Fourteen days after Michelle Bradley resigned from the office of Student Senate president, four candidates rose from the student body to run for the open seat.

The candidates delivered their speeches and fielded questions from the audience in McFeely’s on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Bradley led the question and answer period, which took nearly two hours.

Two of the candidates, Nicholas Johnson and Abigail Brumback, are current senators. Johnson is a senator for multicultural student affairs (MSA) and Brumback is one of the two senators for athletics.

Brumback is an English major pursuing a teaching career in intercity schools. Known for her busy schedule of swim team, work, Student Senate –and next, student teaching, Brumback, a senior, calculated the exact amount of free hours she will have to offer as president. This semester, she should have around 20 hours a week open for presidential responsibilities.

Working with the current senators, Brumback said she is ready to “captain” the Student Senate team.

Johnson, a senior, boasts a certificate in peer mediation and a passion for diversity. “I am a piece of everyone on this campus,” Johnson said. He is majoring in human communications and international studies with a minor in ethnic studies.

During his opening speech, Johnson stressed the need for spirit on campus. “What we need here at SU is a fire,” Johnson said.

Jacqueline Joseph and Kiem LeGrant are also joining the senators on the ballot for president. Joseph is a junior majoring in finance and mathematics with a statistics concentration. LeGrant is also a junior and is studying economics with a concentration in political science.

Some of the senators asked questions about the candidates’ experience and capability to lead Student Senate.

Other points of the night highlighted the difficulties that can come with being president, such as working with clubs/organizations that do not agree with Student Senate and getting the executive rules committee to communicate well.

Bradley highlighted the fact that there are 21 bulleted responsibilities outlined under the presidential duties in the Student Senate constitution.

Joseph outlined her leadership experience through Activities Program Board (APB) and working as a manager at the CUB. During her time on APB, Joseph served as treasurer and vice president of public relations. The position of treasurer was offered to Joseph as a freshman, which put her in leadership role early on in college.

“I come before you not as a politician, but as one of you,” Joseph said.

Last semester, Joseph was chosen to serve as the Student Trustee Representative on senate but had to drop out due to personal reasons. Joseph assured the audience that those matters are behind her and that she is fully prepared to be a part of Student Senate now.

LeGrant attended Wesley College for two years in Delaware before transferring to Shippensburg University to be closer to his sick grandmother. While studying in Delaware, LeGrant served on Wesley College’s Student Senate as a representative for his class.

Now that LeGrant is attending SU, he feels he found his home. “I love this university so much I didn’t see another job that would suit me,” LeGrant said.

LeGrant participates in Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and works at Phonathon at the SU Foundation.

Due to the unusual timing of the transition to the next Student Senate president, the winner of the election will have to quickly learn the role of the job. Bradley plans to mentor the new president in the beginning of his or her term.

The student body received an email on Oct. 10 with a link to the survey to vote for Student Senate president. Voting is open until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

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