Alexandra Debus is running for SGA President with the United Maryland party.

By Samantha Ebner 

Staff Writer

@SamanthaEbner7 

Alexandra Debus, junior biochemistry major and Carroll County native, was motivated to run for SGA president with United Maryland to improve policies for all students. 

“I decided to run for student body president because I’ve seen the initiatives that we can tackle,” said Debus. “I really was inspired by the people on my team and on my ticket who put their trust in me, who put their faith in me.”

Debus felt that it was important to gain the support of Jewish students and organizations on campus as she advocates for maintaining and protecting the values of everyone. With growing antisemitism in America, Debus wants to work with and support communities facing discrimination, she said. 

“I felt it was important to support, uplift, and uphold the values of students and student organizations within the Jewish community at UMD,” Debus said. “As a student leader – more importantly as a human being – I feel compelled to act in a way which always steadfastly supports, protects, and serves students within the UMD community, of which Jewish students and organizations are a vibrant and large portion.” 

Kedma, Hillel’s Orthodox group, endorsed Debus. They felt that she was the candidate who would best represent their interests in SGA by advancing legislation and creating programs to prevent antisemitic incidents.

“As a Jewish organization on campus, who is proudly Zionist and supports Israel as our home, we believe it is important to ensure that the Jewish students on campus will feel heard and that our home will be protected,” said Kedma president Deena Karger.

Debus is currently the executive vice president of SGA. She has also served as a legislator and deputy chief of staff in SGA. 

Each year, there are new parties in SGA. Anyone can create a ticket, but it starts with a president or with an executive. Debus created United Maryland with a focus on bettering the campus community. 

Debus works to improve student life on campus by solving any issues students may face. Debus is on academic and safety councils on campus. Her role on these boards can be easily transferred to her responsibilities as president.

She is also involved in the Student Advisory Council for the College of Computer, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences. This role focuses on the CMNS college fixing current processes and implementing initiatives in the CMNS college, which is similar to SGA’s responsibilities. 

“I’ve been really big on pushing to fix the advising process in CMNS because right now, there’s no centralized optimal way for students to book their advising appointments,” said Debus. “It’s relevant for all majors and all colleges, but as a CMNS student myself, I realized the difficulty of being in STEM, and how sometimes it’s not always the most conducive to mental health when especially considering the academic course load.” 

Debus is currently working to find solutions for food insecurity, including trying to help the campus pantry optimize food redistribution on campus. Debus has also been active in the issue of college affordability. As someone who has sat on several fee boards and who has had conversations with the administration about costs, Debus knows change is possible. 

“I’ve gone through my own spout of not knowing exactly when I was going to get money or when I was going to be able to go buy groceries, and it’s definitely really stressful,” Debus said. “I don’t think any student should have to go through that. We are gonna relentlessly push and fight and have students’ backs in these processes.”

Debus is also involved in the Gamma Mu chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, a sorority on campus. She was regarded highly by the chapter’s events director Gaby Weinwurzel. 

“I’ve known Alex for over a year through our sorority and her previous work with SGA and can confidently say that she will work hard to make this school the best it could be,” said Weinwurzel.

Debus is running for SGA president to foster an invested student body, where people get involved to make positive change selflessly.    

“I’m someone who personally really, really believes that sometimes some of the best student leaders are those who aren’t doing it for any type of reason other than they just want to make real change and benefit students,” Debus said. 

United Maryland is being endorsed by: The Economic Association of Maryland, UMCP Gaming, Jewish Student Union, Gift of Life, Afghan Student Union, Kappa Alpha Theta, The MTB Club Terps for Bike Lanes, Model Congress, Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association, The Sim Racing Club, Coalition of Latinx Student Organizations, Delta Sigma Pi, UMD Golf Club, Kappa Alpha Order, Maryland Ultimate Men’s Club, Plant Futures, Terps Racing, Learn to Code at UMD, Tidy Dorms CP, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Terps for Israel, TAMID, Kedma, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.