Image by Marcia Aksu/FIUSM Staff
Written by Camila Fernandez/BBC Managing Editor
More student-campus involvement, on-campus class options and Greek life are concerns being tackled by Biscayne Bay Campus Student Government Council presidential candidates.
Allhan Mejia, a junior business major and Christopher Morisset, a senior biology and hospitality and management major, face each other to be the next SGC-BBC President for the 2015-2016 year term.
Mejia, who has been involved in the SGC-BBC since fall 2013, said his main concern is making the council more accessible and transparent to students. He said students are not informed enough about what is being made available for them.
“Sometimes students don’t realize what we necessarily do and then they kind of just see us like [the] office in the third floor,” Mejia said.
In the same way, Mejia said the council needs to be more up to date on student needs. As President, he plans to establish a group called Street Team, much like the one at the University of South Florida’s Student Government, to help promote student government involvement, projects and initiatives.
“My reason behind being President is so that I can make this as student-friendly as I possibly can, and I know I’ll have a limited amount of time to do it. Although you only have a year term, you can plant the seeds for future things,” Mejia said.
On the other hand, Morisset said he is focused on building a stronger relationship between the Biscayne Bay Campus and the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. He said this would increase campus life involvement at the North Campus.
“If I do get elected, I will still continue [to bring] awareness – actually involving FIU to the North Miami community a little bit more,” Morisset said. “I think building that would be a great stepping stone for FIU.”
Morisset has been involved in the SGC-BBC since fall of 2011. He said he has learned a lot from different individuals and would like to take on the legacy as President.
In addition to creating the Street Team group, Mejia said he would also like to help bring in more classes at the BBC for students in business and administration and the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Throughout the years, we’ve been fighting to get more classes here because some students want to come to this campus but don’t have the opportunity because classes aren’t offered here,” Mejia said.
He said that the possibility of having more classes at the BBC would probably not be resolved in a year. However, he believes that once there is student housing in fall 2016, that would open opportunities.
Samantha Pierre-Louis, a freshman health service administration major, agrees that not enough classes are being offered at the North Campus.
“BBC has a lot of land. Instead of expanding MMC, which is already huge, look into expanding BBC as a campus so that more people could come,” Pierre-Louis said. “It shouldn’t have to be that you can’t pick classes,” she said.
Pierre-Louis also said that her favorite campus is the BBC because of its tranquil setting. However, most of her classes have only been offered at the MMC, forcing her to pay $10 weekly to use the Golden Panther Express.
Nevertheless, she said she is content with last year’s opening of the Panther Plaza and the Panther sculpture. “It added the more university feeling to it. They’re always progressing, doing, getting something done,” she said.
Finally, both Mejia and Morisset hope to expand Greek life presence at the BBC as a way to improve campus life.
“I feel like if Greek life is here, that would allow or increase student involvement overall,” said Mejia. “[I] feel like some students want to do it, but they don’t want to travel to go to South [Campus].”
“I don’t think MMC should be the only one to have [Greek life],” said Morisset. “We’re two campuses, but we’re one FIU.”
The final SGA Candidates Debate will take place Monday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Panther Square. Voting will take place Tuesday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Registrar’s Office.
camila.fernandez@fiusm.com
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