Presidential Candidate Frankie Bracey

Junior Frankie Bracey is proud to call herself a Point Park student.

“I have an amazing major, I have amazing teachers, our campus is amazing,” said the SGA Presidential candidate. “I know we have a bunch of downfalls, but those downfalls are what we can work on to improve.”

Despite her school spirit, the junior SAEM major says it is often not reflected in the student body.

Citing other schools, Bracey said that a homecoming event centered around the soccer team could create more engagement between students, and could potentially lead to more club recruitment. She also says that a lack of communication within SGA often stalls results.

“There are so many ideas that are brought forth and none of them are executed,” said Bracey. “There needs to be a solid plan that everybody works on.”

She had a hard time recalling recent successes from the organization. However, she did give credit to her opponent Marc Palombo for working to improve student complaint boxes around campus.

As for her own accomplishments, Bracey pushed CulinArt to improve vegan options in the cafe and return ice cream to the dining hall.

“I just continued to bug Kristy [Weiss] until we were able to get that back,” said Bracey.

While she admits she has a lot in common with her opponent, Bracy says that she will have a more open schedule to commit to the presidency.

“Nothing towards him, but I know being an acting major is very time-consuming,” said Bracey, who also believes that students can often be intimidated by student government.

“I want to be president because I want to bridge that gap between SGA and the student body,” said Bracey. “ I know every year the same thing is mentioned, but nothing gets done.”

Presidential Candidate Marc Palombo

SGA Presidential candidate Marc Palombo believes Point Park lacks a sense of community.

“It’s almost like the only school spirit here is how much you hate the university,” said Palombo, a current junior and acting major. “It’s sad.”

With an urban campus, Palombo conceded that it is challenging to find large spaces where students can intermingle.

“We don’t have a football team here. Those are big community builders automatically, something on every Friday,” said Palombo. He said this could be remedied by movie nights or concerts in Village Park.

A member of student government since his freshman year, Palombo believes that the SGA President should be visible on campus. He feels many students aren’t even aware that SGA exists.

“I remember my freshman year, Jake Berlin, the president back then, stood up in Village Park with a megaphone and said, ‘Join SGA, here’s why,’ ” said Palombo.

Instead of a megaphone, Palombo believes that SGA could make better use of social media to create school spirit. He pointed to the Chess Club, of which he is president, as a good example of promoting an organization through social media.

Beyond SGA, Palombo feels that university resources need to be more easily accessible to students. For that, he says he is working on a searchable directory that can be accessed via QR codes around campus.

“I want it to be like ‘Hey, look over there…scan that QR code. Here’s everything you need,’ ” said Palombo.

In terms of his accomplishments, Palombo pointed to his role in securing free bus passes for students, beginning next year. He is also proud of his creation of Point Park Headshots, which serves as a directory to connect actors with student photographers for discounted headshots.

Overall, Palombo says that he has a passion for helping the university and easing the disconnect between students.

“It’s the students that make a university,” said Palombo. “That’s what I’m really proud of.”

Vice Presidential Candidate Trevor FitzSimmons

After finishing third in his run for the SGA Vice Presidency last year, junior Trevor FitzSimmons now finds himself the only candidate on the ballot.

“I didn’t have much support from student organizations,” said FitzSimmons. “That would probably be the thing I took away from last year.”

Kairi Stallsmith was also running for VP until she dropped out of the race late last week.

A political science major, FitzSimmons currently serves as the recording secretary of SGA. He is also the president and founder of Point Park’s Jewish student organization, Shalom.

“There hadn’t been [a Jewish organization] here on campus for a long time,” said FitzSimmons. “The amount of people that signed up for the organization… reassured me that I was making a difference on campus.”

FitzSimmons also hopes to make a difference within SGA. Citing low attendance and a lack of attention from members, he says the meetings have become “a little casual.”

One of the hallmarks of his campaign is transparency. He feels that students are often left to seek out resources on their own, such as the university’s student complaint form.

“We get a lot of complaints about faculty, when [students] could be filling out this form and getting their complaint figured out that way,” said FitzSimmons.

While in SGA, he has also prioritized increased access to accessibility services, something he says is personal to him.

“My freshman year I had a little bit of trouble getting all the stuff I needed. I was able to get it, fortunately, but some students that maybe have a little bit of a harder time… may not be able to get it as I have,” said FitzSimmons

He says his pride in the university drives him to make it a better place for all students.

“I’ve always put SGA before some of my personal needs,” sai