The 2026-27 Student Government executive alliance candidates discussed their platforms at a debate in the William C. Powers, Jr. auditorium Monday night. The seven alliances discussed issues like transparency, budget allocation and student involvement.
The Daily Texan Editor-In-Chief Ava Saunders hosted the debate and gave alliances time to introduce their platforms, answer general moderated questions, answer audience-submitted questions and provide closing statements. The Texan’s editorial board will announce its endorsement Friday.
Students can vote for their preferred SG alliance on March 2 and March 3, and the results will be announced March 9.
The candidates for Student Government president and vice president are Kiera Dixon and Jaden Watt; Kelsey Green and Nicholas Smith; Camille Kilday and Connor Guess; Cate Kratovil and Bailey Inglish; Armando Parrish and Ben Guerriero; Sarah Sheriff and Siyona Nayampally; and Jaylen Waithe and Nina Raich.
The alliances answered questions about transparency, and each discussed plans to increase student access to the executive agencies.
The Dixon-Watt, Sheriff-Nayampally and Green-Smith alliances emphasized the importance of open feedback from the student body. Kratovil and Inglish said they would make meeting notes public and would host “office hours” on a weekly basis. Parrish and Guerriero said they will instill “radical transparency” and plan to send out bi-weekly newsletters containing agendas. Waithe and Raich said they want to create means of open communication with student organizations.
Additionally, the Waithe-Raich executive alliance touted its SG reform initiatives. Raich is currently an SG representative and helped write and pass Longhorn Legislature Online, a publicly accessible Google Drive folder with published minutes, committee reports and records from SG meetings.
“We want the system to be fixed, and we want it to serve your needs,” Raich said.
The Dixon-Watt alliance also focused on reform and plans to restore the agencies that were dissolved by the current SG alliance. Presidential candidate Dixon was a co-director of the First-Year Leadership Organization, which disbanded in September 2025.
“The purpose of those organizations was not to be efficient,” Dixon said. “It was to give students an avenue for advocacy on our campus and they’re missing that today. So I want to bring it back, but I also want to work within things that have been established now.”
Alliances were asked how they would balance the desires of students with those of the University administration. The Kratovil-Inglish alliance said they are willing to stand up for students against Texas Senate Bill 17, a 2023 law that prohibited diversity, equity and inclusion programs led by DEI offices in public universities, in legal ways. The Green-Smith alliance also said they will advocate for students and their opinions, suggesting a committee to gather student voices.
“Pressure from administration will not phase us,” Green said. “That will not hinder our progress.”
The Kilday-Guess alliance said they plan to work closely with UT administration. Kilday and Guess are both writing editors at the Texas Travesty, the University’s satirical news publication.
“I think it’s no secret that students at UT feel ignored by the administration, but I can assure you that I am a very difficult person to ignore,” Kilday said. “I am deeply, deeply annoying, and I plan on bringing that to all of my interactions with administration.”
Throughout the debate, candidates also discussed plans for voter outreach and engagement in SG elections.
“We want to … make sure that students have the opportunity to shape (policy) in a way that they hope to see go into effect,” Sheriff said.
The Parrish-Guerriero alliance discussed the importance of connection with the University community in their campaign.
“We want to be true agents of change,” Parrish said. “We want to see the good in everyone and bring it out through our policies.”
For more information about the candidates, read the Daily Texan breakdown about the alliances.
Editor’s note: Executive alliance candidates Camille Kilday & Connor Guess are part of The Texas Travesty, an organization within Texas Student Media.
