On Feb. 14, Florida Atlantic University’s Student Government (SG) held its presidential ticket debate for this semester’s general election, giving student body president and vice president candidates a platform to share their ideas for campus improvement with FAU students.

The first running pair is presidential candidate Darsham Gonzalez and vice-presidential candidate Kade Salzer, both members of Pi Kappa Alpha. Gonzalez, a pre-med junior studying political science, introduced their party’s goals for the upcoming term. 

“We are here to ensure that your four years at FAU are the best they can be,” he said. “Our administration would be happy to bring you programs such as airport shuttles, campus recreation improvements, parking solutions, free printing, Quizlet Plus and even Greek housing.”

The second running pair is presidential candidate Jean Luma and vice-presidential candidate Ellie Raab, followed up by establishing candidate background experience. They are members of Sigma Chi and Sigma Delta Tau, respectively.

“During my time at FAU, I served as a secretary for my fraternity, Sigma Chi and also as IFC president. We made some big decisions that impacted the over 1,000 Greeks that we have here,” Luma said. 

In his time with the Interfraternity Council (IFC), a student-led organization responsible for connecting fraternities across, Luma explained having raised over $1 million for philanthropy through Greek life experiences. 

Salzer and Raab also voiced their experience and position capabilities. Salzer, a junior and business finance major, explained his growth at FAU so far.

“Throughout my time here, I have found multiple ways to increase my involvement, starting with my fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha,” he said. “As a junior, I spent time in the highest executive cabinet, the President’s Administrative Cabinet. Here, I was awarded the ability to oversee all of the campuses…”

Raab spoke on beginning Greek life ideas for FAU’s Boca Raton campus. 

“So there’s been various initiatives we have been running on, including Greek housing and less restrictions on Greek activities,” Raab said.

Regarding equal opportunities for extracurricular activities at FAU, Gonzalez spoke on the current efforts they’ve enacted.

“The arts community, for example, is extremely important to campus culture,” Gonzalez said. “These are students that we feel have voices and need to be represented. What we want to do is expand these programs to provide these opportunities, so students do not have financial burdens.” 

Raab, a sophomore studying criminal justice on a pre-law track, also introduced her leadership experience serving as president for Students Supporting Israel at FAU and accumulating over 200 members.

“Over a year now, I’ve served as the chief financial officer for a local nonprofit organization, where we’ve dealt with a budget of over $200,000. Through this, I’ve learned good financial skills,” she said.

During the question-and-answer portion, moderator Nick Stone, a sophomore, asked both pairs three questions: how to improve FAU’s Boca campus, enhance extracurricular opportunities for different programs and better the integration of technology in the classroom. 

FAU students can vote online for their preferred presidential and vice-presidential candidates from Feb. 25-26. 

Madeline Cruz is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email madelinecruz2023@fau.edu.