{"id":18846,"date":"2020-04-30T12:05:42","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T16:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=18846"},"modified":"2020-05-26T15:35:47","modified_gmt":"2020-05-26T19:35:47","slug":"sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Government Association Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout; One Campus Only Tallied 31 Votes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Student Government Association elections at Miami Dade College registered abysmal voter turnout<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only 942 total votes were tallied at seven of its campuses<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014after voting was forced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/sga-changes-election-season-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">to go fully online<\/span><\/a> due to the coronavirus pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, more than 3,500 people voted.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medical Campus did not provide numbers for this year or the year prior and Hialeah Campus did not provide last year\u2019s numbers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, four campuses counted less than 100 votes: Hialeah (31), West (63), Wolfson (85) and Homestead (91). Kendall Campus reported the highest voter turnout with 377 votes and Eduardo J. Padr\u00f3n Campus reported the biggest dip in votes from the previous year. The Padr\u00f3n Campus went from 1,126 total votes in 2019 to 141 in 2020, a 985 vote difference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to College officials, there were 57,001 credit students at MDC\u00a0 during the spring semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voting was held on the College&#8217;s online election platform from April 20 to April 26. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Positions available for the 2020-21 school year included president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A major factor that contributed to the low voter turnout was the candidate&#8217;s inability to campaign on campus before the election<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This typically begins the week before elections and continues the week of, but that was not allowed this year because classes were canceled on March 12.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI feel that people might have not felt a connection with me because I didn\u2019t have that interpersonal experience with everyone,\u201d said Tyra Fairley, who was elected president at Medical Campus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But voter apathy wasn\u2019t the only thing the numbers revealed. Candidate interest also lagged. Three campuses<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014Hialeah, Medical and Wolfson\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">did not have candidates for the position of vice-president. The only candidate that Medical Campus had for any position was Fairley. Of the 35 candidates for all the positions college-wide, only seven competed against someone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDue to our transition to a remote environment, we received fewer applications than previous years,\u201d said <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Annielys Sosa Diaz, the director of Student Life at Wolfson Campus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How the missing cabinet spots will be assembled varies from campus to campus. North Campus will conduct a special election in the summer to find a public relations director since no one applied, according to Lorraine Wright, the director of student life at North Campus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medical Campus has taken a similar approach in the past, conducting a special election to fill vacant positions. At other campuses, like Wolfson and West Campus, the president will appoint candidates for the missing slots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBeing alone is not something that I\u2019m scared about,\u201d Fairley said. \u201cI do want to have other people that I can talk to and depend on, but I do think that it will get better as things return back to normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The candidates who were elected to serve will start their appointments this summer after they are inaugurated. They will hold their positions through the spring semester of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Student Government Association<\/b><b> Vote Count<\/b><\/h6>\n<table style=\"height: 493px;\" width=\"590\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Campuses<\/b><\/td>\n<td><strong>2020<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>2019<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Wolfson<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">85<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1,015<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Eduardo J. Padr\u00f3n<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">141<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1,126<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Kendall<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">377<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">514<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>West<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">63<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">165<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Homestead<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">91<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">206<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Hialeah<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">31<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did not provide information.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>North<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">154<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">506<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Medical<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did not provide information.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did not provide information.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Grand Total<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>942<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>3,532<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are the winners from each campus:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Eduardo J. Padr\u00f3n Campus<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18848\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18848\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18848 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Liliam-Rojas-226x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Photo of Liliam Rojas, SGA president for EJP Campus.\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Liliam-Rojas-226x300.jpeg 226w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Liliam-Rojas.jpeg 606w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18848\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO COURTESY OF LILIAM ROJAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Liliam Rojas<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rojas wants to make her voice heard, and become more politically and socially involved. She\u2019s been part of beach cleanups, climate strikes, voter registration and leadership retreat. In addition, Rojas has exercised her voice all the way to the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, where she met with Florida senators and representatives to advocate for environmental, housing and healthcare reforms, according to her campaign bio. Rojas believes this, coupled with her SGA expertise, will make her a good president.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President: <\/span><b>Angie Gaitan<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaitan hopes to strengthen student voices and advocate for them. She wants to do this by raising awareness for immigrant rights and other global issues through campus events. Gaitan is also part of Phi Theta Kappa, Be the Change, and YES! Environmental Sustainability club.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer: <\/span><b>Ana Garcia<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Garcia wants to collaborate with the SGA team to organize service learning projects throughout campus, and work with the College\u2019s administration to provide inclusive recreational events on campus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secretary: <\/span><b>Arantxa Freire<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Freire, an 18-year-old international relations major, believes that everyone has a voice that can generate an impact. She wants to use the feedback she gets from students to organize fun, enriching events on campus, and be agents of change throughout Miami-Dade County.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hialeah Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Nataly Vazquez<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vazquez, a 19-year-old nursing major, wants to listen to her peers, and turn words into action. She hopes to use her platform to host campus-wide events that will help engage students with SGA. To her, SGA isn\u2019t a club, but a tight-knit community. Outside of the club, Vazquez aspires to be a nurse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Executive Secretary: <\/span><b>Massimo Venulejo<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Venulejo, who moved to Miami three years from the Czech Republic, sees his position as secretary as a stepping stone to greater things in the future. He will be in charge of recording meetings, maintaining SGA files and managing correspondence. Venulejo is studying business administration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Homestead Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18851\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18851\" style=\"width: 188px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18851 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Angelo-Douillon-188x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Photo of Angelo Douillon, SGA president for Homestead Campus.\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Angelo-Douillon-188x300.jpeg 188w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Angelo-Douillon-642x1024.jpeg 642w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Angelo-Douillon.jpeg 724w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18851\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO COURTESY OF ANGELO DOUILLON<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Angelo Douillon<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Douillon wants to prove that MDC can build leaders. In addition to SGA, the 19-year-old computer science major is treasurer of the musical minds club at Homestead Campus, and enjoys composing music and playing the piano. He wants to increase student participation at college and community events, as well as produce more engagement between local law enforcement and students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President: <\/span><b>Victoria Pulido<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pulido, who is studying psychology in hopes of becoming a physician, hopes to bring new ideas through her perspective as a first-year student. She is currently the membership director of SGA at Homestead Campus. Pulido wants to advocate for mental health awareness, volunteer work and making a difference in people\u2019s lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAs we aspire to return to campus, it is important to recognize the different challenges and hardships our student body is experiencing in this time of need and uncertainty,\u201d Pulido said in her campaign bio.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Executive Secretary: <\/span><b>Dayenis Scull<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scull will arrange the weekly agenda for SGA meetings and take notes. A 19-year-old biology major, she hopes to become a trauma surgeon in the future. Scull graduated from Everglades Preparatory Academy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer: <\/span><b>Steven Olvera<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olvera, a business administration major, will be in charge of facilitating budgets for campus-wide events. He\u2019s been involved with Phi Beta Lambda<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Homestead Campus and is a recipient of the College Assistant Migrant Program Scholarship. After MDC, Olvera hopes to transfer to the University of Florida to study accounting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Kendall Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18853\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18853\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18853 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Anthony-Valenzuela-300x241.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Anthony Valenzuela, SGA president for Kendall Campus.\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Anthony-Valenzuela-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Anthony-Valenzuela-768x617.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Anthony-Valenzuela-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Anthony-Valenzuela.jpg 1097w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18853\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO COURTESY OF ANTHONY VALENZUELA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Anthony Valenzuela<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Valenzuela has made it his mission to advocate for students, all the way to Tallahassee, where he\u2019s represented MDC before state legislators. As president, he will represent SGA at college events, oversee meetings and inform SGA members of issues related to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Florida College System Student Government Association. While at SGA, Valenzuela has hosted debates on campus related immigration and gun control, as well as hosted guest speakers that have spoken about post traumatic stress disorder and campus safety.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice-President: <\/span><b>Carolina Lopez-Varela<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lopez-Varela, who studies business administration at The Honors College, wants to build stronger relationships between SGA and the student body. Last year, she chaired the multimedia committee, where she revamped MDC\u2019s Student Life Instagram page, and increased SGA\u2019s social media presence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chief Coordinator: <\/span><b>Maritza Allen-Brown<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allen-Brown, a first-year student studying political science, will serve as a liaison between SGA and other Kendall Campus student organizations, as well as promote the club\u2019s activities and events. She got involved with SGA through the non-profit foundation American Red Cross, where she managed a shelter during Hurricane Irma in 2017. She later chaired the Inclusion Committee in 2019. In addition to being a voice for students, Allen-Brown wants to be the bridge between faculty and students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chief Justice: <\/span><b>Michelle Renee Bones<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bones, who studies criminal justice administration, was already appointed chief justice in February. She will be responsible for keeping track of excused absences, as well as updating SGA\u2019s infraction, contact hours and attendance logs. She also took on the role of chairperson of the Community Service Community last fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secretary: <\/span><b>Ana Rey<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rey, a first-year student of the HC, hopes to use her position to encourage students to be leaders and activists. She currently serves as an SGA senator, and works with the Food Pantry Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Medical Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18854\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18854\" style=\"width: 193px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18854 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tyra-Fairley-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Tyra Fairley, SGA president for Medical Campus.\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tyra-Fairley-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tyra-Fairley-768x1191.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tyra-Fairley-660x1024.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tyra-Fairley.jpg 828w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18854\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO COURTESY OF TYRA FAIRLEY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Tyra Fairley<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fairley hopes to bring positivity and support to the student body. Fairley, a nursing major, hopes to work in the ICU of a distinguished hospital and nurse anesthetist. Before MDC, she attended Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>North Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Michael Cruz<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cruz, who studies political science, served as a senator this year. Through his position, he hopes to promote environmental sustainability, fundraising and student-led activism on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI intend on leading the largest ever progressive reform of SGA,\u201d Cruz said in his campaign bio.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice-President: <\/span><b>Rahman Ibraheem<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ibraheem, who served as a senator this year, hopes to rebuild student\u2019s trust with SGA. As vice-president, she will prepare agendas for and preside over general sessions, assume the president\u2019s duties when they\u2019re absent and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secretary: <\/span><b>Sheamar Robinson<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robinson, currently an SGA senator and biology major, aspires to be a professional dancer and doctor of osteopathic medicine. He started working with the Student Life department in high school, where he participated in campus events and projects. Robinson hopes to bring peace on campus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer: <\/span><b>Evelyn Alvarez<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evelyn Alvarez prides herself on her ability to take action and multi-task. A chemistry major, Alvarez first joined SGA as a way to help out in the community, and has so far served as co-chair of the marketing committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy experience with being a treasurer is very little,\u201d Alvarez said in her campaign bio. \u201cBut I do know how to manage the financial assets very well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>West Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18856\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18856\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18856 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Estefania-Del-Rio--300x239.jpeg\" alt=\"Photo of Estefania Del Rio,.\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Estefania-Del-Rio--300x239.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Estefania-Del-Rio-.jpeg 759w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18856\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO COURTESY OF ESTEFANIA DEL RIO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Estefania Del Rio<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Del Rio, born in Cuba and moved to Miami at 8 years old, hopes to travel the world as a practicing nurse in the future. As SGA president, Del Rio feels that her experience and dependability makes her a good fit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI&#8217;m not just a leader,\u201d Del Rio said in her campaign biography. \u201cI&#8217;m a person people can count on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President: <\/span><b>Mily Vargas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vargas, a 20-year-old nursing student, joined SGA in order to better serve the MDC and local community through volunteering and engagement. In her campaign bio, she detailed a plan to create bi-monthly volunteering opportunities for West Campus students. Vargas aspires to be a neonatal nurse practitioner in order to care for vulnerable populations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer: <\/span><b>Daniela Figueroa<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figueroa will be in charge of maintaining the SGA budget, providing a treasurer report once a month and tabulating office hours from the executive board and senators every month. Her first taste of leadership came from being the drum major coordinator of her high school band, where she had to lead the band during competitions. As treasurer, Figueroa wants to dedicate her time to attending meetings, events and organizing projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Wolfson Campus<\/b><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18857\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18857\" style=\"width: 144px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18857 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Ella-Paredes.jpeg\" alt=\"Photo of Ella Paredes.\" width=\"144\" height=\"212\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18857\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO OF ELLA PAREDES COURTESY OF ANNIELYS SOSA DIAZ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: <\/span><b>Ella Paredes<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paredes, a Miami native, is studying political science and international relations. She began working with SGA last year as a senator and was later elected Pro Tempore. During her tenure, Paredes hopes to provide opportunities for diverse groups on campus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer: <\/span><b>Barbara T. Ramirez<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ramirez, who majors in health services administration, also works as an assistant coordinator at Wolfson Campus\u2019 Student Life department. Born in Cuba, she\u2019s previously served as an SGA senator, where she developed projects and promoted the club. Ramirez hopes to connect with the campus community through fundraising initiatives and events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Student Government Association elections at Miami Dade College registered abysmal voter turnout\u2014only 942 total votes were tallied at seven of its campuses\u2014after voting was forced to go fully online due to the coronavirus pandemic.\u00a0 Last year, more than 3,500 people voted.\u00a0 Medical Campus did not provide numbers for this year or the year prior and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":523,"featured_media":18135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1472],"tags":[6,117,1220,1221,1222],"class_list":{"0":"post-18846","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-covid-19","9":"tag-sga","10":"tag-elections","11":"tag-winners","12":"tag-votes","13":"tag-campuses"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SGA Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout | The Reporter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Student Government Association elections took a major hit, reporting less than 1,000 votes college-wide, after SGA elections were held online last week.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SGA Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout | The Reporter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Student Government Association elections took a major hit, reporting less than 1,000 votes college-wide, after SGA elections were held online last week.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-30T16:05:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-26T19:35:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SGA_web2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"534\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Heidi Perez\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Heidi Perez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Heidi Perez\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f52bdcda8eee39b9c8967c0cfce8826a\"},\"headline\":\"Student Government Association Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout; One Campus Only Tallied 31 Votes\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-30T16:05:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-26T19:35:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2016,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/SGA_web2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"SGA\",\"Elections\",\"winners\",\"votes\",\"campuses\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"COVID-19\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/\",\"name\":\"SGA Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout | The Reporter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/SGA_web2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-30T16:05:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-26T19:35:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"Student Government Association elections took a major hit, reporting less than 1,000 votes college-wide, after SGA elections were held online last week.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/SGA_web2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/SGA_web2.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":534,\"caption\":\"ALEXANDER ONTIVEROS \\\/ THE REPORTER\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Student Government Association Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout; One Campus Only Tallied 31 Votes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MDC The Reporter\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/R_reporter_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/R_reporter_logo.png\",\"width\":315,\"height\":309,\"caption\":\"MDC The Reporter\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f52bdcda8eee39b9c8967c0cfce8826a\",\"name\":\"Heidi Perez\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/R_reporter_logo-1-1-125x125.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/R_reporter_logo-1-1-125x125.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/R_reporter_logo-1-1-125x125.png\",\"caption\":\"Heidi Perez\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/author\\\/heidi-perez\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SGA Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout | The Reporter","description":"Student Government Association elections took a major hit, reporting less than 1,000 votes college-wide, after SGA elections were held online last week.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"SGA Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout | The Reporter","og_description":"Student Government Association elections took a major hit, reporting less than 1,000 votes college-wide, after SGA elections were held online last week.","og_url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/","og_site_name":"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College","article_published_time":"2020-04-30T16:05:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-26T19:35:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":534,"url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SGA_web2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Heidi Perez","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Heidi Perez","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/"},"author":{"name":"Heidi Perez","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f52bdcda8eee39b9c8967c0cfce8826a"},"headline":"Student Government Association Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout; One Campus Only Tallied 31 Votes","datePublished":"2020-04-30T16:05:42+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-26T19:35:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/"},"wordCount":2016,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SGA_web2.jpg","keywords":["SGA","Elections","winners","votes","campuses"],"articleSection":["News","COVID-19"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/","name":"SGA Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout | The Reporter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SGA_web2.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-30T16:05:42+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-26T19:35:47+00:00","description":"Student Government Association elections took a major hit, reporting less than 1,000 votes college-wide, after SGA elections were held online last week.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SGA_web2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SGA_web2.jpg","width":800,"height":534,"caption":"ALEXANDER ONTIVEROS \/ THE REPORTER"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/sga-elections-capture-low-voter-turnout-one-campus-only-tallied-31-votes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Student Government Association Elections Capture Low Voter Turnout; One Campus Only Tallied 31 Votes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/","name":"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#organization","name":"MDC The Reporter","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/R_reporter_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/R_reporter_logo.png","width":315,"height":309,"caption":"MDC The Reporter"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f52bdcda8eee39b9c8967c0cfce8826a","name":"Heidi Perez","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/R_reporter_logo-1-1-125x125.png","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/R_reporter_logo-1-1-125x125.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/R_reporter_logo-1-1-125x125.png","caption":"Heidi Perez"},"url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/author\/heidi-perez\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"ALEXANDER ONTIVEROS \/ THE REPORTER","source_text":"","source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/523"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18846\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}