On Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 p.m., Buckley Nettles was announced as the 2025 SGA vice president on the Cater Hall steps. This victory ends Nettles’ three-day campaign “Buckling Up with Buckley,” as she starts implementing her platform of unifying the student body.
After the Elections Council announced her triumph, Nettles walked up the Cater Hall steps, accompanied by her supporters’ cheers.
“It’s so amazing. The concourse today was so much fun and just to see all of my and my team’s hard work pay off- it just really means the world,” Nettles said.
As vice president, Nettles will implement her campaign by first unifying SGA.
“I think one of my biggest things is building a community with intent whenever we get there. We just announced 34 new senators, which is amazing. I want us all to become one big family, so we can get so much done,” Nettles said. “So, I think over the next few weeks, really working to make every senator know who each other are and just become one.”
Nettles will then use SGA’s unification to benefit the student body, making SGA more accessible and personal.
“I think one of my main platform points is education,” Nettles said. “I harped on that every single day, and I just want [students] to know that they’re gonna know everything that SGA has for them now. They're gonna know who their senators are, what they can expect from the Cabinet and everything in between.”
Amid the excitement of campaign week and callouts, Nettles appreciated the support of her campaigners and the kindness of other candidates’ backers.
“I just want to say a huge thank you to Auburn, not only did they obviously show up and show out for me, but everyone today on the concourse was so kind and so nice, even if they weren’t supporting me,” Nettles said. “They were just so welcoming and so kind, even on such a stressful, stressful day.”
Nettles’ election marks the end of the 2024 SGA vice president Cara Herring’s tenure. Watching the hundreds of supporters gathered in the Upper Quad, Herring described passing on the position to Nettles as “incredibly bittersweet.”
“It has been such a surreal day. Thinking back on this day last year, it feels like it was only a week ago, but I think of all of the memories and all of the experiences and all of the opportunities, and it’s like, ‘Wow, that really did fill up a year, and I wouldn’t trade a single second,’” Herring said. “So, I’m so excited for Buckley, but it will be a very surreal moment when passing on the torch.”
Nettles won 4,607 votes at 59.79%. Her opponent Emma Frances Zellner garnered 3,098 votes at 40.21%, falling short by 1,509 votes or 19.58%.
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Michaela Yielding is a senior in journalism currently serving as the news editor. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since fall 2023.
