A 44-page platform outlining valuable critiques and detailed, tangible proposals to address a variety of pressing issues on Emory’s campus is impressive; however, a demonstrated authenticity to enact this much needed change is why the Emory Wheel’s Editorial Board proudly endorses Khegan Meyers (24B) and Andrew Yang (23Ox) as a joint ticket for Student Government Association (SGA) president and vice president, respectively.
Foremost, Meyers has extensive experience in multiple realms of SGA, serving as a legislator in College Council and BBA Council over the past few years. He has previously worked as the chair of the College Council student life and traditions committee in 2021 and a member of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee in 2020. Meyers emphasized his unique background as a Questbridge recipient, citing the larger need for representation of specific issues low-income students face, like incorporating the cost of student health insurance into financial aid packages.
Jointly, Yang’s current position as president of Emory’s Oxford SGA gives him numerous crucial and transferable skills. He plans on implementing an easily accessible concern form that would connect students to the relevant Emory administration and SGA members simultaneously. Additionally, he previously served on Oxford’s finance committee as well as the arts and academics committee, which gives him ample experience working on such issues. Because of his link to both campuses, we are confident he will be able to better close the gap between them and encourage unity and cohesion in the University.
With the increased Title IX discourse on campus in the last year, the Editorial Board prioritized hearing candidates’ plans to remediate the current process and aid survivors. Meyers and Yang took it upon themselves to consult with Amanda Wendler (25C), who led the campus-wide Stand With Survivors Rally in November, alongside Caroline Zebrak (25B), and Katie Oshins (25C) for their platform. This outreach, supplemented by conversations with student representatives from Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA), informed their plans to increase awareness of sexual assault among both the student body and SGA members.
Multiple student advocacy organizations were thoughtfully included in the Meyers and Yang platform, like the South Asian Women’s Collective and the adoption of a caste nondiscrimination clause, and Planned Parenthood Generation Action and their commitment to providing accessible contraception through on-campus vending machines. This idealistic yet demonstrated commitment to collecting the unique experiences of diverse groups on campus epitomizes a genuine loyalty to the representation of varied beliefs and ideas at Emory.
Meyers and Yang are especially strong candidates because of their commitment to the innovation of SGA’s responsibilities and initiatives. Their proposal to advertise a ride-booking app, created by Akhil Arularasu (24Ox), that provides affordable transportation to students during peak travel times displays a dedication to showcasing student initiatives, setting a precedent of collaboration between SGA and the student body. This sense of boundless innovation extends to students’ academic experiences in their goal to create syllabus transparency on a shared platform that would facilitate open student discourse on course selection.
Both candidates recognize the need for accountability through communicative liaisons between SGA and the student body. To promote this, they propose an open calendar that would lay out SGA events and meetings and be sent to the student body in order to improve internal SGA knowledge and increase external participation. They also hope to implement a student handbook to simplify SGA statutes and documents, increasing visibility of the organization’s inner-workings to the general student body.
However, our endorsement of Meyers and Yang is not without criticism.
This endorsement is amplified by our consideration of each of the candidates’ respective performances at the Wheel debates on Feb. 22. When Abigail Dubinski (25B) and Yang were asked about efforts to help low-income students, Yang answered by relegating this issue to Meyers, citing that this was Meyers’ area of expertise. There seemed to be a clear divide in both Meyers’ and Yang’s knowledge of their joint platform, and the Board urges for both candidates to be equally invested and knowledgeable in the platform ideas they purport. Moreover, at the end of the debate between presidential candidates Meyers and Makenzie Jones (22Ox, 24C), Jones pointed out that the housing initiative plans on the Meyers and Yang platform had already been undertaken at Oxford; she made a key note about the importance of Meyers and Yang drawing clear boundaries between their goals and the work of student activists and organizations. If the pair is elected, they must make it a priority to not overstep on such pre-existing initiatives.
The Wheel’s Editorial Board reserves that despite the value in a lengthy and in-depth platform, Meyers and Yang should recognize that their goals of increased accessibility would be furthered by sharing their top priorities with the student body. The average Emory student would benefit more through a prioritized and shortened list. Moreover, while each of their ideas is supplemented by concrete plans, given the limited time of a one-year tenure, Meyers and Yang should share which initiatives and goals will be their most immediate priorities. This critique, however, stems from a thorough consideration of campus-wide issues, which this Board appreciates.
Through an amalgamation of experiences from their previous SGA involvements and discourse with multiple students and organizations on campus, Meyers and Yang have compiled a plan built around the tenets of accessibility, diversity and well-roundedness of initiatives. There are no better candidates than Meyers and Yang for the job, and it is with great pride and anticipation that the Editorial Board encourages your vote to go to them.
Assistant Opinion Editor Ellie Fivas (24Ox) serves as Oxford-Atlanta Liaison for the Oxford and Emory Student Government Associations. She recused herself and was not involved in writing or editing this editorial.
Opinion Editor Sophia Peyser (25C) and Editorial Board Chair Marc Goedemans (25C) recused themselves due to a conflict of interest with a candidate and were not involved in writing or editing this editorial.
The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board and Opinion Editor Sophia Peyser. The Editorial Board is composed of Isabelle Bellott-McGrath, Rachel Broun, Evelyn Cho, Ellie Fivas, Marc Goedemans, Aayam Kc, Elyn Lee, Saanvi Nayar, Shruti Nemala, Nushrat Nur and Sara Perez.
