Gone are the days of Homecoming King and Queen. The Student Government Association has changed the titles to Mr. and Miss Tennessee Tech in honor of the Centennial celebrations continuing throughout the year. Elections will be held online Nov. 10 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The decision was made last spring when Emily (McDonald) was still president,” said current SGA President Bobby Adams. “I think her intentions were for that to become a permanent thing for future elections, not just this year.”
To be a candidate for Mr. and Miss Tennessee Tech, one must be a currently enrolled full-time student at Tennessee Tech of at least junior status and must have an overall quality point average of 2.50. All candidates must be sponsored by a student organization, and each organization cannot sponsor more than one candidate for each Mr. and Miss Tennessee Tech.
“I wanted to run for Miss Tennessee Tech because I’ve been very involved on this campus, and I thought it would be a great way to represent Tech and the rest of the student body,” said Molly Campbell, the candidate for Alpha Delta Pi.
“Most people run for Homecoming court because they want the attention, but I’m running because I love this school and everything it stands for,” said Zach Ring, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon candidate.
After paying the $50 charge to run, candidates must also submit a budget not exceeding $750 and turn it in to Adams before they begin active campaigning. If the candidate exceeds $750, the candidate is immediately disqualified.
Because of controversy in past elections, a new rule has been added to the Homecoming regulations. “The collection of T-numbers and/or PIN numbers will be strictly prohibited. With proof of the collection of any student voter login information, the candidate will be immediately disqualified from the election.”
Another change students may notice is the return of the Election Day voting booths. After a one-year absence, the SGA decided to allow this again saying it’s a part of Homecoming tradition. However, the booths are not allowed to be inside the library or the ground floor of the Roaden University Center.
According to the Election Rules, candidates may not put flyers on cars but can use window paint with the permission of the car’s owner. Door-to-door campaigning is not allowed in the residence halls. Sidewalk art and chalk is prohibited on Centennial Plaza but allowed outside the library with the approval of the dean of the library.
Any campaign violations will be decided on by the SGA Election Commission Committee, which has full authority to decide the outcome of the violation.
