{"id":59314,"date":"2021-04-12T14:26:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T19:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=59314"},"modified":"2021-04-12T14:26:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T19:26:09","slug":"getting-to-know-sga-candidates-will-barfield-and-crystal-rojas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=59314","title":{"rendered":"Getting to know SGA candidates Will Barfield and Crystal Rojas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo Courtesy FHSU Student Government Association Facebook page<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY CORIE LYNN
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Each year, FHSU\u2019s Student Government Association holds elections allowing students to vote for their new student senators and Student Body President and Vice President.
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For the first time in four years, the VP\/Presidential ticket is contested.
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One of the two tickets lists junior political science majors Will Barfield and Crystal Rojas for President and Vice President, respectfully.
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The two candidates met the previous school year and joined SGA around the same time. Currently, Barfield serves as a student senator and Rojas as the organization\u2019s Legislative Affairs Director.
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Barfield<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to Barfield, he and Rojas found their similarities extended to their opinions on problems that could be solved at FHSU.
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\u201c[a]s time went on, especially as we came into the spring semester, we realized this was something that we actually want to do, and that\u2019s a position that we can assume that can grant us the powers to make those changes and to be leaders in that sector,\u201d Barfield said.
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As they prepared to campaign, Barfield and Rojas created a platform broken into sections, being affordability and accessibility at the University. Barfield cited these points as reasons students come to FHSU.
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\u201cSo the students are depending on us to maintain that and also further that and give them opportunities that allow them to feel financially secure at Fort Hays,\u201d Barfield said.
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To assist financially, he and Rojas would like to expand the Tiger Food Exchange in Forsyth Library into a larger operation that includes food beyond canned goods as well as hygiene items.
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In addition, they would like to find a stable source of funding for the Student Emergency Assistance Fund.
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Because of recent conversations surrounding inclusion at FHSU, Rojas explained they would like to continue to tackle the issue on campus.
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\u201cWhenever we were speaking about a platform,\u201d Rojas said, \u201cI told Will I don\u2019t want to just add diversity and inclusivity to that platform and then just say, \u2018Yeah, we promote and we encourage an environment that is very diverse and inclusive,\u2019 and just call it a night.\u201d
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Rojas<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She explained that they hope to promote a diversity committee available to students beyond SGA members and to establish a senator position for underserved students, which would be set aside for students in minority groups.
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They also hope to establish an open-door policy that would encourage students to bring any issue directly to the SGA. They have already established this practice by actively campaigning on social media and planning to utilize accounts to keep students informed throughout the semesters.
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\u201cAnd we\u2019ve been hearing from a lot of students, just concerns and questions they have, not only part of our campaign but really any other issues they\u2019ve faced in their time at Fort Hays State,\u201d Rojas said.
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Barfield explained that they hope their use of social media to reach students will keep them engaged on campus.
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\u201cWe have the option to go live, and what we want to do every week, at the end of the week, is go live Friday afternoon and tell students what happened in our office, what happened in Senate, what bills are going on that they need to know about,\u201d Barfield said.
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Finally, they also hope to expand the positions of the executive staff and redesign the Senate to encourage teamwork within the SGA.
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In choosing this platform, the candidates hope that they can help fill in cracks they and other students see by putting ideas into motion.
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Barfield and Rojas want to move beyond discussion.
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\u201cWe want to do something impactful that for students in the future, they\u2019re going to benefit from that, and it\u2019s going to be an experience for everyone that steps foot on our campus so much better and just a better place, really, for our community,\u201d Rojas said.
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Should they be elected, she and Barfield acknowledge that they will need student support to put their plans into action. They see the SGA as the method by which student voices are heard and issues are brought to University faculty.
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Barfield and Rojas also plan to bring students into conversations about campus changes. With these lines of communication, they believe they can enact their platform.
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\u201cWe want to hear feedback, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to build off of as well,\u201d Rojas said. \u201cSo we really think, if elected, we\u2019ll be able to do so many great things.\u201d
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As the spring semester draws to a close, Barfield and Rojas are already looking forward to what the fall semester has to offer. They hope for a comeback as the University returns to normal.
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\u201cOne thing we\u2019ve been saying to [Freshmen] is that we\u2019re ready to make sure that your experience for what you\u2019ve missed gets made up and more next year. I mean, because that\u2019s a priority for us, too,\u201d Barfield said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rojas also looks forward to the ways in which campus involvement through academics and organizations benefits students.
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She is also excited to continue working with the SGA.
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\u201cAnd if we\u2019re able to fill those positions of President and Vice President,\u201d Rojas said, \u201cthen Will and I are just going to dive into it directly and start laying out this platform, and we\u2019ll just tackle each different issue and get to work.\u201d
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As the election approaches, she and Barfield encourage students to reach out through their Instagram @willxcrystal21 or their Snapchat accounts, willcbarfield and red0018. They also encourage students to simply vote for their new representatives.
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Voting begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday on TigerLink and closes at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Additional information about this year\u2019s elections is available online<\/a>.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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