By Seth Pinson

My name is Seth Pinson, and I am running alongside Kathleen Price to be your next executive vice president and student body president.

There’s only so much you can understand about somebody by looking at a yard sign or an Instagram post. I am a proud resident of Simpson County, Kentucky. It’s a county that has a smaller population than the University of Louisville. My mother is a nurse, and my father works as a farmer.

I came to U of L after accepting a position in the McConnell Scholars Program. Had it not been for that scholarship, I would not have been able to afford U of L and would have most likely ended up at Murray State University.

I say all of these words to let students know that I understand the struggles of affording college. The objective is to get a degree and spend the least amount of money possible.

I came to U of L in August 2023 and had the opportunity to shadow Arts and Sciences senators. I then became a permanent member of the council in the spring of 2024 and was soon elected A&S senator, serving as deputy speaker of the senate and appropriations chair.

Last year, I ran for academic vice president and lost. It initially hurt, but I learned a lot from that experience, picked myself up and moved on.

That loss reaffirmed my dedication to the students of U of L. I accepted a position as chief of internal affairs, where I have worked closely with the president and executive vice president on policy, budgetary and disciplinary issues.

The position of executive vice president is not one that you can complete successfully without some level of prior experience. This position, for the vast majority of its roles, requires background knowledge in senate procedure, Robert’s Rules of Order and how to build working relationships.

As appropriations chair, I led a committee in which the only way we went home at night was through negotiation. At the end of the day, none of us got exactly what we wanted, but we gave it our best effort to advocate for our students. That budget I passed has funded every single SGA, SAB, and ELSB event that has occurred this year.

As president of the senate, I will work to serve the SGA senate and ensure that it is run efficiently and transparently. I feel that I have the necessary experience building relationships and conducting procedures to be effective as president of the senate.

I agree with my fellow candidates on issues of transparency and will work to livestream senate meetings and invite members of administration to listening sessions for conversations about topics that students care most about, such as parking, dining, housing and academics.

This is your campus. This is your SGA, and all voices are welcome to engage in conversation.

I will administer these policies to make sure it stays just that. I would appreciate your vote Feb. 23 through Feb. 25.

For more on our policies, follow @pricepinsonforsga on Instagram.

Photo Courtesy / Seth Pinson