The Student Government Association (SGA) saw only one presidential candidate for the 2023-2024 term, in a quiet election season without a debate and with traditional campaign events cancelled.
Voting opened today at 6 a.m. on Engage and will close tomorrow at 3 p.m.
The current president, junior political science and English double major Jayde Dieu, has not run for reelection. “Serving as president has been an illuminating and transformative experience,” she said.
Kai Hansen, a sophomore chemistry, philosophy and business major, was the only presidential candidate. His ticket included Madi Field for vice president and Brea Horta for secretary.
His ticket is currently looking at candidates for treasurer, the fourth position on the SGA executive board. The individual filling the position will be voted in by the senate.
Hansen-Fields' platform was revealed on their Instagram account, @hansenfield2023, with the focus of “making the Seton Hall community an overall safer space for any and all students.”
Their ticket stated that despite being the only group running for executive board, they were also “passionate about inspiring and facilitating change” and would “take the role of representing the student body very seriously.”
Dieu said she was “moved” by Hansen-Fields’ campaign, especially with their focus on safety.
“I am certain we are passing the torch into great hands,” Dieu said.
Two groups were running for at-large senators: At-Large for Action and a ticket using the name “Harmon_Wess_Ware_4Senate.”
At-Large for Action featured five students: sophomore diplomacy and international relations double major Ariana Salazar, junior political science and economics double major Daniel Braile, junior diplomacy, economics and philosophy major Evelyn Tilelli, sophomore [major] John Joseph Rieger and freshman finance major Dante Bertoli. Their platform was highlighted on Instagram, focused on transparency and communication.
Harmon_Wess_Ware4Senate featured three students: sophomore Alex Harmon in the physician assistant program, sophomore political science major Dyonna Wess and junior economics and mathematical finance Jonathon Ware. They did not have a specific Instagram post dedicated to their platform, but their first post stated: “We have a vision for how to prioritize safety on campus, and we recognize the importance of inclusivity and diversity.”
This was an unusual year for SGA in terms of campaigning and elections, especially considering there was no presidential debate this year as in years past. While the SGA Instagram account posted on Feb. 3 regarding interest sessions for students who wanted to run, there were no other posts about elections until a post advertising the “Meet the Candidates” event.
The “Meet the Candidates” event was to be held on March 29 in the cafeteria, but was canceled “due to an emergent issue,” according to the SGA Instagram. The caption of the post also said there would be Instagram Reels to replace the event, which were posted this morning.
Dareen Abukwaik can be reached at dareen.abukwaik@student.shu.edu, and Emma Thumann can be reached at emma.thumann@student.shu.edu.
