Kristen-Nicole Mitei, accounting and economics junior, and Kendall Rench, accounting, economics and management junior, are running for OU Student Government Association president and vice president Thursday and Friday.
Mitei and Rench are one of three pairs running in this week’s SGA presidential election, the largest number of tickets since fall 2020.
Mitei and Rench first met in their seventh grade math class but did not become close until their first year at OU.
The two joined the Crimson Leadership Association, a group for first-year students that focuses on providing skills for a successful future, emphasizing networking skills and fostering community. Mitei and Rench reconnected during the program and found their passion for SGA.
In May, Mitei had a conversation with her Crimson Leadership Association mentor, Chris Firch, who had served as SGA president during her freshman year. He suggested that she should consider campaigning for SGA president.
“He really sat me down and talked to me about how the process looks and why he thinks that I should do it, …” Mitei said. “Ultimately, I was like, ‘I think this is something I want to do.’”
Once she decided to run, Mitei asked Rench to be her running mate over a FaceTime call.
“I felt like, especially together, that we really could amplify student voices,” Rench said.
Campaign mission
Mitei and Rench’s campaign is called “FOCUS,” an acronym for future, openness, community, unity and support. Their mission is to strengthen student life through a transparent and accessible community, according to their official Instagram page.
Mitei emphasized the importance of transparency in their positions and said they hope to communicate consistently with the OU community.
“We want to be able to communicate effectively about our leadership and about what we’re doing in our positions,” Mitei said.
Mitei and Rench said they planned their campaign with an emphasis on creating more accessible technology, making SGA more transparent and amplifying the student body voice.
“We don’t want to go to these organizations right now during our campaigning season and tell them we want to do all these things for them and just not follow through,” Mitei said. “We want them to hold us accountable, make sure that we get them done.”
One of Mitei and Rench’s priorities involves creating “OU-AI,” an artificial intelligence website that would include a list of all clubs, registered student organizations, professors, office hours, study space reservations and other resources for students.
Rench, who came up with the idea of OU-AI, said having school-related information in one place would make campus resources significantly more accessible.
“I really thought that having an OU-AI could be revolutionary, we could be a pioneer school,” Rench said.
University involvement
Mitei, from Prosper, Texas, was drawn to OU for its variety of student involvement options.
“I really did realize during my tour that OU is an everything school and I am an everything kind of person,” Mitei said. “I have so many different kinds of interests.”
Mitei is currently a member of Delta Delta Delta and involved in St. Thomas More, JCPenney Leadership Program and pre-law at Price College. She is also an OU tour guide.
Rench, also from Prosper, gravitated to OU due to its emphasis on community.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like it was my home, like I could make a place, there was a place for me,” Rench said.
Rench is currently a member of Alpha Phi and is a Price College ambassador, OU tour guide and is involved in the JCPenney Leadership Program.
Competing tickets
Election Commissioner Baylor Savage wrote in an email to OU Daily Oct. 20 that this is his first time seeing a three-way race for presidency during his time at the university.
“I want to say how excited I am for the increase in candidates this year,” Savage wrote. “I am hoping that this increase will also result in increased participation from our student body through higher voting numbers this year.”
Last year, Carter Strickland became president following an uncontested election. Strickland was impeached on March 25, becoming the first SGA president in university history to be impeached.
Strickland resigned on April 4 after serving as president for three months. Former Vice President Avery Dunlap became SGA president following Strickland’s resignation.
Students can cast their votes for SGA president and vice president through their ENGAGE account Thursday and Friday.
This story was edited by Natalie Armour, Thomas Pablo and Ana Barboza. Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
