It’s official — Ohio University’s 2012 Student Senate election season kicks off Tuesday.
For candidates on the two tickets yOU and REACH, as well as independent candidates Jared Henderson and Jiuqing Cheng, the upcoming campaigns have been months in the making.
Tony Koehling, a junior studying political science, and Zach George, a junior studying finance, are running for president on the yOU and REACH tickets, respectively.
Koehling transferred at the beginning of this year from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky., where he served as an at large representative and a student activity board chair of technology and communication on its Student Senate.
“I’m a big advocate of saying, ‘This is Student Senate, not real politics,’?” he said, adding that he will make senate more accessible to students.
Koehling serves as one of senate’s public-relations representatives.
“We’re not necessarily trying to change senate; we’re trying to enhance senate to its full potential,” Koehling said. “We’re about innovating senate, not changing it.”
George is involved with business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi and has previously served as a West Green senator and academic affairs commissioner. He currently serves as a university life commissioner.
“The president has to go between two roles,” George said. “I know my senate. I know the administration, and I’m one to go up and bat for students.”
George added that he will “advocate for student voices.”
“We need the ultimate champion of student voices and I know that I can be that individual,” he said.
On the yOU ticket, Elizabeth Culp, a junior studying history and anthropology, is running for vice president. She is involved with Alpha Delta Pi and is an intern and volunteer for the Athens County Historical Society and Museum.
“I know that Student Senate does a lot of great stuff now,” Culp said. “I want to keep that going and expand the presence of Student Senate on campus.”
Culp added that, if elected, she would focus on student involvement on campus.
Amrit Saini, a junior studying philosophy, is vying for the vice-presidential position on the REACH ticket. Saini has been involved with law fraternity Pi Alpha Delta, the Ohio University History Association and Students Defending Students and is an Honors Tutorial College student studying research and classics.
Saini, who has been involved with senate since his freshman year, is an academic affairs commissioner. He has previously served as an East Green senator.
“In senate in general, we need to take a 21st-century approach,” Saini said. “We need to be proactive digitally.”
Saini said he hopes to eventually interact with students on the senate website more frequently.
Eric Holley, a junior studying finance and business economics, is running as treasurer for yOU. Holley works at Boyd Market and is involved with Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed business fraternity.
“I’ve never been involved with Student Senate, but we would bring new, fresh ideas,” Holley said.
Evan Ecos, a junior studying communication, is running as treasurer for REACH. Currently a senate residential life commissioner and a student activities commissioner, Ecos started on senate as a freshman.
As an intern, he worked on the state and federal affairs commission before losing to now-running mate Saini for a senator position. When Ecos was a sophomore, he served as assistant chief of staff and as an East Green at large senator.
Ecos also has been an Alpha Lamba Delta member, a member of College Republicans, chair of Honor Council and a member of several hall councils. Ecos also is a resident assistant at The Convo.
“I would watch the 3.5 percent tuition increase and make sure they’re only increasing for emergency situations and not on a routine base,” Ecos said.
Ecos added that he would like to encourage student involvement with senate and would do so by holding open-forum addresses, something REACH has “big plans” for, Ecos added.
Independent Candidates
In addition to the two official parties, two candidates are running independent of a ticket.
Henderson, a junior studying philosophy, is running for senate president.
Henderson serves as senate’s Honors Tutorial College senator. He is also on the Honors Community Council and involved with The Lost Flamingo Company.
“I would like Student Senate to take some more stances on issues that we’re not really talking about,” Henderson said.
Henderson also doesn’t see the value in forming tickets, adding that he “needs people to disagree.”
Cheng, a third-year graduate student studying psychology, said he is running for SAC at large senator in hopes of bringing more students and administrators together.
Cheng became involved with OU’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association in 2009 after graduating with a master’s degree in medical psychology.
“This is a very new opportunity for me,” Cheng said. “I think there’s a gap between students and OU.”
sj950610@ohiou.edu
