As Student Government election season kicks off yet again, students are experiencing a perennial feeling: What is the Student Government Association, why should I care and who am I going to vote for?
My name is Corbitt Armstrong, and I have had the privilege of working in Student Government since my freshman year. Over the last four years, I have noticed that the Student Government Association, or SGA, operates throughout the year fairly unnoticed by the greater student body, only really gaining notoriety if something goes wrong or when the spring election season comes around.
Nevertheless, SGA is a much larger organization than many students might think. Composed of more than 1,300 students, three branches and 13 executive committees, the organization’s impacts are far-reaching.
The average student’s interaction with SGA during the spring semester is when they see candidates campaigning for office. Suddenly Student Government is everywhere, with banners in every plaza and new Instagram posts each day supporting this candidate or that. Teams of students organize to mobilize the student body in an all-out sprint for the month of February.
And then, they disappear as quickly as they arrived, and election day is followed by 10 months of silence before the cycle starts anew.
This year, one group of students is seeking to change this by supporting Brandon Beller for student body president.
Brandon Beller and his running mate Gia Viggiano are seeking to create connections among students and serve Texas A&M as student body president and vice president. When asked why they’re excited to serve, they said it starts and ends with their love for A&M.
“Student leadership, specifically through SGA, is one of the most effective ways to serve the university we all love so much,” Beller said. “It provides opportunities — not only for important policy advancements but for relationships and representation for Aggies all over campus.”
Brandon Beller is a junior business honors and finance double major from Dallas and has spent his college career serving in the Gilbert Leadership Conference, volunteering as a Younglife Leader and working as a delegate for the MSC Abbott Family Leadership Conference.
Vice presidential candidate Gia Viggiano, an education senior from Galveston, Texas has served in leadership positions in her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, and serves as the Collegiate Panhellenic Council’s executive vice president. She currently serves as executive vice president for Cade Coppinger, the current student body president. These two form a synergetic team that is already shaping a new image for SGA’s interactions with A&M’s student body.
When asked about their policy plans, Viggiano outlined a few key themes they plan to pursue should they be elected.
“First, we want to bring ‘small school convenience’ back to A&M,” Viggiano said. “That means looking at how our engineers and all students can get better access to advising and providing other resources more readily to students.”
Viggiano often works with President Mark A. Welsh III’s office, she said.
“We’re excited to hear President Welsh’s commitment to increasing communication between administrators, faculty and students, and we want to do our part as student leaders to facilitate that,” Viggiano said.
Beller says he plans to connect students if elected.
“We want to advocate for underrepresented and under-supported students and shed positive light on groups that are oftentimes more criticized than celebrated,” Beller said. “Additionally, we want to promote unity throughout campus through tradition. Tradition is what makes Texas A&M what it is, and we believe that our traditions can continue to unify our incredible student body.”
SGA elections are heating up, and the Beller-Viggiano team is ready to continue connecting with students and ultimately serve as chief student leaders for A&M. Voting begins at 9 a.m. on Feb. 27 and runs until noon on Feb. 28.
