Dunwoody campus representative Terry Fye and Atlanta students Franklin Patterson and Sai Maddali are all vouching that they’re the best student voice and leader of the Student Government Association and will attempt to convince the student body in The Signal-led SGA debates on March 20.
Fye will be receiving his associate degree in May and will be continuing on to his bachelor’s degree in the fall. A theater major, Fye also won the title of Mr. Perimeter in the fall of 2016. Wanting to become an active representation in the Georgia State community, he joined SGA as senator of Governmental Relations and moved on to become Speaker of the Senate.
Fye told The Signal there are two issues he’s planning to tackle as SGA president. Campus safety and support are highlighted as Fye’s priorities for his hopeful term.
“Safety is always a massive concern for many of the students currently attending the Atlanta campus,” Fye said. “ I applaud what SGA has done so far with its handling of this issue on all campuses, from our safety forums, to Campus Carry Education Sessions, to events like the Community Day tournament.”
But Fye said it’s also about tackling the aftermath and following up and providing support to students that may have experienced a crime.
Patterson, the second presidential hopeful, is a marketing major on his way to senior year. Patterson comes with a Perimeter College background, as he spent his first two years of college at the Clarkston campus as an active SGA member. He has served as the head of the Student Activity Fee Committee and continues to hold an executive position on the YDGSU & Phi Alpha Delta.
Patterson said he’ll be focusing on advising, transportation and public safety as SGA president as well as many other issues. He said the financial aid and advising officers are two of his primary concerns, especially for out-of-state and commuter students. He also said with the upcoming Courtland Bridge project, transportation is an issue he wants to advocate for.
“Not to mention a lack of a strong tradition on campus, the need for a program to help students easily transition into the job field upon graduation, and a strong awareness of the fact that Georgia State is in the middle of one of the biggest cities for human trafficking,” Patterson said.
As for computer science major Maddali, he’s currently serving as president of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization and is a member of the Student Environmental Team and Panther Hackers. Maddali has been SGA’s University-Wide Communications Director.
Maddali has laid his focus on resource access to low-income students.
“I am working on Panther Career Closet, which would allow students to obtain professional clothing for free for interviews and career fairs,” he said.
Maddali said he also wants to improve environmental sustainability on campus, adding options for vegans, creating technology-oriented solutions for transportation and shaking up SGA’s culture.
