SGA held the candidate debate for the 2026-27 elections on March 6. The candidates running for president, vice president and director of finance discussed transparency, communication and SGA’s responsibility to the student body
The moderators, Election Commissioner Catalina Moheit and UCCS Radio Director of External Affairs Brody Schmidt, posed two questions to the president and vice president candidates:
- What is your long-term vision for the student body, and how will your leadership style help move the institution toward that vision?
- What mechanisms will you implement to ensure transparency in executive positions and accountability to the student body?
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates run as a team.
“We put the “YOU” in UCCS!” — Cienna Daniels and Zachary Hoffa
Presidential candidate Cienna Daniels and vice-presidential candidate Zachary Hoffa have focused their campaign on accessibility, transparency, representation and student‑led leadership.
“Government is made up of the people. At its core, the student government exists for one reason: to represent you. Every student who studies, works here, lives here and commutes here deserves to feel like their voice matters,” said Daniels in her opening statement.
The pair stated that their plan is to listen to students in order to strengthen student connections and better understand how SGA can ensure every student feels represented.
“Real leadership starts with listening. And if we win, it won’t be because of us — it will be because the students decided it was time for something better,” Daniels said.
“UCCS Starts With U” –— Dionisio Marcelo and Benny Curtin
Presidential candidate Dionisio Marcelo and vice‑presidential candidate Benny Curtin based their campaign on three pillars: accessibility, accountability and advocacy.
The pillars are designed to represent the entire student body via community outreach and increasing accessibility to SGA decisions.
The running mates said transparency was essential to rebuild trust and ensure that students feel SGA members are acting in students’ best favor.
“College should not feel like a maze where only some people know how to navigate it. We want students to feel empowered to engage with campus life, seek resources and participate in shaping their university,” Curtin said.
According to the Marcelo and Curtain, they intend to lead with empathy, integrity and accountability to make SGA decisions clearer and more student‑centered.
“We are here to do the work, to provide the service and make sure that student voices are impacting the decisions that shape this campus, because at the end of the day the strength of UCCS comes from the students,” Marcelo said.
“Your Voice, Our Fight” – Walat Gozeh and Asher Early
Presidential candidate Walat Gozeh and vice-presidential candidate Asher Early have organized their campaign to center around three pillars: safety, engagement and opportunity.
Their campaign proposal includes initiatives designed to address safety concerns, such as creating a senator of housing and residential life in place of a senator-at-large position to improve advocacy for residential students.
They plan to increase engagement by expanding Student Life events across campus and supporting students as they transition into career‑focused opportunities.
“We truly value every single student. We want you to be the best you can be now, next year, the year after and so on, because your voice is our fight, not just now, but forever,” Gozeh said.
Debate
If elected, Daniels and Hoffa plan to lead through collaborative decision-making with students. They want to increase student involvement by hosting more events.
The running mates discussed the need to carefully manage and rebuild reserves in light of the projected $11.7 million budget cut in the next year, disagreeing with a bill passed on Feb. 5 that increased the senate budget by taking $20,000 from reserve funds.
Gozeh, the incumbent speaker of the senate, defended the funding allocation, saying it was essential to maintain and increase engagements through events.
“Senate is one-third of SGA and if it runs out of funds, it’s ineffective,” Gozeh said, “I wrote that bill because it’s critical that engagement is important on this campus.” Gozeh also noted that Cienna also voted ‘yes’ on the bill.
If elected, Marcelo and Curtin will prioritize accountability through clear, timely communication to ensure students understand what their money is used for.
They also plan to make SGA documents easier to navigate by updating digital communication. “Accessibility means ensuring that resources, opportunities and leadership are available to all students. It took hours for [us], as non-SGA members, to access things like financial data and meeting notes,” Curtin said.
Early responded that the 2025-26 senate agendas and minutes are available on Mountain Lion Connect (MLC). He also said that expectations need to be realistic due to the amount of time it takes to create and approve minutes.
Regarding Gozeh and Early’s plan to replace a senator-at-large with a senator of residential students, Daniels said that SGA representation should be expanded rather than substituted.
“Representation should not be a trade‑off,” Daniels said. “SGA should be about creating more opportunities, not limiting them.”
Curtin and Marcelo raised concerns about the potential financial strain of adding a senate position in light of an already increased student activity fee and university-wide budget cuts.
According to Gozeh, roughly one in five UCCS students are residential, and this senate position would work to provide fair representation and address their concerns.
“A UCCS of tomorrow sees students being safe, students being engaged and students having opportunity, because the future can be UCCS,” Gozeh said.
During closing statements, Hoffa emphasized his and Daniels’ commitment to empowering student voices, Curtin advocated for increased accessibility and accountability in SGA processes and Early focused on his and Gozeh’s belief in shared decision-making between SGA and students.
Director of Finance — Bennett Schafer
Bennett Schafer is running for director of finance. He is involved across campus through the dean of student’s office, student life, SGA, the wellness center and the UCCS Farm.
Schafer has experience managing student support funds at Clyde’s Cupboard and hopes to gain hands‑on budgeting experience. Schafer said he is focused on using student funds responsibly and transparently.
SGA voting began March 9 and will close Match 13 at 4 p.m. Polling stations are located near Big Cat Coffee in University Center, and online voting links were sent via email.
Students who vote can bring proof to the Student Life Lounge to receive a deck of UCCS playing cards and/or an election sticker, while supplies last.
Cienna Daniels and Zachary Hoffa at the right podium, Dionsio Marcello and Benny curtin at the middle podium and finally Walat Gozeh and Asher Early at the left podium. Photo by Anysia Hovel.