Elections for the Student Government Association or SGA are open through the end of Friday, with students able to vote in the SGA presidential and senate elections.
Juniors Zaid Hatem and Zach Lambert are running unopposed for Student Government president and vice president. The two running mates have served in SGA for several semesters during their time at Belmont since they joined their freshman year.
Both seats require two consecutive semesters with SGA and a GPA of 2.75. Hatem has ample experience with SGA, serving as a cabinet member and as election commissioner last year. He is confident that this experience, along with his involvement in the Belmont community, has given him the ability to represent the student body well.
“We will try to foster inclusivity with every organization on campus: The ones we know well, and the ones that are underrepresented. We promote diversity, and we hope we can attain the trust of the students and live up the responsibility that Belmont has bestowed on us as president and vice president,” said Hatem.
The running mates are excited about their future as SGA president and vice president. They both shared that they are passionate about their work and plan to further unite Belmont students.
“I’m looking forward to utilizing everything I’ve learned from the past great leaders. Everyone had their own approach; I will have my own as well. All the ups and downs and all the events I’ve witnessed have taught me a lot,” Hatem says.
Current vice president Lexi Bramer expressed her confidence in the new candidates’ abilities.
“They both have worked alongside us. They know the ins and outs fairly well,” she said. “They both served in the cabinet during their time in SGA. Zach was in our administration as parliamentarian, so he has a lot of legislative experience. Zaid was election commissioner when we ran, so he put together Stevie and I’s election.”
Students can vote using a link on SGA’s Instagram, or by visiting SGA’s website, www.belmontsga.org.
Election commissioner Ben Palmer shared that usually, students didn’t give the election much attention. However, SGA is expecting a larger voter turnout this year.
Lambert said, “Our election is right after the general election for the nation, so I think voting is on everyone’s mind. We are expecting a pretty big turnout.”
Both candidates and all 30 senators are looking forward to their time serving the student body. Lambert looks at their upcoming term optimistically, he said.
“We have listened to Belmont these last few semesters. We have had our fingers on the pulse of the student body, and we hear what they’re saying. We crafted our platform around making Belmont a more inclusive society,” he said.
“This is what the Bruins want, it’s important that we start building bridges instead of burning them down.”
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This article written by Margot Pierson.