Meet your 2012 SGA President and Vice President candidates

Kyle Thompson, President candidate:

My name is Kyle Thompson, and I am running for SGA President. I am a sophomore at Western Carolina, and my platform is based on two topics: student concerns and school spirit.

I am a Resident Assistant in Scott Hall and have a passion for helping students. I also have the privilege of working with the Academic Success Program in the summer as an RA. I love getting to know students and enjoy helping them acclimate and thrive at Western Carolina. My job as an RA uniquely qualifies me to be President of the SGA because the SGA was created to advocate for students' needs. As President, I will offer student forums once a month for students to voice their concerns, and I will hold frequent meetings with administrators at this university, as well as the Board of Governments at the state level to make sure you see results.

Another passion of mine is forming a partnership with the local community by participating in activities like work projects to serve the greater Jackson County area. This year, I have had the privilege to work on the Judicial Branch in SGA as a traffic court justice. I have also represented WCU at Association for Student Governments meetings where the Student Governments from all the UNC System schools talk about how we can better advocate for students. As President, my passion will be to build relationships with students in order to hear every voice and concern.

I love Western Carolina University and attending every athletic event that I can to cheer on the Catamounts! We are in a very pivotal time here at WCU. We just hired a new football coach and athletic director, as well as a newly installed chancellor. I will continue the excitement that Chancellor Belcher has brought to WCU. As President, I will implement things like T-shirt giveaways, pep rallies, a "Fan of the Week" program and much more to get everyone excited about Catamount athletics.

In closing, I have been privileged to attend Western Carolina and work alongside the influential leaders that have played such a huge part in improving the student experience at our university. I am running for President of the SGA because I want to continue the effective leaderships and help every student along the way.