Walker Liu (26C) wants to be Emory University’s Student Government Association (SGA) president for one reason: to give back to the Emory undergraduate community. It’s evident he is not running for the title; his platform focuses on transparency, accessibility and advocacy for students, emphasizing necessary reforms to student government operations, financial allocations and academic resources. Based on his genuine concern for hearing student voices, The Emory Wheel’s Editorial Board believes Liu is the best candidate for SGA president.
Liu, with no prior experience in student government but ample leadership experience as treasurer of Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), brings a much-needed reprieve from previous administrations’ lacking reform. In his platform, Liu proposed several initiatives to improve communication between SGA and the student body, including creating weekly Instagram Reels alongside his vice president to make SGA more transparent. Additionally, he suggested holding SGA office hours via Zoom to ensure students can directly engage with representatives without bureaucratic hurdles. Liu’s plan for a dedicated space for SGA-student connections and discussions is strong for this reason — it eases the way for interaction and communication with constituents. He also criticized the current SGA administration for lacking transparency, pointing out during the debate that students must request permission on SharePoint to access SGA bills and resolutions, which creates an unnecessary barrier to engagement. He wants to simplify access by making information more publicly available and digestible.
Furthermore, Liu’s strong opposition to compensating student government representatives represents a victory for students who don’t want their Student Activity Fee (SAF) in the pockets of student leaders. Unlike one of his opponents, who previously proposed a bill distributing stipends to College Council legislators, Liu truly believes these positions should be based on service, rather than financial incentives, as he shared during the Wheel Debates. During the debate, he went so far as to call stipends sourced from the SAF without student consultation “disrespectful.”
An interest in key student issues, such as the contentious Respect for Open Expression Policy, should be a priority for any candidate that runs for SGA, College Council or Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Council, and Liu’s platform nails that with several key initiatives. He aims to increase student representation on the University Senate’s Open Expression Committee by including more faith groups. Liu’s plan for increased representation would ensure more diverse and equitable perspectives on the committee — a change that is much needed. Additionally, he supports incorporating open expression education into the required first-year ECS 101 class. Every first-year student should be well-versed in their rights from the start, especially since the Respect for Open Expression Policy has become such a contested topic on campus and within SGA.
Liu’s lack of experience with student government serves him positively, allowing him to bring outside-the-box solutions to common problems, like the financial difficulties of chartering a club. One of Liu’s more innovative policies is a proposal to reallocate the SAF budget, adjusting the distribution of the funding away from dominant, well-established clubs in favor of providing more resources to smaller, emerging organizations. Emory students tend to maintain bubbles on campus, not wanting to stray too far from clubs and activities that they are familiar with; however, Liu’s plan to uplift newer clubs with less influence could help break down those barriers and engage students from different social circles.
As a member of ATO, Liu will also ensure that Greek life, which makes up approximately 20% of Emory’s campus, is represented in SGA. In his interview with the Board, he specified his desire to ensure fraternity and sorority members receive fair treatment in Greek housing. His advocacy for installing printers in Greek houses and opposition to the new policy of graduate house directors in Greek life housing also highlights a lesser-discussed issue within student government meetings. We appreciate Liu shining a light on this topic and contributing to breaking down barriers between student government and other bubbles on campus.
While the Editorial Board applauds other presidential candidates Seth Weinfield (27C) and Tyler Martinez (26C) for their passion and ideas, we do not believe they should be the next SGA president. Weinfield’s prior bill to provide stipends to College Council legislators with the SAF raises ethical concerns as a potential misuse of student resources. Meanwhile, Martinez’s interview and debate performance did not demonstrate a good grasp of relevant SGA policy issues, nor did he present clear, substantive policy anywhere outside of his platform.
While Liu acknowledges he does not have student government experience, he has made significant efforts to educate himself. In his debate performance, Liu demonstrated how he has thoroughly studied the SGA Constitution and learned about the SAF and its uses — even including a guide to understanding SGA for prospective voters in his platform.
The Board also wants to express reservations about Liu’s choice for vice president, Vice President of Service at Alpha Kappa Psi Kenneth Power (27C). Power ignored our invitation to interview and did not show up for the Wheel Debates. His absence from these key events raises concerns about his commitment and ability to serve effectively in student government. Given this, the Board ultimately decided to split our endorsements between tickets and instead endorse Maahi Sethi (27C) for SGA vice president.
Liu’s campaign is built on the idea of reforming SGA for the benefit of students. By emphasizing transparency, accessibility and financial fairness, he hopes to create a student government that is more engaged and effective, and we look forward to seeing what changes he brings.
Editorial Board Editor Marc Goedemans recused himself due to a conflict of interest with Liu and was not involved in writing or editing this opinion. Eliana Liporace and Ilka Tona recused themselves due to a conflict of interest with Weinfield and were not involved in writing or editing this opinion.
The above editorial represents the majority opinion of The Emory Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Editorial Board Editor Marc Goedemans, Editorial Board Asst. Editor Carly Aikens, Opinion Asst. Editor Ethan Jacobs, Arts & Life Asst. Editor Hunter Buchheit, Allie Guo, Carson Kindred, Mira Krichavsky, Eliana Liporace, Niki Rajani, Josh Rosenblut, Ilka Tona and Crystal Zhang.
