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Variety of candidates emerge in SGA race |
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Tuesday, 14 February 2006 |
by JULIA MERCHANT
Intern News Reporter
The nominations are in, and four candidates are in the running to be the next Appalachian State University Student Government Association president.
P. Jud Watkins, a business and communication double major, is the current SGA president.
He is running for re-election alongside vice presidential candidate and SGA newcomer Jamarl D. Clark.
Watkins said he has chosen to run again because “there is a lot of
stuff I want to see follow through, such as changes in the textbook
rental system and tuition prices.”
“We’re at a breaking point of seeing very small changes in tuition and
fees rather than drastic ones, and we’re on the verge of getting a lot
of money for the College of Education from the General Assembly,”
Watkins said.
Current SGA member and College Democrats Chair Forrest S. Gilliam, a
junior political science major, is a second presidential candidate,
running with fellow SGA member and junior French major Whitney E.
Baker.
Both Gilliam and Baker are delegates to the Association of Student
Governments, the statewide body of SGA members from the 16-campus UNC
System.
The pair recently helped organize a call-in to offices of state
representatives to protest the $12 billion cut in student loans that
was passed. North Carolina ranked first in the nation in the number of
calls made, and Appalachian was ranked second among UNC System schools
who made calls.
2006-2007 Candidates | | 
Gilliam
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Humphrey
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Lubeznik
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Watkins
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Junior political science major David C. Humphrey, a current SGA member
and president of the College Republicans, is a third candidate in the
race for SGA president.
Humphrey is running with vice presidential candidate H. Gregory Pittman, a sophomore history major.
Humphrey is concerned with the lack of funding Appalachian receives, which he describes as “dead last in the UNC-system.”
Humphrey also proposes more interaction with club presidents and SGA.
“We don’t articulate concerns enough with clubs, they have things to say and to hear them just takes effort,” he said.
The final candidate running is junior elementary education major Jason S.
Lubeznik, with vice presidential candidate and junior recreation management major Patrick D. Kelly.
Both candidates were not involved with SGA this past year.
“I won’t try to make major changes, my goals are reasonable goals that
could be accomplished in one or two years,” Lubeznik said.
Some of the changes Lubeznik hopes to make are in food services, with
an expansion of different options for students and more reasonable
prices.
He also hopes to do something beneficial to the university with the
money left over in student food accounts at the end of the year.
Lubeznik also cites safety as a big concern of his.
Measures he would take to improve campus safety include putting in more crosswalks and improving lighting around campus.
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