Georgia Tech's annual Student Government Association (SGA) election season has sprung, and candidates Brian Shin and Megan Fetcher want your vote! With the polls opening Friday, April 8, I sat down with the candidates running for SGA president and vice president to ask them about their platform, reasons for running, and about who they are in every day life.
Brian Shin
3rd year Business Administration major
Concentration: Finance
Hometown: Cumming, GA
Favorite Color: "Blue, because it's calming and I like looking at the sky."
Favorite Disney Princess: "Ariel—I just like how she is adventurous and not afraid."
Megan Fechter
3rd year Business Administration Major
Concentration: Marketing
Minor: Social entrepreneurship
Hometown: Augusta, GA
Favorite Color: "Purple, because it has always represented strength. That is what I learned when I went to Europe when I was 6 and I was like 'I'm strong, I like the color purple.' So that's always been something I have thought of."
Favorite Disney Princess: "Everyone always forgets her because she is a warrior and it's Mulan. I like the way that she breaks down social norms and I think it's not only as a woman, but as an individual at Tech.
Q: Brian, why are you running for President?
It was something I was thinking about since Freshman year, but I think the past two years when I was really active in SGA I fell in love with the campus, and as part of the undergraduate house and the executive cabinet, I have seen things that can be improved. Especially when I sat in the position of VP of Finance. I was appointed to take over the position for a semester and I really saw how organizations struggle to understand what SGA does... this year, as a rep, I have been trying to the best I can to convey to the student organizations this is what you guys can get funded, this is what you guys should expect, this is how you guys should fight for your bill. But I think I can make a better impact as the president, when I can lay the foundations and really lead the both executive cabinet and the legislative branch to guide SGA to where it should be. I think our platform really speaks for itself, too.
Q: If you could be a past president, which president would you be?
Megan: Abe Lincoln, because he had to make some tough decisions, but I think that he had enough forethought into the future to see that it was what was truly best for the people of the U.S. I feel like if I had to emulate his spirit, there will be times where it's going to be a tough call, but if you really believe in the goodness of the campus, then I think you can get people to stand behind you in the end.
Brian: George Washington. He is the first president and all, but what makes me admire him is that he declined to be in the position again. They were asking him, begging him, to be the president again, but he saw that it could lead to in the future where people could continually take over the position and be power hungry. He really fought for the country before his own personal agenda, and I find that really admirable. Just even how he lead the U.S. Army through the Revolutionary War, [it] shows he is the man.
Q: What is an elevator pitch of the changes you want to make on campus?
Brian: So we have buzzwords that mean a lot: Transparency, Safety, and Inclusivity. I think of the three, we see transparency as the most crucial topic for this year. And the reason why we choose the three topics is because we felt like from our past experiences, it is hard to run on like five or six platforms when you want to actually accomplish them.
Megan: One thing that I like the most for me personally is we have a huge heart for campus mental health and for safety. It is also students' personal safety against themselves. Tech is really hard and with that comes an atmosphere of stress, and before we can off and change the human condition, it is really important to make sure we are happy and healthy. That is one thing that I think we are personally really passionate about.
One thing that speaks a lot about Brian and I is that, yes, we have a platform, but we also acknowledge the fact that as president and vice president, we have to be the leaders in whatever situation is thrown our way, because you can't always decide if campus carries are passed or if a fraternity is going to get kicked off your year... And that, I think out of all the candidates, Brian and I are extremely level-headed, and we love this campus, and I think that we can truly spearhead the initiatives needed for whatever happens to this campus.
Brian: To go off that, some of our ideas on the platform under transparency, we want to have a mid-year presidential approval rate like how they do it in the U.S. Like, maybe have a campus rate. You know, how is SGA doing? And see how many people approve it, how many people don't. Then maybe even passing out a midyear report of "these are the things that we accomplished this semester. Which do you see as a more important issue on campus today? Which would you like SGA to work on more?" And I think even through that we really want to be more adapted to the environment but still run off the three platforms that we still see are crucial to the campus at the current moment.
Q: Megan, what does the vice president actually do?
The vice president is more of the spear-header of initiatives on campus. So Brian will work a lot with President Peterson and the Georgia Capital. I work with the cabinet, and we basically are here on this campus with ears perked up listening to whatever is happening, and I am Brian's right-hand woman. So Brian will be the conductor of the train and I am the one putting coal into the fire. I make sure we are a well-oiled machine going the direction that we need to be going.
Q: Megan, use a pick up line on Brian.
Hey Brian. If you were a booger, I'd pick you first.
Brian: I don't like boogers...
Megan: Hey, but I like you enough that I'd pick you first, and that is commitment.
Q: Why do you love Georgia Tech?
Brian: I think this is one of the most diverse campuses around the nation and I made so many friends. I think because Tech is hard, it makes us really reach out to others in ways that you don't normally do at other schools. Where you really share the hardships and the struggles together. Through the long lines in the library or the Starbucks line, you always meet someone who is there to talk about their week is going and open to share about their background and what they are passionate about. I think another thing I fell in love with is how passionate everyone is about what they do. So whether it's business or you do marketing or you are an engineer trying to solve a problem to solve the world, even if you look at the Inventure Prize and all the things they do, it's just amazing to see someone who is young do so much. I think it's inspiring and empowering for me to see that, because I think coming to this campus has humbled me and allowed me to really learn and grow from other people. I am inspired by the students on this campus and I can't wish for anything more than that.
Megan: For me, I moved around a lot because my dad is in the military, and this is the first time I have ever really found a home somewhere. What I think is really beautiful about Tech is the spirit that we have is tangible. It's tangible in our classes, in our mascots, in the things that we pursue. There has never been an atmosphere quite like Tech where you can truly make a difference if you put your heart into it. With that, I think I have never been more challenged and humbled in my entire life, because you aren't just put here through a curriculum. Every single day you are making decisions about who do you want to be and that can change and you can change for the better. I think it's really amazing and that's why I love Tech. It's given me a home and identity of a person I never thought I was able to become.
Q: Use three words to describe your running mate.
Megan: One would be endearing and motivating, because he challenges me to be better. Also, spiritual, because I think that factors into who he is and how he leads people. He is really close to his personal faith and I think that leads him to interact with people and love them the way that they are supposed to be loved. And he has taught me a lot about how to love other people.
Brian: Exciting. She brings excitement where she goes. She is always upbeat. Also passionate. I have never seen someone work so hard at something. After I asked her to run with me, she was running with it. Very loving and caring. I do not think I have met someone who is so passionate about Tech and so loud and proud that she is a Yellow Jacket.
Q: How did you all meet?
Megan: We actually met at a Tech function before school began. So we were seniors in high school. And I just remember there was something about Brian and I made a point to remember his name. I think I just automatically knew that our personalities were opposite and that they clicked. But there was one tough night where we were both in the lounge of Matheson and that was the first time that I was forced to be real with him beside the friend you just see in the street. It was like 2 a.m. in the morning and Brian was just like "sit down and tell me about yourself." And he made me feel comfortable enough to open up, and that was at a time in my life when I didn't really open up that much. I had a really positive exterior and I never let people on to the fact that I was having a hard time, and Brian was one of the first people at Tech that I was able to tell that I needed help and I needed someone to listen for a bit.
Brian: I don't think she remembers, but when we met at that function they told us to leave our suitcase in one of the rooms, and after the event, my suitcase was gone. So she was the one who kept checking up on me throughout the night asking if I found my suitcase.
Q; What are you all involved in on campus and what do you do in your free time?
Brian: My two biggest that I am dedicated to are the campus ministry I am a part of, it's called JCF and I am a small group leader. I am also part of SGA which takes a lot of time and it is where I really get to know what is going on around campus. I also occasionally feed the homeless at Eagle's Nest. I like playing the guitar and playing basketball in the CRC. I might sound like a nerd, but I like reading books. I am currently reading called "Capital in the Twentieth Century." I like books like that, like "Justice" by Michael Sandel, a professor at Harvard. But fiction-wise, I like books like "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "Crime and Punishment" was a really fun book in my opinion too.
Megan: Ramblin' Reck Club, GT Tour Guides, Campus Outreach, and Phi Mu. On Monday mornings I serve breakfast at Atlanta Mission and on Fridays I walk dogs at Fulton County. I am also a concert saxophonist and I have been playing saxophone for 12 years. A lot of people don't know that about me. Two things I do a lot is watercolor painting in my room to cope with school and I have a garden in my bedroom.
Q; What does "Together we can put the us back in campus" mean?
Megan: The whole us part really has to do with the transparency and the inclusivity. Transparency is letting people know what money that we have and how we can help them so we can utilize this money to really follow people's passions on campus. And inclusivity is allocating money fairly enough so that everybody can be included in the change. And when it comes to the student mental health, that is just creating an atmosphere where we can truly be ourselves. And that is where the us comes.
Q: Do you have anything else to add?
Megan: We have just been so fortunate to even be in the running. I mean, I know that I am really honored to be meeting all of the people we have been meeting thus far. I think that this campaign has given me an even greater appreciation for Tech.
Brian: Something that we said was, "win or lose, it's still a win win for us" because if we win then we win. But if we lose, we still win in the fact that we got to meet all these cool people and we get to share what we are passionate about. Either way, we are going to do something to really positively affect this campus. I think it's a win/win for us.
Megan: We also highly encourage people to vote based off of platforms, and while we would be honored for everyone's vote, we more importantly want everyone to vote on a platform that really matches their beliefs.
Q: Polls are open April 8 - 13. Make sure to cast your vote!
To learn more about Brian and Megan's platform, check out their website.
Also, follow them on Facebook.
