The Emory Wheel held its 12th annual Wheel Debates on Feb. 23 for the College Council, Student Government Association (SGA) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Council elections. The event was extended to Oxford SGA (OxSGA) for the first time this year with a virtual debate on Feb. 24.
Approximately 50 people attended the event in-person on Feb. 23 while about 30 unique viewers joined the live stream. The debates lasted for around one hour. About 20 people attended the 30-minute OxSGA debates the next morning. Each candidate shared their platform and answered prepared questions in addition to audience questions.
Voting for the both campuses opens at noon on Feb. 27 and closes at noon on March 1.
College Council vice presidential candidate
College Council vice presidential candidate Finn Johnston (25C), who is running unopposed and currently serves as College Council’s co-Chief of Staff, kicked off the debates. He said his platform is dedicated to “bridging the gap between student organizations and student government.” When asked which initiative he would prioritize during his first week in office, Johnston noted that he wants to ensure all executive positions in College Council know exactly who they are reporting to and what their role entails.
Johnston discussed Emory’s current mental health policies, asserting that they need to be improved through means such as more Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) counselors and easier access to CAPS appointments.
“I don’t think anyone would disagree that mental health on campus is quite honestly horrible,” Johnston said.
Johnston admitted that student government cannot make tangible changes to Emory’s approach to mental health on its own, but he emphasized putting pressure on administrators and reassuring students that “it is OK to talk about their mental health.”
In response to an audience question about whether he thinks that Emory University should abolish Greek life, Johnston said that Emory should not but stated that Greek life is a predominantly wealthy and white community that he hopes can be diversified.
“Working on increasing those connections between groups that aren’t a part of that circle and Greek life I think is necessary,” Johnston said.
College Council presidential candidate
The next debate featured College Council presidential candidate Jannat Khan (25C), who currently serves as College Council’s co-Chief of Staff alongside Johnston. She is also running unopposed. Khan said she has an “invisible disability” and wants to further advocate for disabled students in student government, noting that she led a project to improve testing accommodations at Emory.
“I want to continue to bring in more voices from that community and the student government,” Khan said.
Khan also addressed the failed College Council bill she co-authored. The bill would have provided legislative seats to Black, Latinx and first-generation, low-income student representatives.
“I’m happy to admit it may not have been the best solution, but I want to continue to work with the students that are impacted by that bill, the students that were accounted for in that bill to work toward a different solution, even if it may not be the solution that was in the bill,” Khan said.
Additionally, Khan discussed her plans to create a political affairs group, which she hopes can help address “political strife” on Emory’s campus.
“There is a huge lack of transparency surrounding what does Emory do when [it] endorses student political conduct, when students come to Emory and when students come to Emory admin,” Khan said.
Khan also hopes that her proposed political affairs group will help educate students about Emory’s guidelines surrounding open expression on campus.
BBA Council presidential candidates
Next, BBA Council presidential candidates Aidan Baris (25B) and Agha Haider (25B) spoke about their respective campaigns.
Baris currently serves as a BBA legislator on SGA. He explained that his three-pronged platform focuses on enhancing accessibility, increasing transparency and creating community.
When asked an audience question about how the candidates can increase diversity in Goizueta Business School, Baris discussed his desire to establish identity spaces at Goizueta, which he hopes will foster more connection among students.
“I want to make sure that we build a community that everyone feels as though that they belong, and that that is not a question everyone feels like they’re valued,” Baris said.
When Haider asked how these identity spaces would differ from the newly-added identity spaces in Cox Hall, Baris said that they would be similar but “more business school orientated” and would support students with business school-related questions or concerns.
Haider is currently a College Council representative on BBA Council. His campaign is based on five aspects of the BBA program: mentorship, advising, kegs, entrepreneurship and spirit. “Kegs” refers to “Kegs in the Courtyard,” a tradition held each Thursday at Goizueta to build community among business students.
He hopes to develop a strong alumni advising network in Goizueta to promote diversity, noting that students may feel more comfortable speaking about their experiences with alumni who have a shared identity.
“Being able to talk to somebody who is actually your race or is the same gender as you will have that more empathetic experience of, ‘Hey, this is what I did,’” Haider said.
BBA Council presidential candidates Aidan Baris (25B) and Agha Haider (25B) greet each other after their debate. (Alya Khoury/Contributing Photographer)
In response to a question regarding previous student programming, Haider said he had worked to “bridge the gaps” between CAPS, BBA Council, College Council and the Residence Hall Association through a collaborative event to bolster mental health resources on campus.
SGA vice presidential candidate
SGA vice presidential candidate Pranay Mamileti (26C) is running unopposed for the seat and shared a platform with SGA presidential candidate Abigail Dubinski (25B). Mamileti currently serves as SGA’s co-vice president of well-being.
Mamileti said that one of his priorities is to help connect students to resources that Emory already provides, which he believes students are often unaware of or have trouble accessing.
“We’re focused on making sure that SGA can help bridge that gap in creating events and programming and make sure that students are able to connect with each other,” Mamileti said.
When faced with an audience question about University President Gregory Fenves’ response to the Israel-Palestine conflict and student advocacy, Mamileti said that it is SGA’s duty to make sure it is “uplifting” student voices and ensure that students on both sides of an issue are heard.
“Something that Abigail has worked on is to make sure that student advocates on both sides of the issue are actually able to meet with President Fenves, bring forth their concerns,” Mamileti said. “That’s something that we want to continue to do.”
SGA presidential candidates
SGA presidential candidates Jayden Davis (25B) and Dubinski discussed their respective platforms before discussing how to ensure Jewish, Muslim and Arab students feel safe on campus amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. SGA presidential candidate Unique “Jaytrice” Mackey (22Ox, 25C) was not present at the debates.
Davis said that SGA must make sure that Emory’s freedom of expression is equitably enforced on administration and students. Emory Students for Justice in Palestine, Students for Socialism and Emory Stop Cop City endorsed Davis at a Feb. 23 event held on the steps of the Administration Building.
Dubinski, who is currently the vice president of SGA, said that it is important to reach out to students and attend meetings with Emory administration to voice concerns, which she said she has been doing this year and will continue to do.
SGA presidential candidates Abigail Dubinski (25B) and Jayden Davis (26B) answer questions at the 12th annual Wheel Debates. (Ayla Khoury/Contributing Photographer)
Both candidates also discussed how they can hold administration responsible for implementing the Office of Sustainability Initiatives’ (OSI) 2023 Climate Action Plan, which details the University’s sustainability goals. Davis highlighted the need to outline clear funding for the grant writer position mentioned in the plan, while Dubinski emphasized building strong relationships with administrative offices.
Dubinski also described her work on improving transportation between the Oxford and Atlanta campuses as well as securing more frequent and reliable shuttles after Davis asked about her previous SGA initiatives. She emphasized Oxford’s role as a part of Emory and wants to ensure that students on the Oxford campus feel a sense of belonging when at the Atlanta campus.
Though Davis is not currently part of SGA, he explained he is dedicated to expanding mental health services, increasing SGA transparency and reforming current Title IX policies to reduce the length of investigation timelines.
However, Davis told the Wheel that while he intends to collaborate with Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA), he did not have time to ask permission to mention SAPA in his Instagram campaign materials, which have since been deleted and replaced with a post that does not mention SAPA.
“Looking back on it, I do think I need to do some more research on the issue,” Davis said.
Davis also said that some of his platform was a “little reductive” to SAPA’s current initiatives.
“I should have acknowledged that a bit better in my platform and the work that they are currently doing and reached out to them before I had published my platform to make sure that all of my facts were straight,” Davis said.
Several attendees showed support for Davis during the debate, snapping in response to his answers. Graduate Student Government Association President Neeti Patel (24PH), who attended the event, spoke highly of Davis’ campaign.
“Jayden Davis’ campaign really stood out to me, especially when he said that his platform is not his platform, it’s our platform,” Patel said. “That’s how a student advocacy body should be built. You’re uplifting the voices of the community that you represent.”
OxSGA vice presidential candidates
The next morning, OxSGA vice presidential candidates Kieran Rafferty (25Ox) and Chase Wallace (25Ox) kicked off the Oxford debates, discussing their intentions to increase connectivity between OxSGA and Oxford students.
Rafferty said that OxSGA needs to work on being more available to students.
“It’s our mission as student leaders to go to the students,” Rafferty said. “Even if the students … aren’t coming to us.”
Wallace discussed his experiences as OxSGA’s vice president for communications and the changes he implemented to connect students with OxSGA. Wallace said that he helped create new weekly OxSGA town halls and put out meeting updates on Instagram “that have had a wide reach with students much wider than previous forms of the newsletter.”
“I was one of the major players in instituting monthly town halls for students to come and air the problems that they have,” Wallace said.
Both candidates described ways to help “bridge” the Oxford and Atlanta campuses. Rafferty said that having clubs where Oxford and Atlanta students could interact would be beneficial and can help “mend the Oxford-Atlanta relationship.” Wallace said that the relationship could be “mended” by making “Oxford more known” on the Atlanta campus, in addition to having clubs that allow Oxford members to continue into similar Atlanta campus clubs.
In reference to the recent mold issues at Oxford, both students stated that better communication will improve the relationship between OxSGA and the Oxford student body.
“It really is about getting on administration’s line of communication and saying, ‘Hey, this is the voice of the collective student representation, we need this, we need this problem to be fixed right now,’” Wallace said.
Rafferty acknowledged that there is tension between Oxford administration and the student body, and he noted that it is important to fix their relationship.
“I think student feedback is really important for OxSGA to actually bridge the gap between the student body and administration,” Rafferty said.
OxSGA presidential candidates
After the vice presidential debate concluded, Kenan Bajraktarevic (25Ox) gave an introductory speech on why Oxford should elect him as the next president of OxSGA. Stephanie He (25Ox), the other OxSGA presidential candidate, did not attend the debate.
After receiving an audience question about Oxford’s “racist history,” Bajraktarevic focused on how students should embrace shared values and combat stereotypes.
“That could really help mend any divides that we see today,” Bajraktarevic said.
Bajraktarevic added that he does not want to ban Yik Yak due to ongoing racism on the social media platform but that it is a cultural issue that he believes he can solve.
Additionally, Bajraktarevic hopes to work more closely with whoever is elected vice president, as well as people outside of OxSGA, citing this as one of the biggest problems within OxSGA this year.
“I believe through actually working on our relationships and starting from square one, can actually be what really makes the change and what makes the difference, not just for this year, but also for the years to come,” Bajraktarevic said.
One of Bajraktarevic’s ideas if elected president is to add lockers to the Emory Student Center for Oxford students.
“That can be a place where Oxford students can go, they can drop off their stuff, they can go wherever they want, because right now, to a lot of students at Oxford, the Atlanta campus is a place of insecurity,” Bajraktarevic said.
Additionally, Bajraktarevic stated that he wants to improve OxSGA’s reputation among students.
“I want to mend this relationship within both the leadership and the entirety of the SGA as a whole to try and make us both more productive and … to have a better perception to everyone in not just Oxford but Emory University,” Bajraktarevic said.
Asst. News Editor Lauren Yee (25Ox) did not write or edit the OxSGA presidential and vice presidential candidate sections due to a conflict of interest with a candidate.
Correction (2/27/24 at 11:56 a.m.): A previous version of this article stated that SGA presidential candidate Jayden Davis’ class year is 26B. In fact, his class year is 25B.
Spencer Friedland (26C) is from Long Island, New York and is the Emory Wheel's Managing News Editor. He is a Philosophy, Politics and Law major and has a secondary major in Film. Spencer is also a part of the Franklin Fellows program at Emory.
