Tobey runs unopposed for SA president, Flemister conducts write-in campaign

Secretary position remains empty, while two others are uncontested

By James Cancelarich     2/26/25 12:05am

Trevor Tobey is formally unopposed for Student Association president. If the Hanszen College junior is elected, this will be his fourth year in the SA, following terms as a new student representative, a senator and, most recently, parliamentarian. This is Tobey’s second presidential campaign, after his loss to Jae Kim last year. 

Callum Flemister is running against Tobey as a write-in candidate. The Duncan College junior and Senate outsider — Flemister has never held a position in the SA — stressed their leadership experience as they vie for student government’s highest office.

Tobey, despite all his years in the SA, claimed to be no defender of the organization as it currently is.

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“I would not be running if I thought we were a great organization. [We] did great things — I’ve stayed in this because I know we can do better,” Tobey said in an interview with the Thresher.

Tobey said that he believes his term as president could be the turning point for the SA. In the upcoming election, students will vote on a series of amendments that Tobey spearheaded as parliamentarian, which, if approved, will significantly change the SA constitution.

“The four constitutional amendments would constitute huge changes to the Student Association that would make it more representative, that would make it more accountable, more transparent and the same, I think, with my election,” Tobey said.

Whether or not the amendments pass, Tobey said his next internal focus would be on the bylaws, which he described as contradictory with both the current constitution and the proposed amendments.

“There’s no accountability, there’s no equitability in that and there’s really no good governance,” Tobey said. “If you want to build an organization that’s effective in advocating, you have to have an organization that’s built for that and operates well internally.”

Other internal changes that Tobey said he aims to implement concern financial responsibility and organizational reform.

“I think it’s really important that we are spending our money on things that are benefiting every student and that we’re being really smart with our money because where we put our money is really where our heart is at, and is where our organization is focused,” Tobey said.

Tobey said some of his financial goals are increasing initiative fund money and supporting cultural clubs. On day one, Tobey said that his first focus would be on the budget. Next, Tobey said he wants to improve the culture of the SA.

“You see the senators and college presidents who feel like they can’t make a difference and have a meaningful impact,” Tobey said. “The way you change that is you inspire that. You show them ways that they can get involved and make a difference.”

Finally, Tobey said that he wants to promote inclusive dialogue and allow for more student feedback.

“I think in the Senate, the format and the culture is often not conducive to people sharing their ideas,” Tobey said. “We need to fix that format and that culture because it’s not conducive to innovation. It’s not conducive to coming up with new ideas that are serving students.”

His proposals for this include creating a time for public comment at Senate meetings and ensuring to meet with all students who want to meet with him. 

Outside of internal changes, some of Tobey’s campaign promises include the 24-hour operation of Fondren Library, $10 printing credits, protecting public parties, sustainable cultural club funding, strengthening mental health resources, lowering parking costs, more flexibility in meal plans and better late-night dining, according to his campaign website.

Tobey will be appearing as the only candidate for president on the ballot, but he said that a lack of competition does not change the mission of the SA.

“The whole point of student government is to allocate the tax and to allocate your blanket tax. That’s the whole setup,” Tobey said. “And so the competitiveness of that will vary and it will change, but that doesn’t change the mission of the organization, and it doesn’t change the very structure. That’s the whole point.”

However, students may also choose to write in Flemister to their ballots, who said they are conducting a write-in campaign because they missed the deadline to enter the race as an official candidate. Flemister said that they were only aware of the position after the deadline since they did not see any communication about running that was presented outside of Senate. 

Another reason Flemister ran was because they said they did not believe that the presidency should be uncontested.

“When I learned that there was only one presidential candidate, I was like, I don’t think any position in student government at Rice, especially one that can be as important as Student Association president, should be uncontested,” Flemister said. “I had this drive to run. I know it’s a hard battle, but I wasn’t going to let that completely derail my attempt to become president.”

Flemister’s campaign promises, according to their campaign website, include more accessible study spots, engaging the student body, investing in stress relief infrastructure on campus — with a proposal for a campus playground — and clearer communication between administration and students. Like Tobey, they are also advocating for 24-hour operation of Fondren Library.

For leadership experience, Flemister points to the “Diversity Union” they founded at their predominantly white high school. Flemister said that the people of color at their school were scattered and disconnected.

“In my final year, I wanted to leave behind a group where people could congregate so that they can share stories, talk to each other, and we succeeded. I’m so glad to say that two and a half, three years later, the group has only grown,” Flemister said.

At Rice, Flemister said they have leadership experience as an engineering teaching assistant, an Owl Access leader, a Beer Bike jack captain and through an internship.

“I think even though I have not had the conventional path that people would expect from a Student Association president, that does not mean that I have not learned to grow and how to bring it to your campus as a professional leader,” Flemister said.

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