Student Government elections are right around the corner. Voting takes place on Thursday and Friday. Here are the things to know before heading to the polls.
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT
Lindsey Bacque
Port Barre, La., junior Lindsey Bacque hopes to create a culture of unity on campus with a three-point plan, working to enhance the student experience, increase affordability and access, and strengthen the alumni network.
“My platform revolves around creating a culture of unity, and those all come together in three interconnected goals which we have been working really hard on this year, so I’m hoping to continue a lot of the things we have already been working on,” Bacque said.
Bacque has been in student government for three years and currently serves as the internal vice president.
To enhance the student experience, Bacque plans to address sexual assault by increasing training and continuing to work with student leaders across campus. In addition, Bacque also plans on advocating for a more diverse faculty and expanding available resources for multicultural groups on campus. To increase affordability and access for students, Bacque hopes to expand on previous initiatives already started by Houston senior Pearson Brown, the current student body president, to make more scholarships and endowments available to students. Lastly, Bacque hopes to strengthen the Alumni Network and help students find an avenue to become better connected.
“As student body president, I would represent [students]. There are so many unique needs and voices, and they all need to be heard,” Bacque said.
Alex Plott
With the slogan “think progress, think Plott,” Tomball junior Alex Plott plans on making several changes to campus. If elected, he would work to ensure that Baylor is a safe and caring community, help students transition from on-campus to off-campus housing and revitalize old traditions in addition to starting new ones.
Plott has had previous experience with numerous organizations including being an active member in student government and the Baylor Chamber of Commerce.
“The purpose of my campaign this year is to represent the voices of all students on Baylor’s campus, regardless of their Greek affiliation,” Plott said.
Plott wants to bring the bears back to McLane Stadium and create a senior graduation week so seniors can check off what’s left of their Baylor Bucket List. In addition, Plott wants to bring in a high profile speaker to commencement.
“I chose to run for student body president because I believe I would be best able to represent the different perspectives students may have on campus. I have been involved in many organizations on campus, so I feel like I have a good grasp of the Baylor community,” Plott said.
EXTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
Amye Dickerson
Katy sophomore Amye Dickerson is focusing her campaign around the ideas of “experience, leadership and effective change.” Dickerson has been a senator in student government the past two years.
“I feel like my background has made me extremely qualified to implement change instead of just fulfilling empty promises to gain votes,” Dickerson said.
She plans to engage the community by bringing more political leaders to campus, expanding off-campus safety and getting the local government more involved in protecting students off -campus, whether its making sure some roads are more well-lit or even making sure Waco Police can access gated apartment complexes in case of emergency.
In addition, Dickerson plans to continue the Texas Student Government Coalition initiative, where she would work with other universities to lobby and support the needs of students. Houston junior Steven Newcomb, the current external vice president started the initiative this past year and Dickerson worked closely with him.
“This position is one that people have big hopes for. In the past, people have just seen us stay locally here in Waco, getting more people plugged in with the community, and while I think that’s great, I feel like now we have a foundation to do more with this position to engage alumni and look at other universities across the nations,” Dickerson said.
Montgomery Miller
Lubbock sophomore Montgomery Miller has served as the freshman and sophomore class president for the past two years. His platform, “opportunity, mobility, safety,” stands for the three projects he plans to work on if elected.
“I feel like I picked three really achievable goals with my platform, which is something that distinguishes me from the other candidates,” Miller said.
The first project is to increase the number of opportunities students have to do internships that count for course credit, the second is to expand the hours and locations of the campus bus line to neighboring apartments to increase students’ mobility and working with Baylor to revamp sexual assault programs.
“I’m not running for this just because I think it would be a good resume line. I am running for this position because I really feel this position will give me the clout, the resources and just the general community I need to accomplish change in these three very specific topics,” Miller said.
INTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
Joel Polvado
Campaigning on “passion, purpose, product,” Winfree sophomore Joel Polvado is running unopposed. Once elected as internal vice president he plans to renew the sense of purpose in student government and make Baylor more accessible to all students.
“I’m one of the most passionate senators in the senate, and that is consensus among the entire body,” Polvado said.
For the past two years, he has served as a student senator, where he acted as the legislative secretary and worked on revisions to the student body constitution, which were recently passed.
Polvado plans to unite members in the senate to make sure they can continue acting as a service organization for Baylor. In addition, he wants to focus on making campus more accessible for students with disabilities. Polvado wants to continue conversations with administrators about the possibility of hiring an accessibility coordinator and adding more accessibility features on older buildings on campus.
“I think that I would be a valuable addition to the student body officers of this next year,” Polvado said.
