Candidates share their visions for growing campus

Camden Marasco, applicant for student overall body president, addresses the group in the course of the Meet up with the Candidates function Monday at Ethington Theatre.

Story by Mike Kilen
Pictures by Ralph Freso
GCU News Bureau

Camden Marasco clicked on his microphone, rose to the phase and after the first query crystalized what both teams of candidates explained was the function in advance for pupil federal government leaders.

Assistance guarantee Grand Canyon University’s growth is guided in new and enhanced strategies for students.

George Munguia, candidate for college student overall body president, strolls the stage at Monday’s forum.

GCU was the moment a smaller college of a thousand college students and in the near upcoming may possibly arrive at 40,000, stated the prospect for university student physique president, so lengthier strains at campus events and eating possibilities are frequently the final result. He wants to perform on initiatives to reduce them.

The Meet up with the Candidates event, a dilemma-and-response session in Ethington Theatre on Monday showcasing two teams vying to direct the Connected Learners of GCU (ASGCU) in the 2021-22 academic calendar year, remained targeted on the advancement topic throughout, but from slightly various angles. 

Marasco and vice president jogging mate Tyson Cantrell offered nuts-and-bolts alternatives for celebration verify-ins, lights improvements for protection on campus and creating absolutely sure each voice is heard, what Marasco summarized as, “Advance, amplify, advocate” that is in depth on his campaign web page.

George Munguia and vice president operating mate Maddie Landes offered a different trio of alliteration: “Community, connection and Christian.” Munguia claimed his team’s aim is on retaining the restricted-knit society of a Christ-centered local community, even in the facial area of swift adjust.

He cited Matthew 22 as the guiding principle, in summary: Appreciate God and love your neighbor. The objective is to use his place of work to join men and women on campus to 1 an additional, primarily “the unseen and unheard,” and to off-campus possibilities to serve others and progress their occupations.

Munguia and his functioning mate, Maddie Landes, have targeted their campaign on sustaining GCU’s Christ-centered neighborhood.

Each groups glance to technological innovation to help with these solutions, and learners will make a decision on what team can execute it when voting starts Wednesday and continues through Friday on campus.

Marasco touted an initiative to launch an agreement with a food stuff shipping and delivery application that would assistance reduce waiting around occasions at dining facilities on campus.

Munguia pitched his team’s new website where learners can hook up. For instance, the website could assist them find techniques to get associated in community church buildings, or to develop campus neighborhood-creating jobs these as an yearly yearbook with students’ Instagram photos and an conclude-of-year signing function.

Munguia claimed he is certified to consider on the task simply because the small business management big has centered on enterprise progress due to the fact age 17, served as the scholar director of the CityServe hub on campus and has worked for tech startups. Landes, a federal government important, has been a student chief in Welcome Systems.

Marasco also is very obvious on campus.

He served as president of Colangelo Students, vice president of the Honors Higher education Pupil Advisory Board, is ASGCU’s director of sustainability and is a leader of STELLAR, a system for GCU college students to structure, take a look at, create and start investigate assignments to the International Area Station. Cantrell, who majors in psychology and behavioral wellbeing science, delivers supplemental student govt experience to the group as the recent ASGCU govt chief of staff members.

Marasco explained he will appear for ways to minimize the frequency of prolonged traces on campus as it proceeds to increase. 

The candidates’ campaign tablings, featuring danceable songs, posters and slogans, are on the Promenade this 7 days. And most of the campaign is performed on social media, claimed Director of Scholar Engagement Jeremy Mack. “They are really good at it.”

The forum was a more official affair, all the candidates donning clever jackets, conducting a civil trade with no mudslinging when answering quite a few concerns from moderator Ben Claypool and a handful from learners.

The career is to do the job as a liaison amongst students and University leadership, nevertheless they often veered into significant-photo initiatives.

Claypool questioned them how they would execute all those ideas.

Cantrell explained a “tangible and manageable” strategy to the challenges, such as operating with the pupil senate to attain out to pupils to support them get concerned on campus and working with Community Safety to look at approaches to boost lights for included safety in some spots.

Landes mentioned they hope to “create a emotion, a way for GCU students to go from here to everywhere you go,” aiding 1 another and the environment in ministry and volunteering. “Our vision is to make this ecosystem on campus,” she reported, “… in which learners are genuinely doing work and striving to assist every other and really like on each other.”

Ben Claypool moderated the function, which provided queries from other college students.

Claypool asked how they could pull off concepts that are usually outside the ownership of ASGCU, this kind of as tech programs.

Munguia claimed their new site can create extra connections for professions or even component-time gigs by means of much more partnerships that he would assist steer via administration acceptance.

“You men, following college we really do not want you to go again to your mom’s or your grandma’s basement,” he explained.

Marasco’s goal of enhancing the approach of celebration check out-in also would just take acquire-in from other departments, but he said it can be carried out.

“This is not underneath the immediate jurisdiction of ASGCU, but with this one of a kind placement we are able to work with a great deal of unique departments and a ton of different colleges and a great deal of individuals with a large amount of affect,” he mentioned. “We imagine if it’s fantastic for the College, excellent for college students, we believe it would be fantastic to apply it.”

Grand Canyon College senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected] or at 602-639-6764.

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Here’s a slideshow from the function.

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How to vote

Voting booth several hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, The Grove 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Diamondback Flats 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, College student Union Promenade.

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