Third-year College students Jada Benefield and Clay Dickerson participated in a Student Council Presidential debate hosted by the University Board of Elections and The Cavalier Daily Sunday. The two candidates shared plans for the position focused on increasing student engagement in policy making and reallocating funding to better support students. The debate had about 40 students in attendance and was live streamed for viewers.
The debate began with candidates giving three-minute opening statements. Then, the candidates were asked eight questions from The Cavalier Daily and four audience-submitted questions that were chosen by The Cavalier Daily. Each candidate had two minutes to respond to each question and had 10 total opportunities to respond to their opponent’s claims throughout both question sections. The debate concluded with 3 minute closing statements.
During the candidates’ opening statements, Benefield spoke about her Presidential ticket’s platform — called ‘The ACE Vision’ — which is focused on core values of amplifying student voices, achieving change through collective action and managing budgets and initiatives efficiently. She underlined her focus on advocating for all students’ interests and providing increased accessibility to resources by forming collaborative partnerships.
“There's an African proverb that says, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,’” Benefield said. “I believe in a future that builds on collective action, a future of working together to build a University that truly supports all students.”
Dickerson’s campaign — called ‘A Brighter Tomorrow’ — focuses on equity, unity and empowerment. In his opening statement, Dickerson spoke about increasing student engagement in Student Council initiatives and advocating for marginalized groups who may traditionally be excluded from student self-governance.
“What student self governance means to me is making the change you wish to see right now as limited as that change possibly is because we can only do what we can,” Dickerson said. “This role is only a year long … the reality is, with that time being so strict, so limited, we have to act fast.”
When asked about their most important policy plans, Dickerson referred to his campaign’s three core values, noting that marginalized students have limited access to participation in student governance. He hopes to establish a program called Cavalier Care — a new agency which would compile pre-existing support agencies to increase efficiency and provide resources to students.
“There are students at U.Va. who don't have the equity they need to live the lives they deserve at this University, and therefore they aren't a part of the unity that we wish to have,” Dickerson said. “They aren’t in this room. They aren’t able to participate in the student self governance they deserve, and then they cannot empower themselves.”
Dickerson also said he hopes to make the position of student member of the Board of Visitors a position elected by students, rather than selected by the Board. Benefield similarly hopes to make this position one with voting power, although she proposes that students vote for three possible candidates from which the Governor can select, rather than Dickenson’s plan to allow students to vote directly.
Benefield spoke about increasing students’ access to resources, proposing that Student Council build a stronger relationship with Student Financial Services to better provide support for students receiving financial aid. She also shared that she hopes to expand Student Legal Services to provide support to at-risk students, in light of recent national executive orders targeting immigration, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and gender-related policies.
Both of these candidates, who emphasized representation in student governance in their platforms, also responded to a question about ensuring representative seats on Student Council are filled each year. Benefield said she hopes to increase Student Council’s outreach to underrepresented schools and groups and encourage them to participate in elections.
“I feel really privileged to be a part of so many different communities,” Benefield said. “After talking to them, what they're looking for is outreach. They want Student Council to reach out first, to feel like we are actually welcoming and a space where they feel like they're actually going to be heard.”
Dickerson’s idea to improve student representation returned to one of his earlier points — making the student member of the Board an electable position. He said that achieving this would make students more excited about student governance, therefore increasing the number of students running for representative seats.
“[This could help] achieve a future where student self governance is no longer a cliche, no longer something we just share in orientation, but something that we truly live, something that we are excited about,” Dickerson said. “By getting the [Board student member position] elected, I believe that we can get more [representative] seats filled because people are excited about it.”
Benefield responded to Dickerson’s answer by noting that she also hopes to make this position elected by students, and plans to take a step further by advocating for the student member to have a voting — rather than just advising — position on the Board. Dickerson claimed that Benefield’s platform did not formally plan to make this an electable position despite her stating this in the debate, but Benefield responded that her platform formally states both of these initiatives.
According to Benefield’s platform, under her proposed changes, students would elect up to three peers as candidates, from which the Governor would select a representative to be appointed.
In terms of challenges Student Council will face throughout the next year, both candidates agreed that funding was the greatest constraint on their ability to carry out Student Council initiatives.
Benefield emphasized the importance of strengthening connections with the Alumni Association and reaching out to donors. She also said that increasing funding transparency could allow Contracted Independent Organizations — student-run clubs which receive funding from Student Council — and the student body to better understand how funding benefits the initiatives Student Council enact.
“We need to continue to build our fundraising efforts, build relationships and build more transparency,” Benefield said. “[We need to] make sure that we're transparent with every student on Grounds and ensure that students know about the status of what Student Council is doing.”
Dickerson proposed establishing an Alumni Relations Agency, which would allow more formal connections with Student Council alumni who may be willing to make donations. He said that monthly audits and funding data reports could also support initiatives to reallocate funding in a more efficient manner.
“By establishing an Alumni Relations Agency within Student Council, I believe that we can then set ourselves up for future success,” Dickerson said. “Alongside data reports and monthly audits, by collecting alumni data internally, we then prepare Student Council to ask for money later.”
As the debate concluded, Dickerson’s closing statement focused on his mission to include a variety of unique perspectives in Student Council decisions and emphasized the need for collaboration in achieving his policy plans.
“Through the collaboration of our unique perspectives, our unique experiences, I believe that ‘A Brighter Tomorrow’ is possible,” Dickerson said. “Not only is it possible, but it's tangible. It's right here.”
Benefield spoke about her passion for advocacy and both recognizing the need for change as well as acting on it.
“Recognizing the need for change is one thing, but acting on it is another,” Benefield said. “You deserve a Student Council president who will fight for real, tangible improvement and has a track record of doing so.”
Running on the Brighter Tomorrow ticket with Dickerson are fourth-year College student Princess Wuraola Olubuse-Omisore for Vice President for Administration and second-year Commerce student Michael Mitchell for Vice President of Organizations.
The ACE Vision Ticket, led by Benefield, also includes third-year Batten student Lillian Dorathy, running for Vice President for Administration, and third-year College student J. De Andrade Lima for Vice President of Organizations.
Voting for Student Council representation and other student leadership positions will take place Monday to Wednesday, and students may cast their votes via an online form sent to their email addresses.
Read More
U.Va. community hosts variety of events to celebrate Women’s History during March
By Brandon Kile | 2 hours agoOne popular medium used this year to celebrate women’s history is art, as the University has listed on its Women’s History webpage multiple events where art aims to celebrate women and their accomplishments.
Virginia men’s basketball moving on from Ron Sanchez
By Michael Liebermann and Xander Tilock | YesterdayThe Cavaliers will have a new head coach.
Charles Alexander, one of the Charlottesville 12, reflects on integration and life after
By Sophie Long | 4 days agoAlexander has dedicated his career to sharing his story and advocating throughout Virginia for criminal and educational justice, as well as youth mental health.
