State of the Union

Veronica Manley

As Election Day finally comes into focus, SGA is keeping up with all the last minute additions in the race.  Along with weekly meetings, committees and efforts to make the University the best it can be, the Student Government is committed to making voting in this Election Day as easy as possible.  

SGA is looking forward to the upcoming election.  Even though it does not endorse one candidate in particular, it does endorse voting.  Each and every U.S. citizen has the tremendous opportunity to vote for whom they believe will best represent the country.  Whether they are Hillary Clinton supporters, Donald Trump supporters, even third party supporters, citizens should fulfill their constitutional right to elect our new leader.

“While SGA will not be taking a position on any particular candidate, we encourage everyone to vote in the upcoming election,” SGA President Bobby Roenitz said. “Even if you don’t think any of the candidates represent all of your views perfectly, it’s still important to participate and support the democratic process.”

SGA, along with the help of the Campus Activities team (CAT), is dedicated to help all Villanova students have the opportunity to learn more about voting. CAT Ideas and Issues Director Alexandra Venuto lead the on-campus voting campaign: Ignite Change, Go Vote Initiative.  

“I’m really excited to see the turnout of Villanova voters because we’ve worked on really trying to make this a smooth and easy process for students,” Venuto said. “It’s been great trying to involve and engage students more through debate watch parties, brochures and outside organizations, especially in such a talked about election.  I’ve even taught myself so much about voting and the candidates throughout the process of informing others, so I hope the student body really benefited from our efforts as well.”

The SGA has had a role in advocating the importance of voting as well.  Last year in Belle Air Terrace, many students were concerned that only SportsCenter and other sports stations were being broadcast on the TV screens.  Thanks to the SGA, there is a variety of channels being played, including the news, so that students can stay up to date on current events.  This has been a vital addition to spreading knowledge on the campaign. 

It is imperative to be an informed voter, and several  different organizations at Villanova have made it as easy as possible. On November 8, practice the right to vote!