Georgia Southern’s student government association (SGA) began elections for multiple offices. Polls opened today at midnight through the MyGSU portal. Students are able to choose their Vice President of Inclusive Excellence along with Senators from the Colleges of Engineering & Computing, Behavioral & Social Sciences, and Science & Mathematics respectively, until polls close this Wednesday at 11:59 pm.

Specifically, the ballot for Vice President of Inclusive Excellence features two contenders, Jya Ewing and Success Emmanuel. Let’s get to know the candidates:

Success Emmanuel, a sophomore computer science major from Marietta, GA and the daughter of Nigerian parents, describes herself as being an advocate for students. Emmanuel is running on a platform to aspire, to elevate every voice, honor every culture and ensure every student feels cherished.

Currently, Emmanuel serves as the Deputy Speaker of SGA and Senator for the College of Engineering and Computing, before that she was a freshman Senator for the College of Math and Science. She’s also served as the former Vice President of Inclusive Excellence’s assistant, and been on the Inclusive Excellence committee which gave her the opportunity to “work hand in hand with the previous vice president of this [inclusive excellence] position.”

When asked what her advocating process would look like she responded:

• “We should be able to all come together as students to find major issues to advocate for together. Like if there’s a problem with…the bus route, we should all be able to advocate…[it] shouldn’t be like, the Black Student Union is advocating for a change in the bus route or the CSA or African associations advocating for the bus route. It should be we as a collective, Georgia southern students [are] advocating for the bus route.”

One phrase that Emmanuel used in her campaign platform was “prevention is better than cure,” as she heard that phrase all throughout her life from her mother and sisters. Saying that she is “deeply committed to ensuring that no student has to endure traumatic experiences while pursuing their education,” she wants to create programs and advocate for resources which would prevent things like sexual assault, discrimination, and harassment from happening in the first place at GSU.

Jya Ewing, a Political Science major double minoring in International Studies and Economics, describes herself as being “passionate about fostering a campus culture where diversity is celebrated and every student feels included.”

When asked about her plans for the Vice Presidency, she responded:

• “As Vice President of Inclusive Excellence, I aim to advocate for underrepresented voices, advocate for inclusion, and cultivate a sense of belonging for all students at Georgia Southern University. These voices include different cultures, races, disabilities, genders, and sexualities. I want to make sure all voices are equally heard.”
  Ewing’s goal is to “advocate for the allocation of resources to support initiatives that promote equity and inclusion, such as expanding scholarship opportunities for underrepresented students, increasing accessibility accommodations on campus, and providing training programs to enhance cultural competence among faculty and staff.”

Ewing plans to accomplish her goals by organizing cultural events, diversity workshops, and dialogue sessions to celebrate diverse identities and foster intercultural exchange while “promoting the use of safe spaces and support networks for marginalized students, such as LGBTQ+ organizations, multicultural affairs, and mental health services.”

The George-Anne will publish more information about SGA senate candidates this upcoming Tuesday, March 26th.