Candidates for 115th SGA president Kyle Porter, Aaron Rak and Samantha Simmons debated one another at the Student Center Theatre Sunday night ahead of Tuesday’s general election.
The debate, moderated by Jackson Harris, leadership development and community engagement director at the Division of Community Affairs, consisted of opening statements, questions from students and Harris and closing statements.
In her opening statement, Simmons said she has a proven track record of commitment to positive change, mentioning the Try Tuscaloosa program and the Student Engagement Stipend as examples of programs she had spearheaded.
She said that in her prospective term, she wants to launch more initiatives supporting students and “she was ready on day one.”
Porter’s opening statement focused on student representation in SGA.
“Our autonomy stands on a glass platform only to break from control, suppression and others determining our own will,” Porter said. “I say these things to extend a hand and invite you, students at The University of Alabama, to a new life, one in which your dreams, your ideas and your voice matter.”
Rak said his key initiatives were eliminating the $30 course change fee he said the University had implemented, fixing parking issues and lowering bar cover.
He said he, along with other students, would encourage the Department of Finance and Operations to defund the parking program and liquidate the “fleet.” He said they would then take the money from the fleet and give it to all students as a “liberation dividend.”
“I’m personally not really happy with paying all this money to go to the bars here, you know, especially since I’ve just been able to go to them recently, this really surprised me. I don’t want to spend this money on cover, and I’m pretty sure that you don’t either,” Rak said about bar cover. “To fix this, I want to work with the very fine establishments here to reduce or eliminate cover with an ACT Card.”
Candidates were asked about their thoughts on the biggest challenges they would face as the incoming SGA president.
“Leaders are born, but good leaders are made. But one of the hardest things is getting on everyone’s level and meeting everyone’s need,” Porter said. “Building a collective mission is hard when people just like us want different things out of the same people.”
Rak said he thought the most challenging thing would be getting people into the “big tent.” He said bringing everyone into the big tent so everyone was happy was “really what he wanted to do at the end of the day.”
Simmons said she thought the most challenging parts of the presidency would be implementing her platform, including her initiatives to advocate for free Canva for the University system, free professional school applications for The University of Alabama School of Law and UAB’s Heersink School of Medicine and providing housing for UA students who work in Washington, D.C. over the summer.
Harris asked the candidates their thoughts on whether SGA elections made a difference at the University.
“I think that they do matter, you know, we have a great opportunity to do a lot of change here, you know, so, but it’s all up to the vote,” Rak said. “I’m pretty sure we can all relate to bad parking, the course change fee, so we’re bringing it to everybody, and I think that since we’re doing that, we’ll be able to get a lot of turnout. We’ll be able to get a turnout like we’ve never had before for any election.”
Simmons said she was committed to increasing involvement and was planning to visit 50 student organizations in 50 days. She said she wanted “student voices and those visits with students to shape the policy priorities and agenda of my platform.”
“A lot of folks think that SGA comes to student orgs during campaigns and disappears during a year of governance,” she said. “That won’t be true for the 115th administration.”
Porter said he hadn’t seen SGA influence his student life.
“I have never once seen SGA policies influence us beneficially, yet we sit here and talk about it like it has saved us with God’s grace,” he said. “Now I ask you this: Still, we criticize our federal and state governments, yet we don’t ask questions about how the SGA has helped us.”
In response to a question about the concerns from students in a time of change for the University, including the passage of a bill repealing a state law requiring the University to have a dedicated college of social work, the candidates had varied responses. Simmons said the most prevalent concern from students was gun violence. Porter said that he and other students felt unheard overall and Rak mentioned concern from students about AI.
In response to Rak’s comments about AI, Simmons said she wanted to use the University’s advising resources to create an AI chatbot and help students with advising.
Simmons said the School of Social Work “produces some of the finest leaders that the state of Alabama has ever seen.” She said if elected, she would continue to advocate for the school.
“Whether we’re talking about the School of Social Work, publications being redacted, or defunding certain research initiatives, I think the most important thing is allowing students to voice their concerns, giving them a perpetuating platform where they can actually reach the ears and eyes of people who will listen and can implicate change,” Porter said.
Rak said the school was necessary, and that the school should “keep it around” because it’s a “great school.”
Harris mentioned President Donald Trump’s speech at the University’s 2025 commencement, where he said the “next chapter of the American story will not be written by The Harvard Crimson, it will be written by the Crimson Tide.” He said the statement implied the University was aligned with President Trump’s political ideals, and some students on both sides of the political spectrum felt they were in the minority.
“In your opinion, what role can the SGA and the SGA president play in making our campus a place where students feel encouraged to share their own political and ideological perspectives, as well as seek out and listen to the perspectives of others as part of a college education?” Harris asked the candidates.
“I’m sure everyone in this room isn’t just Republican, isn’t just Democrat, or doesn’t just speak English, and those are things that we should highlight,” Porter said. “It is the beauty in our differences that bring us together, not apart.”
Rak said the SGA should “cradle and nurture” different ideas and explore different ideas.
“I can’t state this enough. SGA is a nonpartisan organization, so it’s critical that you’re having a leader that can stand on that, work with administrators and work for the university’s policy priorities as a whole,” Simmons said.
Closing statements followed the questions.
“I’ve heard y’all’s concerns about transportation, advising, affordability, campus safety and belonging. I’ve listened to students, partnered with administrators, and delivered effective results. I’m prepared to do this on day one,” Simmons said in her closing statement.
In his closing statement, Rak said he was going to work to end parking fees, give students a “freedom dividend” with funds from defunding the parking service and establish an on-campus bar. In his closing statement, it was unclear his plans for these initiatives, but he said the upcoming school year would be the greatest year of students’ lives.
“You’ll have the greatest day in the world with Liberation Day,” he said. “That will be the greatest day in the history of the student body, because now you can park here, and then on top of that, we can work with the bar.”
Unlike Simmons and Rak, Porter did not identify specific campaign initiatives he was planning to implement.
In his closing statement, Porter said, “Whether you are a full fledged supporter of the SGA or you have your doubts whether you truly care about our student body or just want to sit back, I tell you this now and extend a hand into a new future, a future about the individual, a future about our own flesh and blood, and a future about us and our leaders and our mission. Because this year, your vote decides your future.”
The 115th SGA election will take place Tuesday on myBama from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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