After a weekend of campaigning, Student Government Association (SGA) presidential and vice presidential candidates took the stage in a debate Monday night. Senator Darien Marion-Burton and running mate Senator Danica Gray stood opposite Vice President Richard Benson and running mate Secretary Megan Funke. Though the “Improve 2014” tagline of the Burton-Gray ticket is an appealing direction in which to take the student government, the “Continuing Excellence” platform on which Benson and Funke are running provides just that—a solid platform.
The highest critique of the Benson-Funke ticket revolves around Benson’s spending in excess of $33,000 during his term as interim president when current president Cameron Onumah stepped down for an internship across the country. However, on close inspection, the amount is not what is surprising about the spending—the money left for appropriation in spring term is comparable to that left in previous years at the same time.
Rather, Benson’s decision not to veto any requests passed by the Senate—of which Marion-Burton and Gray are a part—is the surprising part of the events of Benson’s interim term and is not offensive enough to offset the professionalism, experience and rationality of the Benson-Funke campaign.
