By Massiel Ladron DeGuevara
Staff Writer
After serving as SGA president for one year, junior Andrea Krug has decided not to run for re-election in the 2002-2003 elections, leaving the office open for four possible candidates. The candidates on the ballot for the elections on March 20-21 are Ben Elliott, Paris Dennard, Lee Diaz and Jeff Hamilton.
Junior Vice-President Elliott became involved with SGA his freshman year with the hopes of creating a positive change on Pepperdine’s campus. Three years later, Elliot has been at the head of many programs such as the Safe Rides, and the Spirit Wall, which is still in its developmental stages.
If elected president, Elliott plans to continue the Safe Rides program, the Spirit Wall proposal, and make dormitory and apartment washing machines accept student identification cards. He also wants to provide a bigger concert venue on campus, renovate the school gym and plan better events for students.
“The big issue for me on this election is on following through,” Elliott said. “A lot of candidates will promise great things, but I want to actually do them.”
With a strong background in student government starting in elementary school, sophomore Senator Dennard decided to run for student body president after observing the way SGA was being run for a year as a senator.
Dennard’s perspective of SGA through the eyes of Pepperdine students is that SGA is viewed as a group of elitists by the student body. Dennard hopes to change this perspective by opening discourse between students, faculty and SGA. He said that there are currently not enough mediums for students to voice their opinions or concerns to the proper authorities.
Dennard also hopes to improve the current Pepperdine Web site by making it more user friendly and adding more information about activities and issues facing the campus. Dorm sweeps are also a high priority on Dennard’s agenda in order to make himself more visible and approachable to all students. He is looking for interaction with the student body to keep informed of what students need.
“I have a passion for leading,” Dennard said. “I want to give back to the places that have benefited me, Pepperdine especially.”
Junior Diaz became involved with SGA his sophomore year as class senator. He became the public relations chair his junior year. Diaz chose to take part in SGA because of his passion for politics and desire to represent the student body at Pepperdine.
Diaz’s says that SGA has great potential to orchestrate many activities that it simply isn’t doing.
If elected president, Diaz hopes to establish a SGA-manned booth in the Waves Café so that students can have an opportunity not only to voice their opinions or concerns, but to get to know what SGA is all about and what they are doing each semester.
Diaz also wants to be able to connect students to the administrators on campus as well as the people who run certain programs.
“I want people to know that I’m not running for office as a form of building my resume, but because I have a passion for it,” Diaz said.
Hamilton is SGA’s first overseas director who became involved with SGA this year after returning from the Florence program. Hamilton decided to run for president because he felt there was a need for change in respect of how Pepperdine students are represented overseas.
Hamilton wants to make sure students participating in an overseas program remain in contact with the Malibu campus through the Graphic. He would like to have the weekly editions of the Graphic shipped to all overseas programs on time.
Hamilton’s main mission is student advocacy. He wants to address issues like parking, tuition increase with no financial aid increase, the lack of housing and the meal plans inability to carry over points form semester to semester.
“I want to bring light to these issues,” Hamilton said. “These are all issues that concern students’ everyday and yet nobody is asking the administration why.”
Hamilton’s three main points of his campaign are to help SGA see themselves as students representing students, help to empower students, and take old issues and obtain new answers for them.
March 14, 2002