Meet the ASB 2016 spring election candidates

The Daily Mississippian spoke with the six candidates campaigning in this year’s Associated Student Body general spring elections. Interviews compiled by Isabella Caruso.

Austin Powell:

Powell is a junior public policy leadership and philosophy major from Corinth. Powell is running unopposed for Associated Student Body President.

What made you decide to run for this position?
I’ve been in an incredible position this year to see ASB from a holistic perspective, not only in just the executive branch but all the branches.

How/when did you get involved in ASB?
I got involved with ASB my freshman year after meeting Morgan Gregory, the 2013 – 2014 ASB Vice President, at the Rebel Round-Up. I was in the Grove with my mother for freshman orientation, and Morgan Gregory encouraged me to run for a senate seat and apply to Freshman Council. She made me feel like I could make a change, so I decided to do it. Somehow I was elected Senator, and was chosen for Freshman Council, and serving in both those capacities was something I’ll never forget.

What is on your platform?
Since the campaign began, I have been asked how we came up with the idea for the campaign slogan and multicolor graphic design of my face. I have been able to say that it appeals to the indescribable feeling that everyone understands here at the University of Mississippi. The University is made up of more than 20,000 students, and through recent events it has been highlighted that each one of us bring different perspectives, values, and beliefs to Ole Miss. All of these varying beliefs and ideas are the essence of what makes this campus a very exceptional place, but most importantly, a family. As a result of this idea, Amanda Jones came up with the varying colors in the design to represent all the various backgrounds of students on the Ole Miss campus. The graphic reflects the job of my administration to accurately represent ALL students and their interests. We can maintain this idea set by my platform, which is “ONE Ole Miss” Opportunity, Network and Efficiency. By increasing awareness of resources and opportunities available for students, ensuring organizational efficiency within our student government and the University administration, promoting student dialogue and collaboration and developing new, innovative ways to engage the student body. In the “Powell to the People” graphic, the arrow represents the Ole Miss campus’s ability to move forward through the use of the platform stated above.

What are your plans of action for the upcoming year?
Before the end of the semester, cabinet applications will be available. This will help in getting more people interested in ASB, but also will help students who want to be a part of ASB become involved. I’m really excited to have the internal conversation about how as the Associated Student Body, we will brand ourselves and what we do based on our mission statement of selflessly serving students and getting back to that root. As far as program development, we will have new freshman programs to better serve incoming freshman through that key transition of freshman year, and we will also be figuring out how ASB can highlight different student organizations and help them reach their missions and purposes. As a whole, I’m looking forward to my plan of actions being more student and student organization focused and figuring out how to work well with different student organizations.

What is one food that you would NEVER want to taste again?
Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of celery. I’m not sure what it is, it just feels like grass in my mouth.

Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. If you could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?
If I could put another U.S. President on Mt. Rushmore it would be President Roosevelt, the other Roosevelt. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was true to himself and his beliefs. I feel like his integrity drove him and his actions. By looking at his first 100 days in office you can tell FDR worked for not only a better America, but a America that works for her people. Through the results of his policies and initiatives it is extremely evident that the people were benefitted during his entire tenure, and not him.

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
I probably should throw away a poster of signatures and notes that I collected when I was a sophomore in high school. I was afforded an opportunity to go to Mississippi Governor’s School for a month at the Mississippi University for Women. While I was there I met some incredible people and had an even more incredible experience. At the end, we all had a poster paper that was filled with encouragement and stories. I probably should throw it away, but because it has so many thoughtful words and messages I just can’t throw it away.

Why do you love Ole Miss?
It’s so easy. This is actually my favorite question to answer. I love Ole Miss hands down because of the people and the atmosphere. We all have this really weird feeling about what Ole Miss means to us, and it’s such an indescribable feeling because it can’t be replaced. The people and the moments you share are things that I cherish and I have been so blessed to experience everything that I have here at the University of Mississippi. When people talk about leaving they miss the people and atmosphere those people have, and it’s because the Ole Miss campus is the curator and incubation hub for all these experiences to happen.

What is your favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel?
My favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel is always the sports. Fan love, as DJ Khaled would say, is the reason that the stadium is full every game and stays full as the game goes on.

Michael Howell:

Howell, a junior public policy leadership major from Gulfport, is running unopposed for Associated Student Body Vice President.

What made you decide to run for this position?
My three years on ASB have shown me the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Serving in different branches of ASB has allowed me to witness how we can improve in order to more effectively serve the student body.

How/when did you get involved in ASB?
got involved in ASB my freshman year both as a senator and a Freshman Council member. I immediately witnessed the impact that ASB can have on the University, and I knew that I wanted to remain in the organization throughout the rest of my time at the University.

What is on your platform?
The three main points of my platform are transparency, efficiency, and credibility. In the past, I have come across students who do not even know that ASB exists. We must improve our transparency through improved communication with the student body to ensure we are receiving their input so that we can truly represent them. Secondly, we must become more efficient as an organization. If I am elected Vice President, I will strive to increase the amount of meaningful legislation pushed through the Senate, and I will also work with other branches to make sure that ASB is as seamless and functional as possible. Finally, I want to ensure credibility by communicating with the Chancellor and other administration in order to guarantee that our legislation and our positions as elected student representatives hold legitimate and respected weight.

What are your plans of action for the upcoming year?
I will strive to increase inclusion by allocating seats to more freshmen, international, and other underrepresented students. My goal is to have one senate election in the fall for freshmen seats and another in the spring for other seats. Some other personal goals of mine are to clarify the ASB Code, increase service opportunities, and implement more social events in order to reach out to the student body as a whole. These are only a few of my numerous goals for the next year.

What is one food that you would NEVER want to taste again?
Banana and mayonnaise sandwiches became a common meal for my mom during her childhood in her rural Mississippi hometown. I saw her eating one once, so I decided to give it a chance. Let’s just say that I will not be trying it again anytime in the near future. Unfortunately, it tasted exactly as bad as it sounds.

Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. If you could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?
I think Mount Rushmore is perfect the way it is, but if someone had to be added, I would want it to be Ronald Reagan. Mr. Reagan was the best president in the history of our nation, and it would be nice to see him featured alongside our second and third best presidents: Lincoln and Roosevelt respectively.

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
I have kept every school assignment I have ever done in a box in my attic. Why? I have no idea. It’s getting to be a problem. I should probably throw away my old school materials, but I do not see that happening anytime soon.

Why do you love Ole Miss?
Ole Miss embodies Southern charm more than any other university in the nation. The campus is always improving while simultaneously keeping the traditions and beauty that make this school uniquely wonderful.

What is your favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel?
The best part about being a Rebel is the family atmosphere. No matter where you are in the world, if you find an Ole Miss fan you will immediately share a deep connection with that person. We legitimately care about each other, not as faculty, staff, students, or alumni, but as simply people. You cannot be a part of the Rebel family without being changed forever.

Austin Spindler:

Spindler, a sophomore public policy leadership major from Savannah, Tennessee, is running unopposed for Associated Student Body Secretary.
What made you decide to run for this position?
With all things I have ever been involved with, it has been a goal of mine to have the best impact that I can and to leave the organization I am involved with in a better state than I found it. I felt that I could best serve in this capacity as ASB Secretary and give back to this university, which has given me so much already.

How/when did you get involved in ASB?
I was elected as a senator my freshman year and have served as the Legislation Monitor for Senate this year.

What is on your platform?
My platform is SPIN: Strengthen the relationship between the executive and legislative branches, Promote the inclusion of all members of the Ole Miss family, Increase the transparency of the ASB, and to do it Now.

What are your plans of action for the upcoming year?
It is my plan to keep the student body more informed on the workings of the Associated Student Body and to work towards increasing the accessibility of the Associated Student Body as a whole.

What is one food that you would NEVER want to taste again?
Oddly enough, fried okra. I am all about fried food, but fried okra just doesn’t taste the same to me.

Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. If you could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?

One of my favorite presidents has always been Franklin Delano Roosevelt, so I would like to add his face to Mount Rushmore. I’ve always admired learning about policies he worked to accomplish and the lengths he went to in order to serve the American people to the best of his abilities.

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
Once on a family vacation, I had my parents buy me a stuffed animal owl that reminded me of Hedwig from Harry Potter. It just sits on one of the shelves in my room at home, but it would be so weird to me if I came home and it wasn’t there.

Why do you love Ole Miss?
Ole Miss was not where I originally planned to attend college. However, I came here and was welcomed with open arms and warm hearts. This place has become so much more of a home than I ever could have imagined, and when I look back, I couldn’t imagine going to college anywhere else.

What is your favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel?
While we have a beautiful campus, a great athletics department, and I think Oxford is one of the best cities in the south, my personal favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel has been this sense of family that is given to each of us. We are Ole Miss – and that means we are family.

Hurston Reed:

Reed is a junior accountancy major from Memphis, Tennessee. Reed is running unopposed for Associated Student Body Judicial Chair.

What made you decide to run for this position?
The reason I decided to run for Judicial Chair is that I have a strong passion for recognizing right and wrong in the world. This passion developed because of my Christian faith and serving on the Memphis University School Honor Council. In the transition from MUS to Ole Miss, I desired to continue serving my school and student body; the Judicial Council provided the perfect means to impact fellow students in a positive way.

How/when did you get involved in ASB?
My cousins Ben and Brock Hurston let me know about the ASB Judicial Council, and Sparky Reardon told me how to apply for the Judicial Council during the spring of my freshman year.

What is on your platform?
In the coming year, the Judicial Council desires to make sure students know we are on campus to support them if they experience any issues involving alleged individual or organizational violations of University policy. Our members are trusted with confidential information, and we respect our community members by requiring that this information is not discussed outside cases. Furthermore, just as previous Judicial Councils have successfully done, we want to continue upholding our Creed through servant leadership.

What are your plans of action for the upcoming year?
One of our members, Natalie King, came up with a prime plan of action during a meeting at ASB retreat. In order to ensure the student body knows about our services at Ole Miss, she suggested that we make brief presentations at freshman EDHE classes so that they can turn to us if they experience violations of University policy throughout their Ole Miss careers. In addition, we look forward to increasing our unified bond within the Council, an aspect which is essential to making the right decisions on various cases.

What is one food that you would NEVER want to taste again?
Definitely sardines because the smell is egregious. People tend to avoid conversations with you and your deadly breath.

Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. If you could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?

Tom Hank’s movies have had a profound impact on my life, and they influence my everyday mindset. I absolutely love his works such as “Saving Private Ryan”, “The Green Mile” and my favorite movie of all time, “Forrest Gump”. These four leaders on Mount Rushmore unselfishly served our country in incredible ways, but present-day politics does not intrigue or inspire me in the slightest.

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
The one item I should probably throw away is my headphones. People are hesitant to approach me, and they think I don’t want to talk to them when I’m on campus. While it is rude to have them on around people, the truth is the tunes set my mood for riding around campus and give me energy throughout the day.

Why do you love Ole Miss?
I love Ole Miss because you are guaranteed to know at least one person anywhere you go on campus. The size of Oxford and Ole Miss is perfect because it prevents students at a public school from getting lost in the crowd. We have opportunities to stand out and develop meaningful relationships with one another through our close proximity. The larger the school becomes endangers this extremely unique family aspect of Ole Miss.

What is your favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel?
My favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel is having a true college experience and getting the opportunity to tell other people about the exciting developments within our community. The core group of friends that I have developed over the past three years has heavily contributed to numerous, incredible memories. In addition, the opportunities to serve our school throughout my collegiate years are another huge component to this true college experience, and I’m looking forward to representing our University throughout my career.

Grayson Giles:

Giles is a junior accountancy major from Madison. Giles is running unopposed for Associated Student Body Treasurer.
What made you decide to run for this position?

Through previous experience serving under the Treasury department, I saw first hand how the new funding process was able to provide student organizations with better access to funding. I chose to run for this office with the hope of making that process more efficient, as well as continue the success ASB and the treasury has seen in the past with the new funding process.

How/when did you get involved in ASB?
I became involved in ASB my sophomore year. I served as ASB comptroller in the Treasury department, along with four other ASB members. Together, we comprised a group that was tasked with allocating funds to student organizations here on campus.

What is on your platform?
Because I am running unopposed, I have chosen to take this time campaigning to increase awareness about the newly enacted student activities fee. This fee’s purpose, which was issued this time last year, is to aid University of Mississippi student organizations in offsetting costs and enhance opportunities for academic, professional social growth.

What are your plans of action for the upcoming year?
During my term, I hope to make the funding process more accessible and efficient for those wishing to apply for funding. By doing so, I know that student organizations will be able to continue to benefit each student’s well-being, which will ultimately benefit the campus as a whole.

What is one food that you would NEVER want to taste again?
Horseradish from Felix’s in New Orleans. If you know me personally, I’ve forewarned you before. If you’re reading this now, take this as your warning, it’s dangerous stuff.

Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. If you could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?
Chucky Mullin’s legacy of courage and perseverance models something that we all can strive to achieve on a daily basis. More than a quarter of a century later, his story shows evidence that no matter what adversities you may face, you should always remember one thing: “Never quit.”

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
I once bought a golf club for $25 from a pro shop. The club is at least seven years old and the grip has never been replaced, but I’ll never part ways with it.

Why do you love Ole Miss?
I love the sense of community that Ole Miss lends. From the personal relationships that we all have with each other, to the small town feel we all know, it all ties together to produce the one of a kind University we all know and love.

What is your favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel?
Ole Miss Athletics, both the good and bad times surrounding them, will always be my favorite part of Ole Miss. Seeing the entire Ole Miss community come together to support our Rebs on game days is irreplaceable.

Brent Ferguson:

Ferguson, junior biochemistry major from Jackson, Miss. is running unopposed for Associated Student Body Attorney General.
What made you decide to run for this position?
I have been a part of the Attorney General office for two years, and I have loved working as a Commissioner and a Deputy. The office of the Attorney General is a place where everything is run,

and we can really have fun with the elections. I wanted to run to keep the spirit of campaigning alive on campus, but to also further the involvement of the campus in election seasons. When elections roll around, you see people turn the other way from the Student Union or walk around Fulton Chapel, to make sure that they don’t have to walk through the election crowd. Why is that? I want to see people approaching the candidates, asking them questions about what they are hoping to get done in office and how they want to see the campus grow. As a Deputy Attorney General, I saw these past fall elections have a great turnout for an Ole Miss election, and I want to continue to grow on that in the coming year.

How/when did you get involved in ASB?
I got involved as a sophomore when I was a part of the election commission under then Attorney General Kelly Savage.

What is on your platform?
For the campaign, we are running under a simple hashtag #ImWithBrent. Using the hashtag means that you agree with what I stand for, which is unifying the campus to further the growth of the community. Recently, many issues have risen on campus that seems to split the campus, rather than bring it together. Not everyone has the same opinion; it would be boring if it were that way. However, that doesn’t mean that we can beat each other down. I want to see this campus come together, discuss the issues at hand, then resolve them together, rather than argue to the point of true anger. If the campus would unify together for growth, this campus would be even stronger than it is now.

What are your plans of action for the upcoming year?
I want to continue forward with spreading the word of the elections across campus. Using mediums such as social media, the DM, NewsWatch, etc. to ensure that all students understand when elections are, and how important they are for what ASB can do to help them in the future. I also want to ensure that everyone who wants to see change can have his or her voice heard. During election season, having Q and A’s with the candidates such as the debate, however, students could insert their own questions to be asked to the candidates. I want as many people involved in the elections as possible, to see the numbers continue to grow.

What is one food that you would NEVER want to taste again?

Raw oysters. I can’t handle raw oysters at all.

Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. If you could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?
Each of the faces on Mount Rushmore influenced their generations an immense amount. Since then, times have changed, and now we are influenced by a different type of medium, such as movie characters, television actors, and media members. Going off of that motive, you can’t argue that many people have been influenced positively by the life of Ron Swanson. Everyone loves a good Ron Swanson quote, such as “Give 100%. 110% is impossible.” Or “Skim milk is just water that’s lying to be milk.” Maybe he can start a Mount Rushmore of his own.

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
Honestly, my phone. Obviously, that is not happening, but maybe throw away my iPhone and go back to a flip phone. A time before I checked social media an unbelievable amount of times per day.

Why do you love Ole Miss?
If you step onto campus at Ole Miss, it’s hard not to love it in my opinion. I love the students that I am involved with everyday, the beauty of the campus, and of course the atmosphere at the sports games. I grew up loving Ole Miss, but nothing beats actually being here.

What is your favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel?
Being a part of the Ole Miss family has always been important to me. My favorite part of being an Ole Miss Rebel is spending time with my friends and having a great time on campus. I love Groving before games, going crazy when Chad Kelly throws a touchdown to Evan Engram or when Moody hits a three and just hanging out on campus on a beautiful day. Just spending time with the Ole Miss family on campus is something I will always remember about being a Rebel.