By: Melhor Leonor / Asst. News Director

melhor.leonor@fiusm.com

With the goals of “innovation, transparency and representation,” senior Laura Farinas and sophomore Alex Castro are currently running for the presidential and vice presidential seats at the Modesto Maidique Student Government Council Elections of 2012.

Farinas, currently the SGA lectures coordinator & committee chair, has been working with the Student Government for the past four years, while Castro has been involved for two years, and currently serves as chief of staff.

Among their top priorities, Farinas explained that they seek to restructure the way SGA operates to incorporate more accountability.

“The one things that makes us different is that we want to change what is student government,” Farinas said. “We are going to sit down and evaluate every position and make sure each position has a purpose and a plan of action.”

Among their initiatives is a plan for campus collaboration, where the different organizations that operate at MMC cooperate while planning and organizing goals and events.

“We want to bring all these organizations together so that they can not only brainstorm and collaborate, but also [create] a support system, and make sure we come out to each other’s events,” Farinas said.

Another goal for the ticket is to better SGA relations with the student body.

“Involvement has to start early,” Farinas said. “We want to collaborate with the Office of Orientation so that incoming students can be aware of involvement opportunities and also the importance of SGA.”

When asked about FIU’s commuter school status, Castro mentioned the need to accommodate these students’ specific needs.

“If students are commuter students, it’s for a reason,” Castro said. “Maybe they have a full time job, maybe they’re a parent. There could be hundreds of reasons. I feel student government should cater for them. Provide more services online for them.”

Castro also added that it’s time to focus on commuter students’ needs.

“I think it’s beautiful that FIU is expanding,” Castro said. “But now we need to push for the other initiatives, where we cater to [commuter students’] lifestyles.”

Farinas and Castro are currently dating, but explain that their relationship can only benefit their campaign goals.

“We have always known each other in a professional capacity…and never once has [our relationship] been a problem,” Farinas said.

When asked about the things that set them apart from other candidates, the pair referred to their “unique” approach to student issues.

“We are bringing to the table solutions that are plausible,” Farinas said. “Real solutions that can get it done for students. Real solutions that you will see the difference, not in five years or six years, but in our year.”

*Corrections have been made to this article.