Executive Ticket #1

Salim Roig & Callum Mann

"Transparency, Efficiency, and Consistency"

Salim & Callum's photos were captured by:

Abbey Spencer / The Avion

Meet Your President Candidate Salim!

Salim Roig

Senior, BS Aerospace Engineering

"Throughout my career in the SGA, I have always strived to put the students of Embry-Riddle first. I have worked as a student advocate for the court and helped students through Honor Board hearings. As an Avion reporter, I help highlight important issues on campus, such as sexual harassment. As the Housing Senator, I started the progress on creating an off-campus scooter program that will help students who wish to go to our campus or their apartment outside of the shuttle's normal hours. As your SGA President, I will tackle issues, such as sexual harassment, by helping the school provide anti-harassment tools like drink covers. I will help promote the athletic community in school and help them receive better equipment however I can. I will help give the labs in our school more funding so that more students can get more practical experience. I will work on this day in and day out while still allowing students to bring forward any issues they may have. Let's help ensure the SGA always puts students first!"

  • What is your platform for this campaign? How does it stand out?

    "The main platform is to help every voice in the student body, especially those who have felt ignored for a long time, be heard. We plan to do this by listening to all aspects of the student body, not just those my VP and I personally belong. We must do this because to include those previously unheard voices properly, they must, of course, naturally, be part of the conversion that will eventually lead to their concerns being resolved. For example, when we proposed the ROTC senator position, we spoke to several student leaders, POCs, and personal friends that we know who happen to be in ROTC in order to visualize better what the role of the potential new senator would entail. This sort of dedication ensures that every student is heard and will play a key role in creating brand new initiatives in our key principle and one that we hope to keep as we become your student body president and vice-president.

    Along with this, another key principle under which we wish to run our platform is the belief that when the SGA takes on new initiatives, it should take on a strong, lasting impact. For example, most of our initiatives, such as the Spin Scooter Transportation Program, the upgrade of the current RAVE blue light, the ROTC senator position, and the safety drink covers shall help out the student body for a long time, even after my VP Callum Mann and I graduate. Thus because of our belief that SGA initiatives should benefit the student body long term, we believe we stand out from the other candidates who may have projects that would only last for a short period of time."

  • What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

    "Throughout my time in the SGA, I have served in almost every branch of the SGA and enjoyed every minute. As an advocate for the Student Court, I aided students through various Honor Court hearings to ensure that one mistake did not mean the end of their academic careers. I worked with treasury as The Avion's Business Manager, so because of this I knew how it feels when everything you have been working towards is depended on how treasury rules on my budget allocations.

    Then, a year later, I worked as The Avion's Editor-In-Chief, where I used the platform to promote RSOs, advertise student lead projects, and even shine a light on major issues on campus, such as sexual harassment. Then I served in both the student senate, where I helped students deal with the numerous issues they have had with housing, and the president's cabinet, where I both revived the SGA Transitional Experience Program (STEP) and worked towards creating brand new off-campus transportation services, such as a potential partnership with Spin scooters to help students get to campus even if they can't make it to the shuttle.

    However, despite my various connections to the SGA, I still recognize that it has a long way to go when it comes to becoming the best version of itself it could be. So if you were to vote for me, then not only would you get a president that wishes to improve the SGA, but one who also knows the SGA in and out. Thus, when I promise, I know from experience it can be done!"

  • As President, you would be a connection between students and the Administration. What do you do to ensure the voices of students are heard?

    "From my time in the SGA, I noticed that what tends to prevent the student voices from being heard by the administration is that they tend to be cautious when it comes to approving anything. But with this in mind, I also noticed that the number one way to prevent them from outright rejecting projects is to overwhelm them with evidence of why a project should be approved. Because of this, whenever I address a student's concern to the school's administration, I won't just simply state the concern but show them why on all fronts, this should be addressed, worked on, and resolved.

    For example, when it comes to addressing our Spin Scooter Transportation Program, I made sure the administration knew that the cost of having them installed would be low to ease their financial concerns and that the scooters have special GPS technology that would slow them down to a stop should they travel off the permitted path to ease their liability concern as well as their worry that it leads to more accidents on Legacy Walk by showing them that they could take away the scooter's access to legacy, ensuring one would only use them to travel off-campus.

    This sort of focus on ensuring that all potential questions are answered before they are asked will be present throughout my career as your SGA President. Thus, because of this, the upper admin of the school will know that ignoring the students' voices is the most illogical move they could make. So a vote for me is a vote to ensure that I not only serve as a president who will have the student concerns heard by the administration but also resolved to make ERAU an even better place to attend!"

  • How will you improve the SGA to better serve the student body?

    "As your Student Body President, I plan to make the SGA more transparent and efficient. To achieve the former, I would first host open-door office hours. That means during this time, if any student wishes to enter my office to discuss any issues or concerns they may have with either the SGA or the university, they have the right to do so. The next step I would take towards improving the SGA would have to be better promoting all the committees, branches, and services the SGA offers.

    This can be done by creating a series of flyers and digital banners that detail when every committee meets, what services the SGA offers, and whom to contact should they have any questions or concerns with said services. I would then overhaul the current General Sessions that the SGA currently has. This would include creating a Town Hall event where students could ask the SGA Executive Board any question they have, moving the location to a more accessible one, such as the Event Center, and scheduling it before the final shuttle leaves the university so that more students may attend.

    Next, to make the SGA more efficient, I would work harder to create projects that aim to create a permanent remedy and/or solution to the issues we face on campus. Some planned solutions to issues include looking into creating more blue light machines so that any student walking alone late at night could feel safer; creating more refreshment options for athletic students, so that they play harder while still staying hydrated; and providing free drink covers, so that no one feels unsafe when they leave campus. Through all of this, the SGA should become a place where we are transparent and efficient."

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "To me, the SGA is a place where student leaders are given a chance to help out their peers and give a voice to students who feel their issues are unheard of. During my time in the SGA, I grew to view the organization as that of a loving family. At times we may get caught up in our personal lives and forget why we joined the SGA in the first place, but I will strive to create an environment where one remembers every SGA member's first thoughts when running were," I want to help out". I know it will be difficult, stressful, and will take countless nights to achieve, but I also know that I, as well as other SGA members, have made the impossible possible.

    We created a shuttle service that helped reduce parking and helped allow students without cars to get to campus safely; we put on a concert every year of a quality so high that many are surprised that it's completely free; we created an extensive tutoring program for engineers to ensure that no student gets left behind. The SGA made all of this possible due to one simple trait we all share — we study at Embry-Riddle. Your student body government is run not by people with decades of political knowledge but by students you go to class every day.

    Because of this, our SGA is great because any student, be they the president of a Greek Life chapter, or your average flight pilot, could one day enter the Student Leadership Suite and make a difference. To me, the SGA is not just an organization here at Embry-Riddle, but Embry-Riddle itself. So, once more, to me, the SGA, or, should I say — Embry-Riddle, means one simple word: family."

Meet Your Vice President Candidate Callum!

Callum Mann

Sophomore, BS Aviation Business Administration

"As your Vice President, I will strive to better the connection between students and the SGA. As a Student Senator, I found that students have issues and don't always feel that their voice can make a difference. I hope to make the true functions of the Senate public and known to every student on campus. It is also my goal to support collaboration between all departments of the school to solve larger issues. My first initiative would be to work with Campus Safety to fix our emergency blue lights on campus. I am running to be your next Vice President because I feel I can positively impact our community. Whether that means completing projects promptly, putting students first, or just bringing a smile to campus every day, I am determined to climb to any height to better our community!"

  • What makes your Executive Ticket stand out?

    "I think Salim and I's ability to work as a team makes our ticket stand out. He and I met last year while working together on the Senate and quickly realized we had similar goals and beliefs for the SGA. He has much more experience in the SGA, but we balance well because I bring in outside ideas. I think of it as a two-pronged approach. Salim uses his expertise to work behind the scenes with logistical aspects of the presidency, and I connect with the student body to hear the needs and bring in fresh ideas. I bring new ideas from my experiences in Greek life and as a COB student, and Salim applies them to the SGA's functionality. Salim and I probably would have never bumped into each other if it weren't for the Senate. I think our ticket's ability to connect and work towards the same goal is representative of the changes we're trying to make happen."

  • What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

    "My skill set makes me the most qualified candidate to be your next Vice President. I pride myself on my organizational skills, which I will use to make sure meetings are scheduled correctly, resources are easily accessible, and projects are completed in a timely manner. My goal is to make the Senate more efficient by helping each senator with their projects and goals. For students, this means you will see positive changes happen in your college more frequently. As a business student, I believe I possess the qualities that it takes to run a cohesive team and be a functioning member of the SGA Exec Board. I have experience and knowledge in organizational behavior and management, which I will use to improve the groups I work in. Finally, I am extremely driven to do good in our community. The SGA has enough resources and reach to give back to the community, whether that be through philanthropic contributions or community service. If elected, I will make it a large goal of mine to give back."

  • As the Vice President, you have a supportive role to the President as well as being the head of the Senate. How will you use your position to ensure the needs of students are met?

    "As your next Vice President of the SGA, I plan on working closely with the President to ensure the needs of all students are being addressed. Instead of working as two separate entities, the president and I will attend meetings together and collaborate on our daily tasks. To ensure the needs of the students are met, I will encourage senators to table in their respective colleges to be accessible. Senators are currently required to hold at least three office hours per week, but not all students are aware of this, so their needs aren't being served. The image I want to achieve is to have students be able to simply walk up to their senators and address their concerns without having to attend that senator's office hours. Office hours certainly have their own importance and should be marketed more, so students attend.

    My goal is to make sure the functions of the SGA are primarily student-centered, to serve the students as best as possible. After all, that's what the SGA should be for!"

  • How would you use the position of Vice President to create a positive and productive environment in the SGA and around campus?

    "To create a more positive and productive SGA, I feel that we need to open doors that lead to what we do, both figuratively and literally. I think that there is no reason for the Student Leadership Suite to be filled with closed doors. If our purpose is truly to serve the student body, I believe we should use an open-door policy. Of course, there are some exceptions. Closed meetings, phone calls, and other important functions should be done with a closed door, but the front SLS doors should be open to invite students into the space. To bring about a positive environment, I would like to begin further recognizing the achievements of every branch of the SGA. Each branch often has a unique project or initiative going on, which should be highlighted and known by the student body. If our goal is to be the best, we should celebrate what we're doing to reach our goals!"

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "I see the SGA as a student-led organization that provides leadership opportunities to students who want to benefit the entire campus. I have a great deal of appreciation for our SGA and its system of branches that all collaborate together for the greater good. Each branch offers terrific opportunities for students with special interests. For me, the SGA represents the power of students and the changes they can make for the greater good on campus. It takes courage to develop leadership skills while working as a member of a team, but our students should be empowered to reach their goals through the SGA. The SGA also represents the opportunity to solve the issues we all face daily by improving the culture on our campus by doing so. With my candidacy, I plan to use these strengths of the SGA to further the previous administration's accomplishments without forgetting what we truly stand for."