On January 31st, one of FSU’s Student Government Association (SGA) political parties, Surge, announced they are shutting their doors before the February 26 election. They ceased to accept slating applications just days after announcing their applications were open.
FSU had two main political parties that ran for SGA positions, Surge and Forward, leaving Forward as the only party on campus. Surge Chair Megan McEnery spoke to us about this decision.
McEnery said, “While this decision may seem sudden, it is something that we have been discussing for a while in our internal e-board. Our performance in both the Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 elections showed us that the community no longer felt like we were a party that deserved their support."
"Therefore, we decided it was best for us to take a step back from campaigning for a semester and figure out where our priorities lie and where the community needs us the most.”
Immediately following the announcement posted by Surge, a new candidate platform, Independent Student Leaders for the Future (ISLF), launched on Instagram. Their platform encourages students to run for SGA positions independently. They urge students to run without an SGA party and promote their own platforms and goals.
Following the launch of their Instagram page, a sudden increase in independent candidates flowed.
A post on ISLF’s Instagram page stated, “We believe that it’s time to fix the two party system by running independent candidates. We will support you by uplifting YOUR campaign goals, not a generic party platform.”
When asked for her opinion, McEnery said, “I honestly think this a fabulous idea — while I think the party system is important to give FSU students a general idea of how SGA works, an increase in independent candidates will force both parties to make sure that they are following through on their campaign promises to the best of their abilities.
"Sometimes partisan politics do follow individuals… [in]areas of SGA even when they shouldn’t. We hope the influx of independent candidates will inspire more collaboration.”
Unlike FSU, other universities have similar platforms to ISLF, urging students to run independently. These platforms support and promote independent candidates and try to avoid partisanship within SGA.
ISLF does not plan on becoming a party and every single position in SGA elections has an independent candidate running against the candidate under Forward FSU, the other SGA party on campus. Forward FSU has dominated SGA elections for years in executive positions as well as student senate. They have won the majority of almost every race against Surge.
When asked about the future of Surge, McEnery said, “The current administration of Surge is talking to the individuals who will make up the next administration to figure out how we will return in the future…”
“Something will come back in the fall whether it’s Surge as it is now, Surge with a miniature rebrand, or a brand new thing we aren’t sure on, which is why we are talking to people who are going to be involved next fall to essentially plan and sketch that out,” McEnery said when asked to clarify further.
McEnery said in her general statement, “SGA affects a lot more than people realize; it funds student projects, we have a voice on the Board of Governors, and senators can send letters of dissent or support directly to the Florida legislature."
"Don’t be afraid to get involved! Whether it's running with a party, running independently, applying to the Executive branch, etc., there are so many ways to get involved and make a change on campus.”
Do not forget to vote in the February 26th SGA elections.
Comments