Meet your presidential candidates

Tyler DeWitt

• United Students party

• Vice presidential running mate:        Rachel Goodwin, sophomore political science major

• Junior accounting major

• Current college senator for business and economics

Student Government Association presidential candidate Tyler DeWitt's campaign focuses on "accountability and ultimately transparency" in the SGA.

"I decided to run for president of SGA because upon becoming a senator, I noticed a few fundamental, and honestly somewhat disheartening, practices that were going on in SGA," he said. "I'm promoting accountability because the saddest part of all this is that our student body doesn't know this is going on. The student body doesn't know the lack of integrity, honestly, that's come through in terms of following the (SGA) constitution and executing faithfully the laws of the Student Government Association."

DeWitt said students should vote for the candidates running under the United Students party because of their accountability-based platform.  But he said students should learn about all the candidates.

"Truly research these issues and think about which party, which candidates, are truly looking out for your interest and not their own," he said.

The SGA's meeting agendas, minutes and bills have not been updated on its website since November.  If elected, DeWitt said he'll ensure they are posted online in a timely manner.

"How are we being transparent if students don't even know what is going on because the bills aren't posted?" he said.

DeWitt wants to survey students monthly to determine the interest and issues of the student body directly, he said. Dewitt said surveys are important in order for SGA to make decisions and for transparency in general.

 "When there is a big issue –- a controversial issue -– instead of just going to the administration and telling them what we think, let's put it to a referendum vote," he said. "Let's let the student body decide."

DeWitt also promised to refuse tuition and stipends executive officers receive. Those funds come from SGA's budget, which is comprised of student-paid fees.

"I will not accept the SGA president scholarship, and I plan to donate that back to The University of Memphis scholarship fund and give it back to students who have truly proven in the classroom that they deserve that scholarship money," he said. "I don't believe that one person who is already running a surplus in scholarships should receive that money, and I believe it is inherently unethical and morally disturbing."

DeWitt said he receives $9,000 in scholarship money and challenges his opponent, current SGA president Hunter Lang, to disclose the amount of scholarship money he receives. DeWitt suggested both he and Lang have their award totals verified by the scholarship office.

As an SGA senator, DeWitt worked with state legislators to compose a bill that will allow students to use the HOPE lottery scholarship during summer semesters. He also spearheaded a comprehensive reform package within SGA that rewrote several parts of its bylaws. Those changes include raising senators' grade point average requirements to 2.5 instead of 2.0.

However, that part of his bill was amended by Speaker of the Senate James Johnson to 2.3.  Johnson said though he doesn't feel 2.5 is challenging, he thinks 2.3 is more reasonable and assures that SGA doesn't create requirements some students cannot meet.

DeWitt argued that if a senator can't make a 2.5 GPA, SGA might be a distraction.

DeWitt also said he supports bringing the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program to campus but thinks the student body should vote on the program because it may be funded through student-paid fees. He wrote a bill that would put the continuation of the program on this election's ballot. 

The senate hasn't voted on that bill because the meeting it was to be discussed in ended early, as requested by the majority of senators.

Lang said after the meeting that he planned to veto the bill if it were passed because it conflicted with a previous bill, which discussed the continuation of the program on campus.

DeWitt said he is working with the Adult and Commuter Student Association to amend the SGA constitution to designate a seat for a commuter student. 

Hunter Lang

• Finding Answers Concerning Everyone party

• Vice presidential running mate:   Courtney Milton, senior accounting major

• Current SGA president

• Junior piano performance and music business major

Student Government Association President Hunter Lang's campaign for re-election centers on the implementation of the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program.