Executive Ticket #4

Michael Dipierro & Bryce Farnham

"For the Students"

Michael & Bryce's photos were captured by:

Andrew Harker / The Avion

Meet Your President Candidate Michael!

Michael Dipierro

Senior, BS Business Administration

"I am a senior studying Business Administration and am currently in the accelerated Master's program for my MBA. I look forward to being able to stay for a few more years at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and further my education. I have been the President of Phi Delta Theta since April 2022 and also on the Exec Board of IFC as Vice President of Operations. I have worked hard running events and learning RSO finances. I have learned a lot this past year about being a leader and making hard choices and the right choices. Every student has a voice; I am here to ensure it's heard. I am very approachable and love helping people, whether with a problem, event, or homework. I am very excited to help make a difference in all students lives."

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

    "My platform focuses on two main areas. My first area to concentrate on would be making all the services the SGA provides work efficiently and effectively. I will ensure that areas that need improvement will actually be improved. My second area, and an area that I know needs some improvements, are making sure all Embry-Riddle students are made aware of all the services the SGA provides. I know many students are not even aware of all the services and programs the SGA provides and funds. I will work with everyone within the SGA to ensure we are marketing and advertising our services and programs. I know the SGA provides a lot, but I do not feel everyone knows the services or programs. I want to reach the incoming students starting at orientation all the way to commencement. I also want to ensure our marketing and advertising are consistent and timely."

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

    "I feel I am the most qualified candidate for this position because of my leadership skills. My most important skill as a leader is listening to concerns and making it a priority of mine to make sure I do everything possible to come up with a solution. I am not one to shy away from conflicts, but I always ensure I am respectful and open to everyone's ideas. I have been President of Phi Delta Theta since April 2022, and in that time, I had to work with many different personalities, from students, brothers, staff, sororities, and headquarters. I have been the one everyone can rely on, and they know their voice will not be ignored. I have also been very involved in setting up events, and I'm not afraid of hard work and putting in extra hours. During my time at Embry-Riddle, I was also a Team Lead with Student Union Operations and worked hard on starting new initiatives, such as a new gaming system for the gaming lounge. I trained my team and made sure they understood every aspect of the position. I would check back with them and ensure they were comfortable coming to me. I know building a comfortable environment that allows people to come and share their ideas, problems, and initiatives is one of the most important traits a leader can hold."

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

    "As President of the SGA, I will work hard to ensure all student concerns will reach the Administration right from the start. Educating myself on all the important administrators and what they are involved with is extremely important. I will consistently connect with all the different departments administrators. I think it is important to build a strong relationship from the beginning with the Administration and continue throughout the academic year. I don't believe in burning bridges, but I do believe in getting my point across when it is necessary. I will also plan events such as Town Halls with administrators present if an issue of concern demands. It is important to ensure the administration understands the students are the most important in a university. I feel this will be one of the most important tasks a President of the SGA will have."

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

    "In the past three years, I have learned how the executive leaders, branches, divisions, and staff work together to provide all their services and programming. I am aware of many of their services and programs. I also have not been involved directly with them, and I have been involved in FSL, and clubs, and I have many friends in athletics and ROTC. I know that many of these programs and services are not marketed as well as they can be. Many students I have spoken with do not know many of the services when I explain them. I want to make sure we better market and advertise. One of my priorities is to have a survey go out early to reach all our students to hear what they need, what they do not like, or would like changed. That will allow me to work with everyone on the SGA to improve and update the SGA constantly."

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "The SGA, or Student Government Association, is a governing body elected by the student body. They are in charge of ensuring that students' SGA fee in tuition is spent to enhance all students' lives on campus. The SGA is responsible for ensuring every penny is spent in a fiscally responsible way and is not wasted. The SGA can also be a way to bring students together looking for leadership opportunities, getting involved in working with other students, and making friends. The SGA has so many different directions a student can get involved in. If they are interested in medical and emergency training, they can join ERT. If they love putting on large events, stage set-up, lighting, and audio equipment, they can join TNG. If they love music and radio, they can join WIKD radio station. If they love journalism or broadcasting, they can join The Avion. If they love finance, they can run for the Treasury Board. They even have student employment opportunities."

Meet Your Vice President Candidate Bryce!

Bryce Farnham

Junior, BS Aviation Business Administration

"Hello, my name is Bryce Farnham. I'm currently a junior in Aviation Business Administration. I'm currently Phi Delta Theta's Vice President and a Student Treasury Board member. My goal is to bring students closer together while using the SGA services. I will achieve this goal by hosting a student-wide field day that allows students the opportunity to engage with others—in addition to allowing students the opportunity to give feedback to the SGA through their operations. I will host an Executive Q&A meeting once a month that allows students to be heard. Lastly, we want to provide RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) to have a presence on campus. I'm excited for this opportunity to run as SGA Vice President and to be able to give back to the student."

  • What makes your Executive Ticket stand out?

    "I believe what makes our Executive Ticket stand out from the rest is that we strive to create an environment that will better students' overall involvement throughout campus, as well as give them a platform to be able to explain their opinions about the state the SGA is at and overall how the SGA is operating. If executed correctly, this could create a significant relationship between the SGA and the students. We are currently working on events to further this idea by creating a student-wide field day that will allow students to have a day with fun activities for them to enjoy and meet the SGA in a fun and non-working atmosphere. Through my partner's and mine while working together will truly bring out the best in the SGA. I believe this is why we have such a strong Executive Ticket."

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

    "I believe what makes me a qualified candidate for the Vice President role is through my previous experiences through the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. As the Vice President for Phi Delta Theta, it has shown me how to oversee all operations within our fraternity properly. In this position, I oversaw a total of six executive members and eighteen general officer positions. I feel that discussing projects and expectations between the six executive members can be compared to working with specific college senate members on campus. Regarding the Senate, I expect to meet within weekly meetings and text senate members throughout the week to ensure their goals are being achieved and to provide help wherever I can. Also, I speak frequently with our President in this position, which will be like speaking with the SGA President. I have seen that constant communication with the President creates a strong vision for the goals, ensuring that they are not only discussed during campaigning but achieved."

  • 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 the Vice President, I will use my position to ensure that the needs of students are met by giving platforms for students to be courageous and give the SGA honest feedback on what they believe we are doing wrong, as well as what needs improving. When feedback is given, the Senate and I will work together to ensure those issues can be fixed. During my term, I will make sure that I will also be upfront with students on projects that the Senate will be working on and why the Senate, and I believe this is the best route to tackle specific issues explained by the students. The Senate and I play a crucial role in ensuring the students are heard, and I will strive to ensure that we are one for the students. I want students to allow the campus to become a better place than where it previously has been."

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

    "As Vice President of the SGA, I plan to create a positive and productive environment in the SGA and around campus by creating a student-wide field day event and creating monthly sessions to allow students. I'm currently working on this event with other organizations to make sure that this event runs effectively and smoothly. It will allow the SGA to be able to reach more students through a day of events. I also want to allow a productive environment throughout all of campus by allowing Executive Q&A sessions. It will truly be beneficial to the students to give feedback to the SGA, but also the SGA to act toward the concern of the students. As you know that our mission is "a presence on campus". These events that the SGA will host will further impact the student body to make sure that we create events for the students to know the SGA better and allow feedback from students to improve the SGA better."

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "The SGA is an organization that is formed together by students for the students with the help of administration and faculty. It also should create a voice for the students to represent their needs, concerns, and interests of them. As well as creating a voice for the students, it should create many events and activities to allow students to build relationships with other students and their respective colleges. These events are done along with the help of The Avion, WIKD, Touch n Go, and ERT. Lastly, we allow students to participate in student organizations to do things they are extremely passionate about. It allows for furthering their leadership skills and experience as a whole throughout college.

    What the SGA means to me is that it is a body developed for students to help them better speak their opinions and give a better college experience through events and student-led organizations."