Meet the candidates
Carli Hendershot with Cardinal Connection:
Sophomore, political science major. Hometown, Brownsburg, Ind. 2 years of SGA experience.
Gabriell Bunn with Empower:
Junior, marketing major. Hometown, Kokomo, Ind. 3 years experience with SGA.
Tonight, the two vice presidential candidates will square off in the first of the debates for the Student Government Association’s election season.
Sophomore political science major Carli Hendershot will represent Cardinal Connection, and Junior marketing major Gabrielle Bunn will represent Empower.
Both have SGA experience, a valuable asset for a vice presidential nominee, because they have to lead Senate meetings.
The debate will be held in Cardinal Hall B at 8 p.m. and will be moderated by SGA debate moderator Payne Horning.
Payne Horning will be moderating all three debates. He joked that he wants “blood and fireworks” during the debate, but stressed that the debate should be about interaction between the two candidates.
“I have questions specifically aimed at getting them to talk to one another,” he said. “I don’t want fighting on the stage but I do want them to engage one another and do some comparison.”
Because there are only two slates this year, Payne said it is very important for students to understand the differences between them.
The format will switch between questions prepared by Payne and questions submitted by Unified Media, with additional questions from social media and current vice president Alyssa France.
Gabrielle Bunn
Bunn has been involved with SGA all three years she has been at Ball State, and credits it for her involvement on campus and connection to other passions.
“SGA has been the gateway,” she said. “It helped me meet people in sororities and Dance Marathon. First time I went to Dance Marathon was with people from Senate and now I’m on Dancer Relations committee. [I met Riley kids] through dance marathon and that has changed my life.”
Bunn is no stranger to speaking in front of people, as she has been involved in pageants for many years.
She described herself as having an “orange” personality.
“I’m very outgoing,” she said. “I like to take charge. If I’m going to do something I’m going to give it my all or there is no chance in doing it.”
Bunn said her life experience will help students connect with her.
“I bring a lot of diversity. I have a brother who is blind, and I was raised by a single mother. And I’m paying my own way through college,” she said. “I think I am relatable in that sense.”
Carli Hendershot
Hendershot comes to the slate with two years of experience as a senator representing Spectrum as a member of the executive board.
She said that Spectrum means a lot to her, and she thinks people on campus will be excited to see someone from Spectrum step into a campus higher position.
“It’s a big part of my life on campus,” Hendershot said. “It’s basically my family; my second family is here at Ball State through Spectrum.”
Her sense of connection is not only limited to Spectrum but extends to the whole campus community. Hendershot said the close-knit community at Ball State drives her to make campus even better.
She chose to take part in a slate, because she thought she could make the most impact through SGA.
“I love making positive changes on campus, seeing campus evolve and working with students,” Hendershot said. “It feels really great, at the end of the day, to go back to your room and know that you are making an impact on a campus.”
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