Students of Saint Mary’s College will submit their votes Thursday for the 2023-24 Student Government Association (SGA) president and vice president. However, this election is unique from past years — there is only one ticket on the ballot.
Scarlet Peters, the candidate for SGA president, is a rising senior originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, working toward a double major in political science and Spanish. Her running mate for SGA vice president, Hannah Kaczor, is also a rising senior and political science major, as well as a global studies major. Kaczor is originally from Temperance, Michigan.
Peters was previously a resident assistant (RA) and plans to utilize her skill set from that job “to help the student body.”
“My position as an RA … has really given me insight into the needs of the statements on campus and on a really personal level,” she said.
Both women have been involved in SGA since their sophomore year. Peters was a member of the first-year committee and the student life committee, while Kaczor was also a member of the first-year committee as well as the social concerns committee.
In a handout released Monday, Peters and Kaczor broke their campaign goals into five parts.
Their first goal is to improve students’ education by advocating for proper funding for all departments. In an interview with The Observer Editorial Board, the pair explained that the underfunding of programs was brought to their attention when members of the education department “struggled to get the resources they needed” for their classes.
“We need to have the proper resources to be able to give back to [the student teachers’] students, and if we cannot provide for our own students, how are they expected to provide for theirs?” Kaczor said. “So just making sure that they have the resources that they need … is really important.”
Their second goal is to continue fostering relationships between all three schools of the tri-campus. They hope to plan future events either at Saint Mary’s or at either of the other two campuses to promote a “strong relationship”.
The ticket’s third goal is centered around inclusivity and diversity. According to the flyer, the pair intends “to foster a diverse campus community through our Campus Inclusivity committee, the department of Inclusion & Equity, and collaborations with the Student Diversity Board.” They also plan to “listen to the needs of underrepresented students” to improve Saint Mary’s for all.
Peters and Kaczor plan to “provide students with well-deserved events and giveaways” as their fourth goal.
“I think something that I’ve really enjoyed about being here on campus are the events and giveaways … so I think we just want to make sure that kind of continues on,” Peters said.
“We want to make sure there’s an even amount of giveaways along with meaningful events … so students are attending those events not just to get the free T-shirt, but also to gain something, whether that be a productive conversation or meeting other students,” she elaborated.
The ticket’s fifth and final platform goal is “student reach-out and suggestions.”
“[Kaczor] and I really want to strive to be a listening ear to what the campus needs,” Peters explained. “I think Saint Mary’s is already an amazing place, but there’s definitely room for improvement, so finding out what the student body needs and wants from us is really important.”
Kaczor added, “I think being a liaison between the students and hearing the students’ voices and then taking their needs to the administration and making an active effort to get them heard and things to actually happen is one of our main goals.”
Peters concluded by emphasizing why they are running in the first place.
“We really think Saint Mary’s is something special,” she said. “That has been what’s motivated us to run for student body president and vice president … we just want other Smicks to feel the same way and feel the same type of empowerment and support that we have for these past three years.”
