Rowan University’s Student Government Association (SGA) held a “Meet The Candidates” event on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in the Owl’s Nest restaurant of the Chamberlain Student Center. The candidates in attendance are running for the position of alternate student trustee.

The event began at 7 p.m. and those in attendance were treated to food and refreshments. Candidates fielded a series of prepared questions from the event’s hosts and then listened to the concerns of members of the audience.

Students running for the position included freshman radio, television and film major Arielle Gedeon, sophomore health and physical education major Riccardo Dale, junior political science and economics major Michael Webster and sophomore biological sciences major Ravi Dhruv.

“I love student government,” Gedeon said, who is currently the freshmen class senator. “When I found out that the alternate student trustee position was open, I was just excited.”

Questions touched on everything from previous experiences to strengths and weaknesses in oneself.

“I’m currently the CEO of a company,” Dhruv said while responding to a question regarding his greatest strength. “In that role itself, you need communication.”

Some questions, on the other hand, gave the candidates a chance to let their guard down and have some fun. One such question involved picking one food to eat for the rest of their lives.

“The enchiladas from El Mariachi on Delsea [Drive],” Webster said, who’s also the president of the Residence Hall Association. “I’ve been on about a three-month binge of eating them every single week, like three times a week.”

When talking about the impact this role would have on their lives and careers, all of the candidates were in agreement here: they want to leave a legacy.

“Every place that I go in my life, I want to know that I made an impact,” Dale said, who serves as a keynote speaker in his hometown and also plans on opening a youth mentoring center in Camden. “They knew Riccardo Dale was there. I didn’t just come and was forgotten.”

For some, this opportunity would be an early taste of their career. Webster noted that this would most likely be in line with his future career plans.

“Being a political science and economics major, this is literally what I want to do,” Webster said. “This would give me that real-world experience that I need.”

For Dhruv, the position of alternate trustee would bring with it a wealth of knowledge and experiences.

“I want to do an MD/MBA,” Dhruv said, who has previously interned at both the FBI and CDC. “It just gives me the foresight and I’ll know the experience in that field of business.”

And Gideon said that being in the position would allow her the opportunity to build connections at the school and elsewhere.

“This will benefit me in the sense of networking,” Gedeon said. “How do you set yourself apart from other students who have the same bachelor’s [degree]? You have the opportunity to network in college.”

The Rowan University alternate trustee position is a two-year term, meaning future graduates wouldn’t be leaving school just yet if they were to win the election. The trustee position essentially bridges the gap between the student body and executive board, giving students the opportunity to have their voice be heard through their elected official. Voting can be done on ProfLink from Feb. 12-16.

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