Letter from the candidate: Rankin ready to push Belmont forward

Fellow student,

I’m happy to share with you that I am running for president of the Student Government Association. There is work that needs to be done to ensure a brighter future for Belmont students, and I, along with my Vice President Jade Cooper, have a plan for what this looks like.

Finance: Every year, a portion of each student fee goes toward SGA, totaling $50,000. This is our greatest resource as an organization. Unfortunately, SGA has not spent anywhere close to its total allocated funding in recent years.

As treasurer for the past two semesters, I have seen firsthand how big a task it is to effectively spend such a large sum of money. It takes a well laid out spending plan from the president in conjunction with cooperation between cabinet, congress, and students.

I believe I am in a unique position to completely reinvigorate how SGA spends its money and consequently increase the positive impact of SGA on campus.

Under my supervision, I will see to it that student organizations overall receive more money from SGA than ever before and that our entire budget is spent in a way that maximizes the benefit to the entire student body.

Campus Outreach & Events:

Over the past year, SGA has seen enormous success and improvement with regards to our capacity and resolve to communicate with students.

As president, I will continue to make certain that any student who wishes to have their voice heard by SGA can do so. Coffee & Conversation, Town Halls and open office hours are the tools SGA representatives will continue to use to hear from students.

In addition to having your voice heard, it is also essential that you know what SGA is working on. Under our administration, you will be able to sign up for a biweekly SGA newsletter and find all of SGA’s initiatives and resolutions on an official website.

Policy:

The legislative function of SGA saw unprecedented success in the 2014-15 term. Jade and I will protect the mechanisms in place to pass resolutions so that legislative work continues to run efficiently.

We, along with your SGA representatives, will work diligently so the concerns of the student body are heard by and expressed effectively to Belmont administrators.

Of course, there are many issues we cannot address in this brief letter. I am always willing to speak with you and welcome any questions or comments you may have. I hope I can count on your support so that we can work together to improve our community and PUSH BELMONT FORWARD.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Rankin

P.S. Thank you to our fantastic sponsor, Chago’s Cantina! Pollo gringo changed my life, let it change yours.