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As the tickets have now been announced and elections are quickly approaching, the candidates are beginning to get ready for the stressful weeks that lie ahead. With numerous information sessions to attend and debates to prepare for, the two tickets are facing the tough challenge of gaining recognition across campus and, ultimately, getting the most votes.
KnightNews.com had the opportunity to meet with Mike Kilbride and his running mate, Taylor Lochrane, who will be opposing the Seeff ticket. Kilbride, who is a senior and a finance major, is currently the Chief of Operations for SGA, and Lochrane, a graduate student working towards a PhD in civil engineering, is also involved in student government as a Graduate Affairs Specialist.
Enthusiastically, the pair explained that they decided to run because of their leadership abilities, experience together, and diversified backgrounds. “We feel that we do have the experience to continue the positive strides student government has made this year,” Kilbride said. “We know there’s so much more to be accomplished.”
Additionally, Kilbride and Lochrane explained the basic premises of their platform, which is led by the motto, “The difference is you.” Broken down into four areas, which are campus life, scholarship, you, and you name it, the platform encompasses a wide range of issues, all geared towards getting input from students.
Immediately, though, both mentioned a number of ways to improve the university, such as selling carpool decals to alleviate the parking situation and having family-friendly housing, particularly for graduate students. Kilbride also detailed how the campus needed more study space, aside from the busy library. With so many unused areas, he suggested that students could check out a classroom at night to work on presentations or take advantage of designated study lounges located all over campus.
Amongst these specific ideas, though, Kilbride stressed that “the best platform point is your best idea”. He further explained that the students are the ones who have opinions about what needs to be done on campus, and he wants student government to be a place where those opinions can be heard. “We want to collect data from students and talk to them,” Kilbride stated. “Student government really, truly is listening.”
When asked about the best part of elections, Lochrane emphatically said he enjoyed the challenge of getting the student body motivated. “I like elections, and I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks,” Lochrane said.
Also, on a lighter note, KnightNews.com asked about their favorite traditions on campus. Kilbride excitedly mentioned Spirit Splash, particularly when he became involved as a student leader. As he described watching the excitement on the students’ faces, he said, “You get chills. You really do.”
On the other hand, however, Lochrane described a much different tradition, which no longer exists. As a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, he reminisced about launching pumpkins into a pond by the fraternity house every week on football game days. “That, by far, was the coolest tradition that we started, and we’re trying to bring it back,” Lochrane joked.
Finally, they both explained why their ticket was the best choice. “We have the experience and the leadership,” Lochrane stated. Kilbride also added that both are good at building relationships, which will help to achieve the things that students want to see change on campus.
“We’ll be able to enter office and start runnin’,” Kilbride said. “We’ve proven that we can deliver.”
