Roxanna Miranda/The Rider Graphic
Jamejdra Holverstott | THE RIDER
With the Student Government Association Elections ending Wednesday, candidates and voters are voicing their concerns on matters affecting students, such as the increased pressure due to the pandemic, lack of resources and voter outreach.
Team Change, the executive ticket consisting of presidential candidate Michael White and vice presidential candidates Daniela Ramirez and Leticia Villarreal, advocated for the implementation of “Vaquero Day,” which would be a day off for students with no coursework due dates on a biweekly or monthly basis to alleviate stress.
“What we’re planning to do … is having the Vaqueros’ Day proposed where we wanna, you know, help students alleviate the stress,” Ramirez said during last Tuesday’s Spring 2021 SGA Debate.
She said Team Change wants to add a Vaquero Day off, which students would choose in collaboration with Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Team Vision United, the executive ticket consisting of presidential candidate José Pablo Rojas and vice presidential candidates Yahia Al-Qudah and Anacette Cantu, proposed its solutions to bettering students’ mental health by bringing back the college experience.
Additionally, the topic of resources, number of courses and professor availability have also been major talking points this term. Team Vision United discussed its plans to combat the lack of resource availability by closely working with university administration to voice students’ concerns. Specifically, Team Vision United is pushing for more access to test preparation courses, which most students are unable to take due to GPA restrictions.
“We, as members of SGA, have powers to create specific legislations that can impact the student body,” Al-Qudah said at the debate. “And I, myself, and Anacette have been working very closely to do some of these resolutions.
He said he and Cantu are scheduling meetings to discuss resource availability.
One major topic of discussion that student voters and SGA members believe is of great importance is voter outreach and awareness of the Student Government Association among the student body. Despite efforts made by the SGA to increase awareness, many students are still not aware of their presence.
Marketing junior Alondra Sanchez-Proa was previously unaware of the ongoing elections and suggested ways in which the association could gain student attention.
“I think we should have rallies,” Sanchez-Proa said. “I know that it’s not gonna happen soon, but I think it will increase how to be involved with one another, like the students, and university. Sadly, that can’t happen because of COVID. It’s still around, but hopefully soon when everything gets better.”
Biomedical sciences freshman Hannah Ceron was unaware of the SGA debate and said she hopes to see more collaboration among students, the SGA and university administration.
Ceron said she would like to see “a way that students and officials in administration could interact in a way that’s professional … and a little more casual.”
“I know I’ve seen other organization[s] on campus do trivia nights or movie nights,” she said, adding that the direct interaction between students and administration in a casual setting could foster a positive exchange of ideas.
For more information on the topics being discussed by candidates, students can watch a recording of the Spring 2021 SGA Debate on the UTRGV Student Life Facebook page. The deadline to cast a vote is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
