Though the four newly elected Student Government Association officers will represent the entire student body, a little more than a quarter of students participated in the vote that put them in office.Only 26 percent of 7,267 eligible students voted for president, while even fewer students voted for vice president, treasurer and vice president of Programming Council, according to the SGA election tabulations.
Lindsay Beattie, the elections and regulations chairwoman for SGA, said any undergraduate student was eligible to vote in Tuesday’s elections, where President Jace Thompson, Vice President Thomas Pressly, Treasurer Nate Arnold, and Programming Council Vice President Kristen Chapman were elected.
Thompson was elected president with a total of 1,171 votes, defeating Austin Uebele by nearly 500 votes.
During his term in office, Thompson said, there are a few things he’d like to change.
Thompson said he hopes to get scholarships increased to offset the rising tuition costs.
“I’d also like TCU to become a more residential campus where more students can and want to live on campus,” Thompson said.
Thompson also said he wants wireless Internet availability to increase throughout campus.
Pressly was elected vice president with 1,019 votes, while opponent Taylor Allen received 829 votes.
Pressly said he too hopes to put some changes into place during his term.
“My number one goal is to increase advertisements on campus,” Pressly said. “Following closely behind, is getting a Frog Dollars program in place.”
Frog Dollars, Pressly said, would be a program that allows students to use swipe cards connected to their TCU accounts at local businesses and restaurants.
Pressly said he’d like to see scholarships and financial aid increase as well.
Nate Arnold, who ran unopposed, was elected treasurer with 1,676 votes.
Kristen Chapman, won her PC position with more than double her opponent’s votes. Chapman came in with 1,130 votes, while her opponent, Giovanni Guerra, received 500 votes.
Chapman said the newly elected officers will serve the students well.
“I think were going to get a lot done this year,” Chapman said. “With all the construction on campus, it’s a big time for TCU.