SGA leaders prepare for transition as election for president and vice president approaches

Current SGA president, Philip Goodrich, reflects on his time in student government as he prepares for his incoming successor. JAKE NEEDHAM, Staff Photographer

Christian Grevin, director of elections for Chapman’s Student Government Association (SGA), is preparing for campaigning to begin in earnest March 7 as candidates file to run for the positions of president and vice president. The candidates will take part in a debate moderated by The Panther March 8 at 4 p.m. in the Argyros Forum Student Union.

“I'm really excited to see what (candidates) do with their campaigns, the platforms they run on (and) the issues they talk about,” Grevin, a senior history and political science double major, told The Panther. “I have high hopes for them."

Grevin’s responsibilities include taking charge of voting, outreach and filing, but he is also tasked with supporting the candidates during the campaign period. 

“I’m able to connect with the candidates and be there for what is a really stressful time for a lot of them,” Grevin said. “It’s really hard to put yourself out there and run for a position in front of the whole student body, so being that support system for (candidates), helping them through that and giving them guidance has been really rewarding.”

Current SGA President Philip Goodrich and Vice President Danny Gaitan met with three hopeful candidates Feb. 18, and both believe the organization will be in good hands under any of their potential successors. 

Gaitan, a senior strategic and corporate communication major, is working with senators to prepare their transition notes and is excited to prepare the next installment of student government. 

“I'm wishing them all success, and I can't wait to just get to work with them to start the transition,” Gaitan said. 

Goodrich, a senior history and political science double major, remains optimistic about the future leadership of SGA, but he is disappointed in the number of students who elected to run for the positions.

“We're going to have good people in the roles, but I'd still like to have more involvement from the wider student body in this important election,” Goodrich told The Panther. “I think people sometimes don't actually see how critical this election is and these positions are.”

According to Grevin, voter turnout among the Chapman community took a hit when the university began online instruction in 2020, with only 5% of undergraduate students participating in the elections that occurred during this time. Turnout has improved in recent months, Grevin told The Panther, to about 15% — a statistic he hopes to see increase further this spring.

“Student engagement has always been one of our biggest challenges, and if I'm being honest, it's still one of our biggest challenges; especially when it comes to engagement with our elections,” Goodrich said. “Our voter turnout has been very mediocre, in my opinion.”

The organization is looking to expand its outreach and promote more information about the work SGA does to the general student body, which is one of Grevin’s responsibilities.

“We're looking to find innovative ways to connect with the student body, because we really want them to better understand what SGA is and what we do,” Grevin said. “If we’re able to do that, we believe they’ll become even more involved.”

Among these efforts are weekly “Did you know?” posts on Instagram aimed at educating students about the infrastructure of SGA and the plethora of resources available through the organization. Grevin, however, believes the most impactful way to promote the association’s message is for students to interact with and hear from members of student government about the projects they’ve been able to accomplish.

Grevin referred to the Career and Graduate Testing Fund offered by SGA as an example of the ways in which student government can produce tangible results on campus. The initiative, which seeks to support students through entrance examinations for post-graduate education or career-related pursuit, originated from former senators Macy Dexter and Abbey Umali alongside current senator Hannah Welsh, who were mutually passionate about the issue.

“I don’t think people understand that you can come into SGA with passions (and) stuff you want to see changed on campus (and then) really put that forth for your constituency,” Grevin said.

In Goodrich’s time as president, his goal has been to elevate the organization to have greater institutional prestige through high-level initiatives for the student body such as the COVID-19 Financial Relief Plan, securing a spot as a student representative on Chapman’s Board of Governors and strengthening relations with administration. 

“I'm most proud of how we've been able to elevate the organization to really meet the needs of the students, and we definitely have a lot of work to do,” Goodrich said. “We still have challenges, but I'm excited to see what the next leadership decides to do in that regard.”

Gaitan also shared the importance of having the student body be knowledgeable about the resources they have access to under SGA.

“We listen to everyone out there, and it's so important for them to know that there is an infrastructure set up here for them to get their words and their thoughts out there and to be part of these influential conversations and decisions being made at the institutional level,” Gaitan said. 

Polls open on March 14 and students can vote online during a two-day period by visiting www.chapmanvotes.com and inserting their Chapman credentials. The SGA president and vice president for the 2022-2023 academic year will be revealed March 16 — the final day to vote for a candidate.