By Tomi Simmons

The elections for the Student Government Association are April 6-21.

Tyler Dunn is running for the Student Government Association President position alongside Shyanne Henkis as his Chief of Staff. This past year Dunn has been the Chief of Staff for President Diamond Marshall’s administration.

“I saw the way SGA was running the past couple of years before this year, and I wanted SGA to be held at a higher standard. This year SGA has worked hard creating a bridge between faculty and students,” Dunn said.

Shyanne Henkis is currently the events coordinator.

“Back in high school, I did a lot of student council stuff. I started talking to Danielle and Diamond about joining. It is really fun and I wanted to make a change,” Henkis said about joining SGA this year.

The platform these candidates are running on is the term “community.”

They pointed out that students and faculty will be rebuilding after the pandemic and their biggest concern is coming together on campus.

“Nothing will be the same after this online semester. We want everyone to have a community-oriented mindset,” Dunn said.

Also, mental health is a big part of what they want to improve on campus. Before the school year ended, both SGA members were planning on a mental health campaign around campus. They had applied for a grant and was going to do a t-shirt give out and a video series about the importance of mental health. They will continue that initiative in the fall.

Dunn said, “We want to provide support for those who are struggling on campus.”

Dunn nodded to his past experience and said: “We have prepared for this moment. Through going to the conference ASGA, I have gained knowledge that will help SGA succeed. I specifically focused on mental health, event coordinating, and how to impact and improve retention rates. We want to stay true to the message of your voice matters.”

Henkis pointed out that this year’s administration laid out a strong foundation to build upon.

“Regardless of who is elected, we want you to know you can trust SGA. You can trust us,” Henkis stated.

Current students can vote for the new SGA President and other positions April 6-21. Check your student email for information.