Casey Marley – News Editor
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Tomorrow, the polls will open as UAB undergraduates decide who will represent them next semester in the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA). The 2014-2015 school year marked the end of Anjali Wagle’s term as USGA president. The upcoming year requires a leader to fill her spot in an era of UAB’s history that is filled with controversial topics like the removal of the football team, the Free UAB movement and the collective distrust of the administration felt by students. Who will take Wagle’s place? Two men have applied for the presidential position: Garrett Stephens and Jacob Switzer. While both candidates have agreed on a need for more administration transparency and increased attention on student life, the two candidates strongly differ in educational backgrounds and plans for implementing change at UAB.
Garrett Stephens
Hometown: Opelika, Ala
Major: Political Science
Minor[s]: Criminal Justice and International Studies
Platform: Student empowerment, campus revitalization and transparency
While a fellow junior, like his opponent, year is one of the only similarities between Opelika native Garrett Stevens and Jacob Switzer. Stephens was drawn to UAB like many high school students interested in pursuing a medical career. However, before entering UAB his freshman year, he changed his major, deciding to pursue his love of history and politics by studying political science.
“I realized that I wouldn’t be happy in my undergrad years studying something I wasn’t going to be passionate about, so before I got up here I changed my major to political science, and I’ve been a political science major ever since,” he said. After graduation, Stephens would like to pursue a career in Federal Law enforcement, with his sights set on working for the FBI. He notes that he will see what “the future holds in regards to politics and other areas.”
His interest in politics, paired with a desire to see change at UAB is what drove him to run for USGA president and continue Anjali Wagle’s “strong leadership.”
“Anjali [has been]a great president, I thought that needed to continue, and I feel I am the person for that. Joining student government is a great way to continue that strong leadership and change some things on campus in this time of transition,” he said.
Stephens currently is a mentor for Blaze Relationship Network and the director of UAB’s Multicultural Council, an entity that celebrates diversity and educates cultural understanding among UAB’s students; has made the junior especially keen on cultural organizations on campus, a factor that he sees is essential in revitalizing student life, which is one of the key points in Stephen’s platform. “When cultural organizations partner together, they create more events for students, both entertaining and educational. So when you have all of these groups getting money, and encouraging them to do programs, there will be more programs on campus for students to do, hangout and exchange ideas,” he said.
In addition to increasing cultural organizations, Stephens would like to create a concert series, more late night dining options and work on bringing back the football team in order to “foster student life outside of the classroom.”
The candidate would also like to increase transparency among the UAB administration and students, and feels that the Free UAB movement encapsulates his campaign platform. “I think UAB needs to become its own independent university, and that goes into student life, student empowerment, and transparency: all three of those focuses go into the Free UAB movement,” he said. “Students want to be heard and they feel that can’t be heard.”
Visit www.garretstep.wix.com for more information.
Jacob Switzer
Hometown: Fairhope, Ala by Los Angeles, Calif
Major: Biology
Minor[s]: Chemistry and Spanish
Platform: Food Pantry, sports, library hours and more student communication outlets
Born in Los Angeles, Calif., Jacob Switzer moved to Fairhope, Ala. in Baldwin County at age 10. “I’ve lived there for most of my life now and my family is still there, and I moved up to UAB three years ago and I have loved it ever since,” said Switzer. “I’m a junior. I’m a biology major and I am double minoring in chemistry and Spanish, and I’m following the pre-med track.”
Building on two years of USGA experience and serving as the internal and external Vice President for his fraternity, Switzer believes that his experience will be make him qualified for the “opportunity to serve next year.”
Switzer’s platform revolves around four main “planks.” The first, increasing UAB’s Food Pantry’s supplies derives from his belief that it is USGA’s “privilege to give back to people.” He notes that over 4.5 million college students go hungry in the U.S. each year, and he would like “to provide food for those who have food insecurity but to also drive awareness” about a demographic that often gets overlooked.
Switzer in addition to increasing USGA’s philanthropic efforts with the Food Pantry, wants to make the college’s two library’s opened 24 hours a day and increase USGA’s support to remaining sports programs.
“With sports, the loss of football, bowling and rifle has been a big issue,” the candidate said. “It’s really adversely affected a lot of people. So what I want to push for is the student side of the sports with what we do have left. Whether it is creating more pre-game events for basketball and having perhaps a USGA sponsored tail-gate with a live band.”
While Switzer wants to work towards re-establishing the football team he believes it is more of a future issue. “Honestly it is not feasible to bring back football this year, the resources are just not there, but it is a need to see what we can do to bring that back into the future,” he said.
Switzer’s fourth “plank” in his platform is to make more opportunities for USGA to communicate with the administration by forming a “student caucus” modeled after the Faculty Senate. While a supporter of more open communication, the junior biology major does not align himself politically with the Free UAB movement.
“I think it is really important to understand that being president of USGA it is not necessarily what I want, but it is what the students want,” he said when asked on his position. However he does wish to increase transparency by working towards making President Ray L. Watts, M.D. a more accessible and public figure.
Visit www.voteswitzer.com for more information.
