UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 28, 2024

DSUSA elections candidates start exhaustive race

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Students voting for their student leaders must put their lazy tendencies aside if they really want their favorite candidate to win elections this year.

Chief Justice Alex Lambson, a senior computer science major from Orem, said no one is running unopposed this year, and getting students to vote in the primaries as well as the finals will be a “nightmare.” He said college students are extremely apathetic.

In order for the nine candidates to get the votes they need, he said they are probably going to be out there 12 hours a day during their campaigns. 

“No one’s running unopposed this year, so there are actually going to be people trying,” Lambson said. “There will be a lot more competition this year.”

There are three candidates running in each category this year.

Student body president

  • Kayla Coolbear, a senior art major from Livermore, California.
  • Matt Devore, a junior integrated studies major from Mesquite, Nevada.
  • Mike Long, a senior psychology major from Hurricane. 

Vice president of academics  

  • Warren Anderson, a senior accounting major from Santa Clara.
  • Sarah Ramaker, a junior dance major from Midland, Michigan.
  • Leah Romney, a sophomore general education major from Duck Creek Village.

Vice president of clubs

  • Brogan Crockett, a junior integrated studies major from St. George.
  • Tim Long, a junior business administration major from Hurricane. 
  • Whittni O’Brien, a sophomore biology major from Edmond, Oklahoma.

The candidates were supposed to attend a mandatory meeting on Feb. 5, and their application deadline was Feb. 26. Lambson said most of the candidates come from within student government, but all of the candidates will have to work extra hard to get past the primaries. 

Coolbear said her campaign will be focused on reaching out to specific organizations and departments. Devore said he has the same mindset, and everything he wants to do is for the students. 

“My platform is built for the students, to give more students a voice and to actually implement that voice,” he said.

Being a good influence for students is important, Mike Long said. 

“I just don’t want to be caught watching Netflix all day,” Mike Long said. “Running for student government will help me push myself, but it will also allow me to be a better influence on students, which I like to be.”

For the VP of academics position, Anderson said he aims to branch out to students in order to help them realize more connections at DSU.

“My campaign is focused on increasing the opportunities that students have and making them more aware of what is available to them academically,” he said. 

Letting the students know who she is and that she has a passion for people’s needs is what Ramaker said is her strategy to clench the VP of academics position. 

“I like meeting people’s needs and expectations of me, genuinely and truly,” she said. 

Ramaker also said she is passionate about helping students get the most they can our of their education. Similarly, Romney said if she were VP of academics, her goal would be to make decisions based solely on what students want. 

“I hope the students know how much power they have to make positive changes,” she said. “My passion is to be the voice to help them make those changes.” 

O’Brien said she’s going into the elections confidently and that she’s most excited to meet people.  

“I’m not really worried,” she said.

Since there is more competition, Tim Long said he will think differently about his campaign.

“I feel like a lot of students just to go their classes and that’s about it,” he said. “They’re not as involved and they can’t really see all that DSU has to offer.” 

Crockett is running for his own position, and he said he doesn’t feel like he’s had enough time to do the best he can do for clubs and students quite yet. Crockett said he’s running again because he has loved the position.

Lambson said candidates should focus most of their time and energy on talking to people, rather than making sure their websites and media look nice.

Primary elections are March 23 – 24. The debate will be held on that Wednesday, and the final elections are March 26 – 27.