In the Students’ Association cabinet elections Wednesday and Thursday, no candidate will run for treasurer and the candidate for vice president will run unopposed.
Caitlin Walker, junior child and family services major from Dallas/Fort Worth, withdrew from the race for vice president Monday. She said she could not commit to the election because she got certified as a behavioral technician and will focus on that job. Julia Kennedy, sophomore English major from Lubbock, will run for vice president unopposed.
In a debate Monday night, presidential candidates Abraham Enriquez, junior political science major from Lubbock, and Daniel “Danny” Burke, junior marketing major from Seymour Indiana, responded to questions about their platforms, goals and more.
Burke’s goals included creating a safe atmosphere for students, building excitement on campus, and unifying the student body by bringing together groups that don’t usually work together. Enriquez said his platform includes mental health awareness, improving race relations, professional development, and joining the Texas Student Government Coalition. He did not have time during the debate to state his fifth goal.
Lauren Wasson, freshman political science major from Denton, said she hopes the cabinet will find a qualified person for the position of treasurer. Wasson serves as a representative for the College of Arts and Sciences and said since she worked with the cabinet this year, she hopes the new cabinet will be faithful to execute their goals.
“They need to be able to be personal and have a platform and get things done,” Wasson said. “I think in some I see the organization but I don’t necessarily see how they’re going to relate to a lot of students.”
About 100 people attended the debate including Tre McLeod, freshman musical theatre major from Houston, who said he will have a hard time deciding which presidential candidate to vote for. He also said he’s worried that not enough people will support the ideas the candidates presented at the debate.
“A lot of their ideas are dependent on relationships and relationships take time to build,” McLeod said.
Ethan Bailey, freshman communication major from Abilene, said the lack of a candidate for treasurer could be attributed to a lack of promotion of student government.
“It’s a little bit of a let down that no one did step up and say, ‘I want the position of treasurer,'” Bailey said.
