SGA senator Ankur Ponda, a senior finance and international business major, is running for treasurer as an independent.
"I've always wanted the treasurer position, since I started my position as senator," Ponda said. "Since I couldn't get on the [DREAM Towson] ticket, I decided to take a chance and run for the position that I really wanted."
Ponda said he feels passionately about the finances of student groups.
"I sympathize with student groups when they're asking for money for an event -- I know where they're coming from," he said. Ponda has had experience developing the budget for the South Asian Student Association.
The other four independent candidates are running for senator spots.
Candidate Michael Pollard, a sophomore business administration and marketing major, said he is feeling discouraged about the election.
"It just feels like I don't have a chance because I'm not on a ticket," Pollard said. "Also, I haven't had time to really campaign like I want to because I have had so much work. If I were on a ticket I would feel more comfortable because all of the pressure would not be on me."
Pollard said his goal is to go into politics one day. He served on the SGA's Legislative Action Committee this semester.
"I learned a great deal from it, and I would like to be more involved with that as a senator," he said.
SGA senator Mimi Zouine, a sophomore biology major, said this year's SGA did a wonderful job, but that it focused "a little too much on athletics."
"Our main platform for Tiger Pride was increasing diversity," Zouine said. "Our focus kind of shifted from doing that to focusing more on athletics."
Zouine said she hopes to work more on group interaction. She suggested holding a joint event for Greeks and international students.
Freshman deaf studies major Sarah Wong decided to run for an SGA senator position when a friend suggested it to her.
"I thought at first that everyone was independent, but then I found out there was one big party," Wong said.
She said she wanted to join SGA "to try to find out more things."
Senator candidate Jenny Haley, a freshman political science major, created a group on TheFacebook.com to support her campaign.
"Like communism? Well you'd love the Towson SGA," the "Jenny Haley for SGA Senate" group description states. (But Haley specifies the comment "is not to be taken too seriously.")
Her campaign posters have stressed her opposition to the single-party domination of this year's election. She said she hopes people take the election seriously.
"I hope they won't just go down and vote for every DREAM Towson person," she said. "They should seriously consider the fact that if you have one dominant party, there's not much room for ideas to spread."
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