The Student Government Association officer election polls have closed, the votes have been counted and incumbent Dan McCord has been voted as UNC Wilmington SGA president for his second term.

“It is a truly humbling experience to be re-elected for a second term,” said McCord. “The confidence of the student body will enable me to stand up and assert the voice of students more assuredly this year. It has reinforced me in my mission to represent my peers at the decision table.”

On their campaign page on Facebook, McCord lists himself as a history major from Holly Springs, North Carolina, and his running mate, now Vice President Trey Tillotson, as an entrepreneurship and business development major from Apex, North Carolina.

McCord and Tillotson have been elected during a unique time for UNCW: the recent installment of Chancellor Jose Sartarelli and the hiring of many new department heads and organization directors gives McCord and Tillotson the opportunity to add their own changes to the growing list of changes coming to campus during this time of transition.

Chancellor Sartarelli’s installment puts into motion plans to update the UNCW Campus Master Plan, a strategic plan for the future of the university. The Master Plan details short-term plans and long-term goals for changes to the campus.

“My main priority is ensuring that the upcoming Master Plan is reflective of the needs of our students and campus,” explained McCord. “We have to get this right. This will encompass many areas of concern that we campaigned on. If we can anchor down the student needs in this plan, we will be in good shape for the next generation of students at UNCW.”

McCord and Tillotson won their campaign for office with a platform of five points: expand and improve parking, grow and modernize Randall Library, improve campus dining, implement an A+ grading system and update academic buildings.

Their platform detailed their beliefs that there is not sufficient parking for students, that the library’s budget should grow further, that the soon-to-be-built Hub dining facility needs diverse food options, that a grading system that allows for an A+ is only fair and should be implemented and that academic buildings need updating.

McCord believes that these points are still the most important areas on which he should focus, but he adds on-campus housing and campus security as other key issues.

“All of these areas affect students in one way or another, so I want to focus my energy here,” said McCord. “A lot of conversations are about to take place in administration, and these topics will be heavily discussed.”

Last year, McCord won the SGA presidency as a sophomore, and he served as Student Body Vice President the year prior. Now a junior, McCord is challenged with keeping the momentum of his last two years in SGA going.

“I’m thrilled to continue working with the rest of SGA… I believe my greatest purpose has been in attempting to foster the growth of these wonderful people. I’m eager to watch the great work they achieve next year.”