KENNESAW, GA- Kennesaw State’s Student Government Association (SGA) election season began on March 21. Candidates are competing to replace graduating seniors Taejah Goode and Keely Gerety as SGA President and Vice President.
The Elevate KSU ticket is led by Honors College sophomores Allisa George and Aliyah Johnson. George, the presidential candidate, envisions expanding study spaces, creating a centralized KSU app, and instilling school pride among commuter students.
“My platform…is Elevate KSU, and what that means is that we want to make sure that KSU is growing, improved and elevated for the student body,” George said.
Elevate KSU also proposes increasing SGA-sponsored events to strengthen campus community. George highlighted her leadership in past initiatives, such as Feel Good Friday and adding concentrations in the Wellstar College. George also plans active communication with the student body.
“We plan on starting on day one…communicating with student affairs and making sure that we’re both on the same page,” George said.
Legacy KSU is led by current SGA Public Relations Director Nyla Nelson and Treasurer America Lopez. Their campaign prioritizes transparency, accessibility, and expanded parking.
“Our main focus is on leaving a legacy that puts students first at KSU,” Nelson said.
Nelson shared personal struggles with parking, “I’ve missed class before because of a parking issue.” She proposed creating a new visitor lot, but emphasized that her advocacy would reflect student preferences, such as a parking garage.
Transparency is central to Legacy KSU’s platform. Nelson outlined plans for real-time updates on SGA initiatives and more direct in-person outreach to students.
“[Outreach would involve] not only posting on the Instagram page, but also physically going out…getting to know each student on a student-by-student basis,” Nelson said.
Legacy KSU aims to make general body meetings more accessible and informative. Nelson wants to encourage attendance by highlighting the unique opportunities these meetings offer.
“We have Parking, Housing, Dining Campus Services [administrators] come and speak…you can ask them any question or tell them about any issue that you have going on around campus, and they will come and help fix that,” Nelson explained.
Both campaigns include long-term goals to address systemic issues. Elevate KSU prioritizes fostering campus pride and academic resources. Legacy KSU focuses on parking improvements and better communication between students and administrators.
Nelson plans to initiate conversations with Campus Services and senior university leadership, including President Schwaig, to advocate for solutions. She criticized the lack of follow-ups on student concerns and vowed to improve transparency.
Legacy KSU also plans to delegate tasks across the E-board and Senate to foster collaboration and efficiency.
“I plan on delegating tasks to everyone amongst the E-board and the Senate [so that] it will be so much of a collaborative effort that we’re going to be able to get a lot of things started off the ground,” Nelson said.
As the election season progresses, students must decide which vision for KSU’s future resonates most with their needs.