Eleven candidates are running for elected SGA positions next year, one for President, one for the Vice President of Internal Affairs, one for the Vice President of External Affairs, and eight for Senator. We asked the candidates a series of questions. Here are their answers:

Candidate for SGA President

Kyla Engleman

  1. Why do you want to serve in SGA? What skills, experience, values, and representation
    will you bring to the role if elected    ?
    • I am the current SGA secretary and have found a wonderful passion for
      representing the student body. As student body president my goal is to help grow
      student communication and participation along with building a team that will
      support students and represent them accurately. All students deserve to have a
      place where they know they will be heard; on-campus that place is SGA. Being
      involved in SGA this past year has helped me to understand the diverse group of
      students that Western caters to. I hope to bring my values of respect, kindness,
      understanding, and my growth mindset to the student body. I will always be
      willing to try to understand different perspectives and simply listen. I understand
      that change doesn’t happen overnight, but I am willing to put in the work to invoke
      the changes that students see and bring to SGA. Growing up in Gunnison I have
      had the blessing of a wonderful and supportive community. I hope my
      involvement in organizations like Cattlemen’s days and Tough Enough to Wear
      Pink will help bond our Western community with the Gunnison community that is
      so dedicated to supporting our students.
  2. What is your biggest priority should you be elected to SGA?
    • My Biggest priority if elected to SGA is first to listen to students and gain a better
      understanding of what their needs are. I hope to not only listen but help foster
      positive change. I think educating students about what SGA does and how it
      affects students is currently my top priority. Having students understand the
      impact that SGA has on policy and fiscal management is crucial to student
      engagement at Western.
  3. In your view, how can we make campus safer?
    • I have always felt that campus is a safe and inclusive environment. However, I do
      know that this is not the case for all of our students. We have made progress with
      getting the new lighting approved and are still working towards installing security
      cameras. As recent events have shown us, mental health is one of Western’s
      biggest battles that needs to be addressed. I think continuing to provide and
      educate students about mental health resources will help create a safer
      environment.
  4. How can we make Western more diverse and inclusive? What would that look like?
    • Western has a strong foundation to support diversity and inclusive efforts. I
      believe that these efforts have been shown through the work of students in a
      multitude of clubs and specifically through the MCC. I think continuing to
      support students in their initiatives and creating equal opportunity for all students
      is the best way for Western to continue towards a diverse and inclusive future.
  5. What is something that needs to change at Western? How would you go about changing it
    in your ideal world?
    • I think that Western needs better communication from the administration to
      teachers and students. Communication is a never-ending challenge among all
      people and Western should strive to be better. I would do this by encouraging
      more public discussions revolving around the problems that our campus faces.
      Along with celebrating our victories.
  6. What is one positive thing at Western that needs to receive more attention and resources?
    • There are a number of positive things happening at Western. This includes but is
      not limited to sustainability initiatives, MCC’s work for cultural awareness, the
      EPIC mentor’s work towards guiding students at Western, and the endless
      opportunities to be involved with clubs, athletics, and more.

Candidates for Senator positions:

Leah Taylor

  1. Why do you want to serve in SGA? What skills, experience, values, and representation will you bring to the role if elected? 
    • I want to serve in SGA so I can be a resource for the student body to use when they have needs or wants. The skills I will bring to this role are determination, being able to see the bigger picture, and a willingness to include all perspectives. I have already served in SGA as a senator for the 2021-2022 school year. I know what it’s like when students feel like they aren’t being heard so I want to help. I value loyalty, duty, and respect. If elected, I will represent the student body the way they want to be represented and tend to all of their needs that they bring to me. 
  1. What is your biggest priority should you be elected to SGA? 
    • My biggest priority in SGA will be to ensure that student funds are being used in a way that is beneficial to the students and to make sure the student body is happy. 
  1. In your view, how can we make campus safer? 
    • In my view I believe campus could be safer by having more lighting around campus at night and including cameras in the parking lots, so cars aren’t getting damaged without notice. 
  1. How can we make Western more diverse and inclusive? What would that look like? 
    • We can make Western more diverse and inclusive by being positive to each other and hosting more multicultural events as well as being open to others’ needs. This would look like respecting people no matter where they came from and being nice to others. Inclusivity event examples can be from hosting more LGBTQ events to exploring different types of music to even gatherings where people can connect and learn about each other. 
  1. What is something that needs to change at Western? How would you go about changing it in your ideal world?
    • I think something that needs to change at Western is the cliques between sports teams and athletes. I believe they should all be together and friends. One way I would go about this is having a dinner at the beginning of the year with all of the athletes so that way they could all connect. 
  1. What is one positive thing at Western that needs to receive more attention and resources? 
    • One positive thing is that the attempts to make the RAC a better eating place has been noticed and I believe they should keep progressing on that project.
  1. Is there anything else you would like to share?
    • Sko Neers! 

Lillea Cole

  1. Why do you want to serve in SGA? What skills, experience, values, and representation will you bring to the role if elected? 
    • I care immensely about the student body here at Western. It is an incredible campus and I believe the students should be served equally. I have leadership experience in the past and bring to the table a compassionate outlook on campus issues. I am an NCAA athlete and think it is important to have support for all WCU’s activities, clubs, and sports. 
  2. What is your biggest priority should you be elected to SGA? 
    • My biggest priority for Western is overall inclusion and representation. I feel every extracurricular or group should have a form of support and funding from the university. Every student should be able to express their voice and have an opinion on campus topics. 
  3. In your view, how can we make campus safer? 
    • Campus safety is incredibly important. Education on physical, mental, and relational health would better protect Western students. As well as personal safety and activism to further ensure campus safety. There are so many resources available at WCU I would love to push those further so students can make better use of them and elevate campus life. 
  4. How can we make Western more diverse and inclusive? What would that look like? 
    • Inclusivity is very important; everyone has a place here at Western and I think positive representation would make campus outreach more effective. Possibly elevating diversity groups and clubs so they can host more events and appeal to more students. 
  5. What is something that needs to change at Western? How would you go about changing it in your ideal world? 
    • I think Western’s campus would benefit from more women’s groups and clubs. The student body contains countless women who are visionaries and future leaders and I believe these qualities should be heightened and acknowledged by the university. More organizations for female students would be a wonderful addition to WCU. 
  6. What is one positive thing at Western that needs to receive more attention and resources? 
    • I would love to see an improved level of stability attention amongst students. Stability grows through physical health, stress relief, and educational support. We currently have wonderful resources and advisors to help students with these problems, but I would appreciate seeing it extended, supported and be a more recurrent theme on campus. Many students do not know about all of their potential resources, so it is important they are easily accessible and common knowledge on campus. 
  7. Is there anything else you would like to share? 
    • I am extremely blessed to have the opportunity to run for Western’s student government. I want to represent the priorities of all students and I greatly respect the opinions of the student body. Thank you for your consideration in voting for me as an SGA senator. SKO’ NEERS! 

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