicolls is running unopposed for re-election alongside a fresh executive cabinet that includes Carolyn Murray as vice president, Ria Sandeep as treasurer and Ariel "JR" Go as secretary.
Murray and Sandeep both currently hold leadership roles in SGA, with Murray serving as the Student Life Committee chair and Sandeep chairing the organization's Finance Committee.
Charles McGarry, the current SGA vice president and chair of the elections committee, said that COVID-19 has clearly had an impact on the involvement in SGA.
McGarry said the dearth of candidates “is likely due to the fact that events have been online and getting students involved has been more difficult for clubs across the board.”
In the last two elections, SGA struggled to fill seats, with three Senate positions left open in the 2020 election cycle with only the position of the president being contested by two candidates.
Campaigning for elections officially began on March 15.
Voting for the elections will begin on March 29 at 9:00 a.m. and end on March 30 at 3:00 p.m., according to Nicolls.
McGarry said that any empty seats after the elections will be filled by the end of the semester.
“Obviously we would prefer to have people interested in running in elections,” McGarry said. “But regardless the positions will be filled.”
Laura Maltez-Barahona can be reached at laura.maltezbarahona@student.shu.edu
