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Gassensmith & Lindstrand, Empower slates up for SGA election

Polls open on February 20.

<p>Ball State Student Government Association tickets, Empower and Gassensmith &amp; Lindstrand, debate their ticket&#x27;s platforms. The presidential debate will be Feb. 14 and the vice presidential debate is Feb. 15. Abigail Denault, DN</p>

Ball State Student Government Association tickets, Empower and Gassensmith & Lindstrand, debate their ticket's platforms. The presidential debate will be Feb. 14 and the vice presidential debate is Feb. 15. Abigail Denault, DN

MUNCIE, INDIANA (NewsLink) – Two slates are going head-to-head for this year’s Student Government Association election. Debates began Tuesday night.

“Our campaign is based solely around the fact that we love what we do,” Joseph Gassensmith, presidential candidate, said.

Gassensmith & Lindstrand is a duo with experience on SGA’s executive board. Gassensmith is the current Chief of Staff on the SGA executive board, and Monet Lindstrand, vice presidential candidate, is the current SGA Vice President. They are building their platform off experience to focus on the following points:

●     Commitment to sustainability

●     Diversity, equity and inclusion

●     Transformative disability awareness

Ball State Student Government Associaton (SGA) Presidental Nominee Joseph Gassensmith and Vice Presidental Nominee Monet Lindstrand discuss SGA's community garden. Gassensmith, the current SGA chief of staff, and Monet, the current SGA vice president, have been a part of the senate for three years. Abigail Denault, DN

“These are issues that we are very passionate about, and we know students are passionate about [them] too,” Lindstrand said.

Empower, a team with new names on the ballot, is hoping to use their “fresh perspective” to their advantage. Presidential candidate Skylar Ellis has experience in a handful of leadership roles, including Studebaker West Hall Council President, while being a member of SGA. Taylor Perry, vice presidential candidate, is currently the At-Large Caucus chair in SGA.

“Our main reason for deciding to run is…giving a voice back to the student body,” Ellis said.

They’re building their platform off new ideas to focus on the following points:

●     Transportation

●     Campus safety

●     Campus beautification

“We’re just a new perspective and we hope to get new ideas in SGA and [on] our campus,” Perry said.

These are stances both slates hope will benefit the students and the campus if elected.

Contact Grace Bentkowski with any comments or questions at gmbentkowski@bsu.edu.