SGA Spring 2021 elections will be held from May 10th at 9am until May 13th at 12pm.
Vote here: votesga.depaul.edu
Candidate information will be listed upon completion of applications and petitions. Please allow 48 business hours for the website to be updated. Questions? Contact the Election Operations Board Chair, Jane Pallos, at vpallos@depaul.edu.
Join us on May 7th at 5pm for our official Meet the Candidates event!
RSVP here:
Interested in applying? Be sure to submit all of the following by May 5th at 5pm!
Hi! I am a second year political science major originally from Northwest Indiana.
Initiatives:
If elected, I hope to advocate for greater access to voting for DePaul students and support initiatives to make our University more eco-friendly. Additionally, I would push for stronger connectivity between students of DePaul and the Government.
¡Hola Blue Demons! My name is Sergio Godinez and I am proud to be running to be your next Senator for Community and Government Relations. I bring with me experience, ambition, and authenticity that I hope to use within the SGA to create systemic change – not only for DePaul, but for our greater Chicago community. I am a firm believer that we as a student body can play a role in creating a community/fostering a campus culture that reflects our values. The times we are all living in have presented us with both new challenges to solve and a chance to correct the mistakes we’ve made in the past. In order to solve these challenges, new and old, I believe we must amplify the voices who have been marginalized for far too long. We have the chance to make sure the spotlight shines brightly on all of us and we all have our space on the stage to make our dreams, passions, and voices heard. So, I hope you will join me in this fight to create a more equitable DePaul where all of our voices are amplified.
Initiatives:
1) Organize regular open forums where students and student organizations can voice their concerns and opinions so I as a Senator can better advocate for equitable policies that benefit and ensure that students are valued as important stakeholders in the education system and are receiving the support and resources they need to succeed in both a short-term and long-term basis. 2)Develop a bi-monthly public report of updates regarding DePaul governance so students are well informed regarding changes that may affect them as well as bringing awareness to issues that must be addressed and solved. 3)Amplify student voices by creating and promoting inclusive events and platforms where diverse groups of students have a chance to showcase their accomplishments even in a virtual learning environment so they continually feel engaged and connected to DePaul and our greater community.
Pre-Covid I was a commuter student who would commute 4 hours a day, 4 trains a day, 5 days a week to attend classes. I understand what the struggle is like for commuter students whether that means a 30 minute drive or hours on a train. I am a first generation student with a health science major and a concentration in Pre-Med. I love watching crime shows like Criminal Minds and Monk or CSI: Las Vegas. I am a black belt and love playing the piano.
Initiatives:
I would like to discuss having a wider range of class times to accommodate students who might solely rely on the train schedules or have a discussion to have commuter students have early looks at registration so that they can have a manageable schedule without having classes fill up and being forced to take what is left even if it may not be convenient. I would like to speak to student organizations to also have have stronger considerations of commuters when setting up the schedules for their groups to maximize student involvement from commuters. I would also like to bring the mental health issues that arise within commuter students as commuting can feel like a limbo between dependence and independence as well as the feeling of not belonging. I would like to discuss that and create a more solidified relationship between commuters and the office of health and wellness to create higher support to address those issues.
Hi! I’m Alik Schier and I’m running because I believe in the collective power that students have when we organize, educate, and raise hell for what’s important to us. This campaign isn’t about one candidate or one issue, it’s about the future we want to see at DePaul. I believe we can build a DePaul that focuses on moving forward, creating new systems and reimagining what we want the next 4 years to look like here. If you do too, I hope I can count on your support! Not me, us.
Initiatives:
1. Abolish unpaid internships on campus and discourage those offers from being offered to students
2. Comprehensive Sex Education classes & resources that are queer inclusive and covers abortion access and contraception methods.
3. End the 25% tuition discount to students of CPD officers & instead use that money to fund racial justice organizations on campus
Hello, my name is Daniel McNeill, he/him, and I am from Greensboro, North Carolina. I am an acting major and looking to double, my favorite movie is Clue, and like everyone else, I was a barista. I have spent the majority of my life working, from theaters, Starbucks, and even a Tree farm. From these places, I learned many “life skills,” like dealing with a “Karen” and accurately propping a live tree. But something I noticed about all of these places was the environment and how it impacted my attitude toward work. Through this “observation,” I came to discover that community dramatically influences the environment and, therefore, my perception of work. I found that the more I felt left out or questioned by those around me, the less excited I was to work. A supportive community is vital. Students pay several thousands of dollars to attend DePaul, so it is imperative that we feel comfortable and safe in the community, both faculty and students, that it creates. Developing a DePaul where everyone has space, a voice, and does not feel left out or looked down upon is my top priority, in person or not.
Initiatives:
As a person who grew up in a conservative environment, I understand the feeling of isolation that comes with being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community while living at home. As senator, I will work toward creating virtual spaces and resources for people who are currently experiencing queer isolation. Through listening to my female-identifying peers and working toward confronting my privilege as a cis male, I recognize that sexism is still a major part of the culture at DePaul. As senator, I will make sure recognition of sexism within course material and discussion is standard. I will also fight to make sure that addressing discriminatory behavior and language becomes a more discrete and comfortable process. While members of our class are spending the first and possibly second quarter located across the world developing an initiative that connects DePaul students who are located near each other to create a sense of community is essential. Considering that a majority of us missed out on many mile-stone events that make up a typical senior year, I will work toward planning optional “make-up events’ like a “Missed Opportunities Prom.”
Hi! My name is Olga Mourgelas and I am an Applied Diplomacy major. I'm passionate about music, traveling, soccer, and learning languages. I'm running for SGA because I am dedicated to developing a safe, inclusive, connected, supportive, socially aware, and fun community for DePaul students.
Initiatives:
1. Organize virtual and in-person events for first-years. I want to provide more opportunities for freshmen to meet each other by organizing at least two virtual or in-person events a quarter for freshmen. Events can be movie nights, a bonfire, open mic nights, video game tournaments, speaker’s presentation, etc. or virtual town halls. Town halls will give us freshmen the opportunity to publicly voice our opinions and enact change at DePaul. Each town hall can have a different focus, such as racial justice, mental health, transitioning to college online, the LGBTQ+ community, and sexual and relationship abuse and violence.
2. Establish a legal advocacy program in collaboration with the DePaul College of Law, the Title IX Office, or other organizations that ensures students who are victims of sexual and relationship abuse that need legal assistance can attain it free of charge.
3. Make mental health resources more accessible. I want to establish a platform dedicated to providing resources and support regarding mental health. This platform can take the form of an app, website, etc, and will provide an organized list of resources offered by DePaul and external resources, an anonymous forum where students can post stories, quotes, pictures, or anything that can be considered motivational, and a DePaul-run mental health crisis hotline.
I am a first-generation college student and a bilingual Latina who was born and raised in Chicago. I am a political science major, and I hope to become a successful lawyer and politician in the future. I chose the following initiatives by asking first year students what they wanted to see done differently, and I will continue to do so. Please reach out to me with any questions and concerns.
Initiatives:
1) I plan to address the pressures first year students are facing while trying to manage school work in a virtual setting. I will create spaces where students can study together, and I will also advocate for students to get more flexibility on deadlines due to the drastic impact of the pandemic on our lives.
2) Due to the many acts of racism and discrimination occurring all over the nation, it is extremely important to me that every student at DePaul feels safe, welcomed, and respected. I want to focus on creating a more inclusive environment by having more safe spaces for POC and LGBT+ students and expanding the number of gender neutral bathrooms on campus.
3) DePaul is not doing enough to support faculty of color. They must increase diversity and put money into programs such as African and Black Diaspora Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, and Global Asian Studies, so they can hire more people of color. I would also like to push for the student body being able to give their input on faculty members getting tenure.
I'm a new transfer student from a community college, who is also an international student from Vietnam.
Initiatives:
As an international student myself, I understand the difficulties to study in the US as an international students, especially during this pandemic. Therefore, my goals are to build a friendly community for international students to communicate and learn from each other, be able to host career conference to give opportunity to work in the US after graduation for international students, and also host culture exchange events to promote diversity at DePaul.
Hi there! My name is Zoé, and I am a freshman BFA Acting major at TTS. Though acting is my first love, I also have a passion for law and politics, having participated in putting together protests, canvassing, and other political work, and am always looking for ways to make our world and theatre community more progressive and accepting. Along those lines, I have also spent a lot of time doing volunteer work, and run a project that raises money for music and arts education nationally. If elected, I would love to bring the leadership experience that I have, my passion for policy making, and my desire to make TTS the best place it can be into my representation of our community.
Initiatives:
One of my main goals is to make sure that every student, whether in Chicago or at home, feels connected to the DePaul community during this difficult time. I know firsthand as a student who is at home that it is no easy feat to feel supported by a community that you are so far from, and I want to do everything I can to make TTS feel as connected as possible. To do so, I would like to put together online events, meetings, and activities for all TTS members. This might include competitions (with prizes), games, get togethers, and more! Another initiative I'd really like to focus on is supporting student mental health in our community. Right now, there is so much going on in our world that feels impossible to handle, which means that we have to step up and support each other, and find new resources to help each other stay healthy. One of the ideas that I had was to put together occasional support groups, where anyone can attend if they need a safe space. I also thought it would be cool to start up some online poetry readings or coffee houses, which could give the students who need it an emotional and creative outlet. My third goal for this school year, were I to be elected, would be to ensure that every TTS student gets a voice and gets their ideas heard. I believe that if elected, it would be my job to represent our community, and listen to what the people want. In order to ensure that this happens, I'd like to open up caucuses to discuss and hear about the changes that the student body would like to see, and also open up a survey for all TTS students to fill out if they have an idea that they'd like to see implemented. In the end, if elected, I just want to represent everyone as best I can, and help make TTS the most supportive, helpful place that it can be.