Two Syracuse University students who have never previously served in Student Association announced their candidacy for next year’s SA president and vice president positions on Monday at about 7 p.m.

Junior Kaitlyn Ellsweig, a political science and economics dual major, is running for president. Sophomore Ryan Houck, an accounting and finance double major, would be Ellsweig’s vice president, if elected.

The pair, who debuted their candidacy on facebook, has three main campaign focuses: empowering student voices, promoting diversity and advocating for student needs, Ellsweig said in an interview Monday night. One initiative Ellsweig and Houck would implement, if elected, is a set of engagement hours to help foster awareness among the student population about what SA is, the presidential candidate said.

“Really, what I see this as is an opportunity to give back. I’ve really dedicated my time at SU to service. And helping others is something I’m really passionate about,” Ellsweig said. “I think Student Association has the power to do so many great things for the student body.”

Ellsweig is involved in Democracy Matters and SU Ambulance, among other things. Houck is also a leader in Democracy Matters and a mentor in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Democracy Matters encourages campaign finance reform. Houck’s also an ambassador for the Feed the Children group. They both volunteer with other organizations, Ellsweig said.

Working together in Democracy Matters has prepared them to run for SA executive positions, Ellsweig said. She’s a strong “big-picture planner,” while Houck is able to focus more on smaller details, she added.

No other candidates have publicly announced their campaigns as of 9 p.m. Monday. Candidate petitions were due before spring break, though. SA elections will run between April 9 and April 12.

Published on March 19, 2018 at 9:54 pm

Contact Catherine: ccleffer@syr.edu | @ccleffert