SGA president, vice president ready to deliver ideas for new school year

The student body has spoken and the Student Government Association’s new president and vice president said they are ready to deliver.  Jordan Beale, a junior biochemistry major from Benton, Kentucky, was recently voted the new president of SGA after a close race with junior Julia Allen. “I was confident in my platform, but my competition was so good and the race was so close that it was such a toss up,” Beale said. “It’s really neat to look forward to something so big and so cool — I see so much potential and believe it’s going to be a great year.” As president, Beale will be in charge of calling and planning meetings along with taking charge of any proposals. She already has several plans for what she wants to personally accomplish next year. One of her main goals is improve the academic advising system. “I would love to see each student be designated two advisors — one from their department and one from the Career Development Center who’s just really focused on seeing you succeed as a student,” Beale said. Beale will be working closely on accomplishing these goals with vice president Hannah Passamonte, a junior social entrepreneurship and international business major from Maui, Hawaii. Both leaders already have one goal in mind to work on together – a tuition lock-in. Passamonte’s other plans include combating food waste in the cafeteria and even trying to improve parking. Passamonte said along with combating food waste, she wants to see healthier food options on and off campus. “I would really like to see different ways for students to get healthy,...

Jordan Beale elected as SGA president, Hannah Passamonte as VP

Rising senior Jordan Beale has been elected SGA president for 2015-16 school year.  Rising senior Hannah Passamonte was elected as vice president. Jamie Keiser was elected as secretary and Adrian Ricketts as treasurer. Below is the list of elected senators, from SGA’s email sent to the student body. Senior Senators: Zach Clemens Stephen Grady Brennan Johnson Cole Meador Kendall Young Junior Senators: Anna Cannone Philip Grimsley Caroline Hensley Grant Mathis Katie Scholl Sophomore Senators: Brandon Cunningham Matt Gibson Luis Hernandez Alleah Thompson Grayson...

Runoffs to be held Thursday for SGA president, VP

Runoff elections will be held for presidential candidates Julia Allen and Jordan Beale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Thursday. Runoffs will also be held for vice presidential candidates Lauren Gardiner and Hannah Passamonte. Elections were held in the Student Center on Tuesday. Jamie Keiser was elected as secretary and Adrian Ricketts as treasurer. Below is the list of elected senators, from SGA’s email sent to the student body. Senior Senators: Zach Clemens Stephen Grady Brennan Johnson Cole Meador Kendall Young Junior Senators: Anna Cannone Philip Grimsley Caroline Hensley Grant Mathis Katie Scholl Sophomore Senators: Brandon Cunningham Matt Gibson Luis Hernandez Alleah Thompson Grayson...

Candidates speak out on ideas at SGA Presidential Debate

From water bottle stations, to the cost of summer tuition at Lipscomb, the 2015-2016 Student Government Association candidates covered a variety of topics at the Presidential Debate Monday night in Shamblin Theater. Moderator Madeline Smith opened up the night by asking the senatorial candidates funny questions that were Tweeted out by audience members. Vice Presidential candidates Ezra Fritz, Lauren Gardiner, Hannah Passamonte, Jackson Smith and David Villacorta took the stage to share their ideas for the coming school year. The presidential portion of the debate began with a series of questions. Q: “If you could implement one major policy change at Lipscomb what would it be? A: Presidential candidate Julia Allen said she would change the way that tuition works. “I would like to see fixed tuition — for Lipscomb students to be able to stay for all four years,” Allen said. A: Presidential candidate Margaret Rox said she would also like to see a tuition lock for current students. “If we can’t have a tuition lock, I would at least like to see people’s scholarship increase with the tuition,” Rox said. While tuition increases each each, Rox said that scholarships don’t. She said that it would be more fair for scholarships to follow the same trend as rising tuition. A: Presidential candidate Jordan Beale said she is passionate about Lipscomb’s community, and she said she believes housing is a big part of the community. “I’d really like to see some greater opportunities for upperclassmen here on campus — maybe have more open dorm hours, a little bit more autonomy on those choices, a little bit more openness to moving off campus,” Beale said. Q: “What...

An Open Letter from SGA VP candidate Hannah Passamonte

Open Letter to the Student Body: Hey, everyone! My name is Hannah Passamonte, and I am a junior Business Management major from Maui, Hawaii. I am honored to be running for Vice President of the Student Government Association for the upcoming school year. I want to be your next Vice President because I am passionate about people and Lipscomb. I am committed to serving and advocating for the student body and believe that my personality and skill set allow me to do this best in a leadership position on SGA. I am qualified. I am active in Student Government and other campus student groups, which has allowed me to gain a greater understanding of what is required of an SGA executive and what it means to represent the diversity of our student body. A leader on SGA must be able to represent this school on a large scale, and I feel that I am best fit to do so. My goal since freshman year has been to get involved on campus and to surround myself with many different types of students. I have succeeded in doing this, and I am determined to represent this university not as one major, social club, sports team or school stereotype, but as a whole; because I believe it is our different interests, personalities and opinions that matter and should be portrayed. Having worked for Lipscomb Admissions and as a member of the Presidential Ambassador Council, I enjoy meeting with and am very comfortable approaching those who work in administration. We need SGA executives that are well-connected and trusted by administration in order to...