With Student Government Association elections coming up next week, a main concern for senators seemed to be the lack of SGA experience for Alliance presidential candidate Chris Wilkey.
During Wednesday's SGA meeting, representatives from Alliance and Velocity gave presentations about their platforms and answered questions for senators.
Wilkey is a junior sales and economics major and the president of both Cardinal W.I.N.G.S. and Ball State's American Marketing Association, but has never served in any form in SGA. He has become familiar with organization in the months since he decided to run by attending and watching meetings.
In response to a question about his lack of SGA-specific experience, Wilkey said he believes his experience in leadership roles in other organizations has given him the skills he'll need to lead SGA successfully.
"A good leader needs to be able to communicate and have the experience to be a team leader and put people in positions to succeed," Wilkey said. "In my opinion, you don't have to have experience in SGA to be a good leader."
Wilkey also said the fact that he's new to SGA could essentially simplify his role as president.
"Me coming in as an outsider, I know some of you — very few though — and I'm not going to be [afraid] to say ‘I know you'd be good at this job' and put you in that position," Wilkey said. "[Those of you who have been in SGA for a long time] might not be looking at the correct people to put in positions because you're too worried about hurting your friends' feelings."
Wilkey's opponent in the race, junior hospitality and food management major Chad Griewank, has been involved in SGA since his freshman year and is currently serving as the organization's president pro tempore.
Griewank said Wednesday night that he believes it's important for individuals to have some sort of SGA experience before they try to take on one of its main leadership roles. He noted that his position as president pro tempore is an elected one and said he doesn't believe SGA senators would have permitted him to fill the role if they didn't trust him to handle matters responsibly.
Griewank also said he doesn't anticipate facing any conflicts of interest if he were elected SGA president. He said that by working with the other members of his executive slate, he could avoid difficult situations.
"It would be a joint decision. It would never be a personal matter," Griewank said. "You may be closer to one senator than another but when it comes down to it, you have to put your friendships and emotions aside, and you have to be fair and unbiased."
SGA senator Chuck Thiel, a graduate student in student affairs and higher education, said having little experience isn't necessarily to a candidate's disadvantage. Thiel cited President Barack Obama, who achieved the nation's highest office after serving less than one full term in the U.S. Senate, as an example.
"I think it's a bold move [for Chris]," said Thiel, who ran for student government in his undergraduate career. "It shows a lot about his character and that he has a lot of confidence. If Chris can really engage students and turn it into a positive ... I don't think it's impossible."
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