Among the sea of campaigners on Haley Concourse this week is one of the most consequential races for the student body, SGA president. The candidates, Owen Beaverstock and Jake Yohn, juniors in political science, both have been making sizable efforts to reach every corner of the student body before election day. Still, they each acknowledged the strain the campaigns take on students.
Beaverstock's campaign, "Be Better With Beaverstock" is about making Auburn even better than it already is.
“Sometimes it can get a little bit lost that the people that are campaigning are trying to help the people they’re talking to, so we’re trying to do right by that,” Beaverstock said.
Yohn's campaign, "Yohn to Victory" focuses on the idea that every student should feel represented by SGA.
“I think the biggest feedback from students is that they’re really frustrated with this week,” Yohn said. “All they see from us is this one week where we ask a lot out of them; we ask for their vote and their attention, and their concourse gets flooded, and the rest of the time, they don’t see that impact.”
Beaverstock and Yohn have similar experience in SGA, though Beaverstock has been in its executive branch and Yohn in the legislative. Their platforms both stress the importance of strengthening SGA’s connection with the student body but differ in their ultimate goals for the association.
Yohn emphasizes the potential for SGA to be a vehicle for mobilizing public opinion toward major issues the organization has historically been powerless to alter.
“If we have a campus that feels like it’s behind our SGA, we’re going to be able to tackle bigger issues that we normally don’t really get to talk about as a student government, like parking and housing,” said Yohn.
Beaverstock aims to improve SGA’s connections to other on-campus organizations and the community.
“We just need to do a better job of going and meeting organizations where they’re at so we can assist them in reaching their goals, too. That looks like us getting out of the student center and just going and meeting with them,” Beaverstock said. He continued, “We’ve got a lot of really good initiatives that we’re trying to do, focusing on academics, focusing on campus life in general, and the connection with the rest of the community and outside Auburn.”
These candidates have inspired devoted and passionate supporters on both sides.
“Owen’s been an evident leader and steadfast friend since freshman year. Words fall short on days like these, so I couldn’t be more thankful to support someone who demonstrates true servant leadership throughout his day-to-day actions,” said Kathryn Turner, Beaverstock’s campaign manager, in a statement to The Plainsman.
“I’m supporting Jake Yohn because he has the courage to speak about real issues that affect every single student on our campus, and the desire to be the voice for the voiceless.” said Zay Youngblood--Yohn's campaign manager--adding, "Jake Yohn is a servant leader, a true friend and a spirit that is unafraid.”
This passionate support illustrates the significance of this race. While it may seem less clear on the concourse, the battle for SGA president is very important to the candidates and the Auburn Family.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
