Students will get the chance to vote for the next Temple Student Government from April 10-11 on UVOTE.temple.edu. The two campaigns, ReimagineTU and OwlsUnited, are vying for TSG’s executive office for the 2024-25 academic year.
Both campaigns’ policy platforms include issues that are at the forefront of students’ minds including safety, DEI, dining options and investment transparency from the university.
The current student government administration held a debate between the two campaigns on Monday at 4 p.m. in the Howard Gittis Student Center Room 200B, moderated by The Temple News. Voting will open on April 10 and close on April 12, when the winning campaign will be announced.
Here’s what to know about the 2024-25 TSG campaigns.
ReimagineTU
Ray Epstein, a junior English and communication and social influence major, is running as ReimagineTU’s the presidential candidate. She is currently the president and founder of Student Activists against Sexual Assault, vice president of Planned Parenthood Generation TU, a member of the Student Leadership Council and on the TUPD Student Advisory Board. Epstein ran in last year’s election as the vice president of the InnovateTU campaign.
Kiyah Hamilton, a sophomore health professions major, is running as the vice presidential candidate. She is secretary of Planned Parenthood Generation TU, where she met Epstein.
“I realized that there are so many ways to reform this school through doing [SAASA] work and through learning about the issues that people face with administration and with those intersections,” Epstein said. “I feel that I can make a much larger impact on a much larger scale in TSG and affect more issues and affect more change.”
ReimagineTU’s campaign focuses primarily on the disconnect between the many clubs on campus and administration. Clubs have expressed to Epstein that they feel the university does not value them and that they cannot make an impact on the issues they are focused on. Their campaign wants to partner with different clubs, like SAASA, Greek life organizations, Temple Overdose Prevention and others as part of their policies, according to their website.
“All these initiatives that student organizations work on are getting the credit they deserve, but they’re just not able to push forward because administration doesn’t have a path for them,” Epstein said. “TSG is the path forward, but I want them to give the power back to student organizations and the students that represent those voices.”
ReimagineTU wants to increase the number of multicultural-based therapists at Tuttleman Counseling Center, increase funds for textbook accessibility and mandate DEI training for all club leaders at Temple. They hope to implement a monthly public safety newsletter which will outline safety information, like crime rates, for students to consider and receive updates on.
The campaign also wants to reform FLIGHT, the university’s nighttime shuttle service, by providing a map of the closest FLIGHT stops to off-campus fraternities, and reintroduce the Uber vouchers that SAASA made available last fall.
Epstein, influenced by her time at SAASA, also hopes to revamp the new student orientation module’s sexual violence education. She plans to give Safebar accreditation to on and off-campus bars like Pub Webb and Maxi’s, which provides education on harassment and inappropriate behaviors in an alcohol-serving venue.
“There’s just so many different varieties of people here at Temple, and you want everybody to feel like they can be heard and be seen,” Hamilton said. “Their voice matters. That’s the most important thing to me.”
OwlsUnited
Lily Huynh, a junior psychology major, is running for president of OwlsUnited. She participates in multiple organizations like Temple Democrats, Temple Climate Action, Temple’s Block Cleanup coalition and Climbing Club.
Sumona Sharma, a sophomore finance and legal studies major, is running for vice president alongside Huynh. She regularly participates with the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta’s mock trial team.
OwlsUnited wants to prioritize access to career planning and development services for every school or college in the university, improve accessibility, resources and communication between administration and students and reduce commuter costs. They also aim to be more accessible to students, taking a friendly approach and making themselves available to their peers when needed.
“Students deserve an answer to hard questions [they ask],” Huyhn said. “I think with the amount of disconnect between administration and its students, transparency from the administration would be one of the first steps to rebuilding that trust between the two.”
OwlsUnited’s main policy is safety, including free preventative programs for self-defense and emergency situations. They want to make sure there’s suitable off-campus lighting, more accurate and efficient TUalerts and safety assessments to reduce security risks and implement preventative measures.
The campaign also wants to advocate for better meal plan options, increased access to Temple’s wellness resources and cost reductions for commuters who may have trouble affording transportation on and off campus.
“One thing about Temple is that we are so proud of being diverse, and proud of our many cultures on campus, yet those same cultures aren’t being supported in ways that they could be,” Sharma said. “We need to push the communication and respect the communities that Temple has been able to create.”
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