Jordan Isbell
Among stickers, snacks and tables galore, students at the University of Mississippi returning from spring break found themselves in the midst of the Associated Student Body election campaigns, which will determine the future ASB executive committee and senators.
In addition to determining who will fill all 50 senate seats, the election will decide who will serve as next year’s ASB president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, judicial chair and attorney general. There are a total of 16 candidates vying for an executive position. All candidates who hold ASB positions for the 2023-2024 academic year temporarily resigned for the duration of the campaign period.
The campaign period began on Thursday, March 14, during spring break, so candidates began digitally campaigning for students’ votes. Public campaigning began on Monday, Mar. 18, and several candidates tabled on the Union Plaza to promote their campaigns.
The president and vice president elections are the most hotly contested, with four candidates looking to fill each position, while there are only two candidates competing for every other executive position.
Public campaigning will end on Tuesday, March 26, and voting will take place on the same day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through the MyOleMiss portal.
ASB president candidates
Jackson Scruggs
Scruggs, a junior public policy leadership major, aims to make ASB a more proactive force, as opposed to a reactive force. His specific goals include increasing the presence of drug testing strips in all on-campus dorms, adding off-campus parking options and pushing for more dining options on campus and in residence halls.
Hannah Watts
Watts, a junior English and public policy leadership major, introduced three pillars in her campaign: connect, empower and engage. Some of Watts’ plans include investing in student small businesses, adding more flexible appointments with the University Counseling Center and improving transportation services.
Helen Phillips
Phillips, a junior public policy leadership major, formerly served as ASB attorney general and plans to focus on student experience and development on campus. Several of her ideas include restructuring first-year programming to improve retention rates, providing a centralized hub of campus resources, links and FAQs and dedicating a week to mental health awareness to reduce stress among students.
Ethan Robertson
Robertson, a junior political science major, currently serves as ASB secretary and is working towards bolstering student engagement and involvement. His proposed policies include implementing a “hotty toddy pack” that allows students to purchase required textbooks at $20 per credit hour, accommodating orientation leaders with a three-hour class credit and adding two senate seats dedicated to campus workers.
ASB vice president candidates
Omobola Obasanjo
Obasanjo, a junior business banking and finance major, is running for vice president on his platform “Stand On Business.” Obasanjo has noticed shortcomings in dining options and transportation services for students and wishes to be a representative for minority communities.
“My platform is to amplify all voices out there,” Obasanjo said. “I want to cultivate a sense of belonging for every student on campus, and I want every diverse member of our community to feel like they’re represented.”
Will Griffith
Griffith, a junior public policy leadership major, has served as the ASB executive liaison and as the chief of staff to the vice president. Griffith believes that engagement between the senate and the student body needs to increase, and he has proposed making ‘Meet Your Senator’ a larger event and taking other steps to ensure that senators are properly communicating with their constituents.
“Obviously, the easiest way for ASB to actually be connected with these students is to talk to them,” Griffith said. “As vice president, I want to go to as many student government organizations as I can, whether that be things we traditionally think of as student organizations like the honors college and Black Student Union or organizations that function in a governance capacity like Greek councils.”
Jacks Mitchell
Mitchell, a junior international studies major, credits the past two ASB vice presidents, Alex Nabors and Mason Greenwald, for his decision to run for vice president, and his platform
“J.O.U.R.N.E.Y.” revolves around enriching all aspects of the student experience. “The idea is centered around putting senate and ASB’s focus back on the individual needs and journeys of every Ole Miss student by prioritizing seven things: Justice, Opportunity, Understanding, Reputation, Negotiation, Equality, and You,” Mitchell said. “The majority of these seven categories was kickstarted by a concern or goal I had for ASB and is followed up by a potential new policy to be implemented into the legislative branch, like fireside chats on Instagram after every senate session, making ASB 365’s both recruiting and student forum-based and more.”
Jack Jones
Jones, a sophomore economics major, is campaigning on the platform of “The Jones’ Playbook,” in which each edition features different policies to better the student community. One of the policies is implementing a mental health first aid training requirement for new freshmen on campus.
“I think (mental health issues) are a huge problem here, but also a huge problem across the country,” Jones said. “I think the University of Mississippi has a unique opportunity to be the flagship when it comes to mental health and well-being.”
ASB secretary candidates
Braxton Dagg
Dagg, a sophomore integrated marketing communications major, first got involved in ASB during his sophomore year and served as the undersecretary of marketing, a role that has inspired him to run for ASB secretary.
“Working in the secretary’s office for the past year, I have gained invaluable experience that has given me the skills necessary to step into this position,” Dagg said. “As secretary, I would make sure our student government is being as transparent and inclusive as possible through the secretaries’ department.”
William Pentecost
Pentecost, a sophomore public policy leadership major, has served as an ASB senator for the past two years and believes his experience makes him a qualified candidate.
“As secretary, I will work on ASB’s transparency with the student body and beyond to our local, state and national leaders,” Pentecost said. “Between now and the election, I am excited to show why I am committed to enhancing the college experience for students and ultimately why I am the best candidate for this position.”
ASB treasurer candidates
Eva Reynolds
Reynolds, a junior accounting major, has served in the treasury since the fall of her freshman year and believes her experience as treasurer for other organizations makes her the best candidate. One of her top goals is communicating with student organizations about what opportunities are available to them.
“I want to increase outreach to clubs so they are aware of what we can do for them and that we want to support them as much as possible, and I want to fix issues within the funding request system to make it easier for organizations to make requests,” Reynolds said.
Elsa Allmendinger
Allmendinger, a junior public policy leadership and finance major, believes that students deserve access to funds for their organizations and aims to make these resources more accessible
“Making the step-by-step process easier so that students receive funds in an efficient and timely manner is paramount,” Allmendinger said. “Furthermore, I want to create a feedback system so that the treasury department can adjust the process and outreach as those who use the platform see fit. Every change I desire to implement is on the side of the user experience, because student involvement and the student experience is what makes Ole Miss.”
ASB attorney general candidates:
Alex Kipping
Kipping, a junior public policy leadership major, has participated in ASB since her freshman year. She believes that her previous experience has given her a passion for ASB, and she hopes to be an agent for change by increasing transparency and equity.
“Working in the department of justice this past year has given me a passion for serving this campus through the impact of the code and constitution and elections,” Kipping said. “As attorney general, I want to be at the forefront of these causes, using them to continue to promote transparency and equity, strengthen our student community, processes and engagement and overall empower (the students) in all that our organization does.”
Madison Waldrop
Waldrop, a sophomore integrated marketing communications major, is campaigning to promote and execute fair elections as well as maintain the code and constitution. Some of her goals include implementing ranked choice voting in ASB elections and adding a homecoming candidate forum to increase voting awareness.
“My goal for this campaign is to get to know, listen to and learn from the many students we have on campus and help you ‘Make Your Mark’ on the place we hold so dear,” Waldrop said.
ASB judicial chair candidates
Cross Del Tatto
Del Tatto, a junior public policy leadership major, has served on the University Judicial Council for nearly five semesters and is dedicated to protecting student health from the abuse of and dependence on alcohol.
“It is critical that the university maintains its investments in health partnerships and educational programs across the community,” Del Tatto said. “Within the student conduct process, I want to continue to promote responsible behavior in order to improve the student body’s mental and physical health in regard to alcohol consumption.”
Buchanan Cook
Cook, a junior public policy leadership major, is a member of the University Judicial Council and believes his experience will help students keep their right to a fair trial. He also hopes that the judicial council will focus more on helping students instead of punishing them in the future.
“I feel a lot of times, students’ circumstances and state of mind can be lost among the various details in cases,” Cook said. “It is important that everything is taken into account during student conduct cases so that a fair verdict is reached.”
