“It’s Time,” junior art major Haley Palmeri said as her running slogan for SGA president.
Palmeri is running her campaign on this slogan and stating the goal is complete transparency and accountability. She is a founding member of Sigma Kappa and participated in organizations like The All State and SGA during her time as a student.
“I ran because I was in middle college at APSU and I wrote articles for The All State about SGA, and I saw there was a lot of things wrong,” Palmeri said. “Then when I got my previous seat with SGA as Chief Clerk, I created legislation based on transparency. That is my platform I am running on now.”
She was inspired by wanting change in SGA and wanting students to know how much they contribute to student government.
Palmeri said she wants students to participate with SGA more and help to hold them accountable to any of their actions.
“Something a lot of people don’t know is that every student pays a $5 SGA fee and that pays for the scholarships of each seat. The president gets tuition off, the VP gets half tuition off, and the chief justice gets three fourths off, secretary getting half off as well,” Palmeri said.
Student funds go toward SGA, and students are the voters and pitchers for legislation ideas. Palmeri talked about wanting students to know they play a role in how SGA works.
“We aren’t getting good representation in SGA for the student voice, and I quit SGA last year because I got tired of feeling so passionate about it while no one was matching that passion,” Palmeri said. “Gandhi said, ‘be the change you want to see in the world,’ and that quote inspired me that I needed to step up to work toward my passions for the change.”
Palmeri also spoke about wanting to show that a woman could be successful as an SGA president, just as much as a man.
SGA has not had a female president for the last 17 years.
“I am very inspired by women’s empowerment. I have already been told I shouldn’t be running for this position because I am a woman,” Palmeri said. “I have been told I am wasting my time, effort and money.”
Palmeri talked about wanting to represent all students and she said women are one of the largest populations on APSU’s campus, and she said they are under-represented in the current student government.
“We are such a huge female dominated campus, and we are not being represented. I want to help inspire the women on campus to also work for powerful positions on campus,” Palmeri said. “I want to bridge the gap between the students and SGA.”
Palmeri said she was ready to use her passion and drive on this election and position if she is elected. She believes the SGA president is a huge responsibility and a position that needs someone passionate about the job.
“Some people don’t think this is important, but I think my art is what motivates me. In my art I want to talk about the underdogs. My sister has autism and I have always been the natural leader, a big sister, fighting for her to get the treatment she deserves,” Palmeri said.
She said she has “always stuck up for the minorities and tried to be a voice by using my white privilege for good. I want to fight for all the students. I want to fight for everybody if I am elected.”
