As election day draws closer, candidates for campus executive offices are promoting their platforms to their fellow students. Take a look at each candidate for executive office ahead of tonight’s 5:30 debate at the Overby Center on campus.
See theDMonline for coverage of tonight’s debate, our Facebook page for live streaming and follow @thedm_news on Twitter for live updates during candidates’ remarks.
Candidates for president
Wister Hitt
Hometown: Yazoo City
Major: Public policy leadership/English
Hitt said he wants to expand student services, accessibility and electronic hardware on campus. Hitt feels this issue would benefit students who are conducting a lot of research.
“I think the university needs to have a hybrid of upgrading personal computers in academic buildings,” Hitt said. “I also think we should have a technology center on campus to where students can bring their personal computers to have them upgraded to the most cutting-edge technology.”
For student services, Hitt said he thinks ASB can do something similar to what the Student Activities Association does each semester with its spring concert.
Elam Miller
Hometown: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Major: Public policy leadership
Miller said he wants to create a new position called the cabinet director of involvement. This position would be responsible for organizing all of ASB’s planned initiatives in one place. The site for the initiatives would contain paragraphs explaining the initiatives and the dates they were introduced. If students wanted to get involved with an initiative, they could contact the cabinet director of involvement through this platform. Miller also wants to expand on ASB’s role with the university administration.
“I really want to hold the administration accountable to the student voice,” Miller said. “So, this means more student representation on standing committees and trying to find a way for our Senate to have a voice when we do pass legislation.”
Emily Tipton
Hometown: Gulfport
Major: Religious studies
Tipton said she wants to change the “exclusive aura” of ASB and make the organization more accessible to everyone. She wants to collaborate more with existing organizations, like international students and transfer students, instead of being a “silent funder.” She said she wants to improve campaign reform, making it more affordable to run for ASB.
“I’m funding my own campaign because I think it’s important to show that it is possible to run an affordable campaign,” Tipton said. “The budget to run for ASB president is $1,500. That’s an inordinate amount of money. That means that a lot of people who run are backed by Greek organizations. A person who might want to run who is not involved in Greek organizations doesn’t get to run.”
Dylan Wood
Hometown: Tupelo
Major: Accounting
Wood said he’s running because he’s “tired of nothing ever getting done in ASB.” The proposals he would set forth if he is elected include trying to “limit the amount of construction going on around campus at one time” and trying to increase funding to the counseling center to help combat suicide.
Wood also wants to create more initiatives that will make campus more inclusive.
“I think we should have a spring version of Everybody’s Formal,” Wood said. “We could do something like Everybody’s Crawfish Boil.”
Candidate for vice president
Walker Abel
Hometown: Oxford
Major: Chemical engineering
Abel decided to run because he felt he could “be a driving force for change” in ASB. He is running unopposed for the position of vice president. When he takes office, he plans to make the student body more aware of the daily activities of ASB.
“As vice president, my main role would be to preside over the ASB Senate,” Abel said. “I promise to work closely with each of our senatorial committees and pass meaningful pieces of legislation that tackle student issues, such as parking, community service and others.”
Candidates for judicial chair
Alex Crouch
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Major: Public policy leadership
Crouch said he decided to run for judicial chair because he feels he “knows where students are coming from” when they try to navigate the judicial process. He also said he would try to increase the role of advisers to guide students through the judicial process.
“I would try to push access to advisers who are staff members or lawyers,” Crouch said. “I would try to educate students about the advisers because people don’t understand the process.”
Bea Tisher
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Major: Accounting
Tisher said she made the decision to run for judicial chair because she wanted to help the Ole Miss community with the judicial process. Tisher said that if she were elected she would try to enhance the adviser program.
“I think we really need to help students with the adviser program,” Tisher said. “We also need to do a better job of promoting the Title IX office.”
Candidates for attorney general
Austin Fiala
Hometown: Tullahoma, Tennessee
Major: Public policy leadership and French Fiala said he wants to run because he has served in the Senate for two years by helping enforce parliamentary procedure and he wants to continue to do something good. Fiala wants to help clarify election rules instead of them being “determined on an election-by-election basis.”
“I want to make sure the ASB Code and Constitution is up to date,” Fiala said. “I would be happy to interpret that for people, but I want to make it to where everyone can read it.”
Katherine Sistrunk
Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Major: Public policy leadership
Sistrunk decided to run because she has been on the attorney general board for several years and thinks ASB should “revamp the (election rules).” The specific rules Sistrunk would like to change are the policies regarding election times and expenses.
“I think the budget for elections is very expensive,” Sistrunk said. “I think the budget should be lowered to $1,000 for all candidates. I also think the time for campaigning should be shortened and we should change the voting time back to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
Candidate for treasurer
Jonathan Cox
Hometown: New Albany, Ohio
Major: Accounting
Cox was appointed to serve as treasurer by ASB President Dion Kevin last semester to fill the vacancy left by former Treasurer Jennie Jesuit. Cox decided to run for treasurer to “make a positive impact on the university through the Treasury Department.” Cox wants to increase transparency in the Treasury Department when he is sworn in by making the budget available to the general public.
“Tentatively, we are looking at an End of Year Report that the Treasury Department will issue for students, faculty and the Oxford community to read,” Cox said. “It’ll include things like what we’ve funded throughout the year and what we are looking forward to doing the next year.”
