The Student Government Association (SGA) is an entity that represents the whole student body at UTSA. Like an actual government, SGA features a senate and a cabinet that includes three specific positions students can run for: President, Vice President and Treasurer. 

These three positions will soon be vacant, as the terms of the current occupants are almost over — after which new students will fill them. All of the new office holders will be elected by the student body, and elections will take place from March 7-10 and will close at 12 p.m. on the final day of voting. 

Treasurer is one of the positions that will be featured on the ballot in this election. The title comes with the responsibility of managing and overseeing the finances of the student government. The students running for the position are Marc-Anthony Medina and Daniel Pacora. 

Medina, who is already a member of SGA, explained why he is running for the position.

 “As a currently elected and appointed member of the Student Government Association I would like to be able to continue to voice the interests and concerns of the student body to the university’s administration,” Medina said. “Being able to return and continue our initiatives and work is crucial to SGA being able to make a lasting and meaningful impact on the university.”

Pacora also relayed his vision for the position.

 “I have a vision where students have more representation in all aspects of University affairs,” Pacora said. “SGA is the voice of the students, therefore they help elevate students’ needs in school and different departments.”

Vice President is the next position that will be up for grabs in this election. The individual in this position is primarily tasked with serving as a right-hand to the current president. The two students running for this position are Shaca Sweet and Zachary Nepote. 

Sweet hopes to continue her service in SGA by being a source of representation in more ways than one. 

“I’d like to continue my service in SGA by first continuing to complete initiatives as well as create sustainable initiatives, secondly building stronger relationships with the student body/student organizations by giving support and room for collaboration and thirdly I’d like to continue to work on unifying communities at UTSA and bridging the gaps between marginalized communities,” Sweet said. “Furthermore, I’d like to continue to be a representative in SGA of someone who looks like me. I think it’s important for others to see that representation of themselves, especially in an organization that is the sole voice for the student body.”

Nepote, who is also running for Vice President, described his intentions for the position. “As Vice President, I will prioritize the students and their ideas for new campus spirit, traditions, events, and I intend on hosting events for the student body to interact and familiarize themselves with the amazing community here at UTSA,” Nepote said. “In terms of unity, we need to band together as a school against the culture wars that consume our society racially, socially and economically. As Vice President, I will prioritize our student body’s connection with multicultural organizations, our surrounding community in San Antonio and with our faculty/staff.”

Lastly, the position of President is also on the ballot. Whoever holds this position functions as the student body representative and is the voice of students in the eyes of university officials. The only candidate running for this position is Jasmin Paquet-Durand Ford, who is currently the student body Vice President. 

Paquet-Durand Ford shared some of her goals for the position of president. 

“As President, I will work to strengthen SGA relations with students, other student organizations, and the greater UTSA community. Without the engagement and support of the student body, we are nothing more than theatre; with it, we are a powerful student organization that can create real lasting change,” Paquet-Durand Ford said.

There will also be other positions on the ballot for students to vote for, such as college and classification senators. Write-ins are allowed for all positions on the ballot and only require the student’s name and email address. Students can access the ballot on the RowdyLink homepage, which features a prompt that will lead directly toward the digital ballot.

Additionally, if you want to know more about the candidates and their platforms, you can watch the debate on Instagram reels @utsa_sga.