Elections are in full swing at Capital University for the new Student Government administration.
This year, the first set of candidates are Jonathan Brown, a third-year political science, film and media production major, and his running mate Ryan Kerman, a third-year Spanish international studies and religion major.
In the other corner are Aubri Jones, a third-year education major, and her running mate Ethan Browning, a third-year political science major.
This article will breakdown the two administrations and wrap up with a conclusion on their overall leadership experiences.
Johnathan Brown & Ryan Kerman
During the interview, Brown said, “I do not ever want any of my peers to feel like their voice is ever going to be dismissed or silenced, I want to ensure that their voices are heard and not just acknowledged…if you’re just acknowledging [an issue] because you think you are doing the right thing just because and you’re not going to make a change, that’s not good enough.”
Brown and Kerman also touched on their plans to feature more events on campus that aim to appeal to the entire student body.
Kerman said, “We have Cap Jam and we have Capapalooza…there’s not a whole lot else that comes to mind when we think of signature Capital University events. We obviously have a big conservatory presence here…whether we work with [the conservatory] or with the community and finding someone that’s an artist and bringing them in and just having a concert.”
Brown said, “Our main goal is bridging our communities on campus…we want to make sure that our students have more opportunities to get involved.”
Aubri Jones & Ethan Browning
In regard to what the first action by the Jones administration would be if they are elected, Jones said, “Enforcing recycling on campus has been like a longtime issue on this campus because we have the recycling, but is it, actually, you know, being recycled? That’s not necessarily something you can change just as a senator on student government.”
Her vice president, Browning, said, “Our campaign slogan is L.O.V.E. Let Our Voices Emerge…We really want to be representatives for change on campus…It is not just about what ideas we bring to the table, as much as [being] there to listen to students when they have ideas.”
Browning also touched on the blue light tower project which once gained momentum in 2020. A bill for the project was actually passed in Spring 2020, but apparently the SG funding never made its way to Capital administration and Public Safety. Browning hopes to sit down with Capital University President Dave Kaufman, the board of trustees and Public Safety in order to figure out where the funds are located. Regardless, the Jones administration wants to get this project back on track for campus.
Browning said, “We want to continue to pursue getting blue light towers on campus…do we need to write a new bill, what do we need to get the ball rolling on that?”
Student Government has a budget of $20,000 for the entire year, and the Jones administration has provided every target that the money will be put toward.
Jones said, “We always end up with so much [money] left over, and usually people are begging us to make some bills that we can spend money on, like, we have all this money, we can’t save it, we need to do something with it.”
Ultimately, the goal of Jones and Browning is to leave some impact on the current state of the student and campus experience.
“[Our main goal is to] make this campus better than how we found it,” Jones said.
These two administrations have different plans for the future of the campus, but Jones believes that’s the beauty of Student Government fundamentally.
“I think there are a variety of perspectives that make for the best solutions,” Jones said, “and so that’s what Capital needs, students standing up with the will to run and make their voices heard.”
To go off of this, Jones strongly encourages students to run for senate positions in the fall. It’s a way for students to advocate for things that matter most to themselves and their peers.
Conclusion
In terms of experience, neither Brown nor Kerman have held positions in Student Government before. Kerman has held positions on the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and works in the ResLife office. Brown has been a Bonner student leader, and an assistant in the President’s office under Dave Kaufman.
Browning and Jones both have been in student government for about three years, as well as having served executive positions in organizations on campus.
