Peter Kuusisto, a candidate for Student Government Association president at the University of Massachusetts, is running on his prior experience on and off campus.

The 22 year old is currently the SGA auditor and has been the economic advisor in the past. He has also served as treasurer for the UMass Democrats and co-president of the Economics Club, and working with the organization for presidential hopeful Barack Obama in Massachusetts.

“We need a very experienced person within the student government to run,” said Kuusisto. “I feel I am the most experienced.”

According to Kuusisto, his experiences on campus started when he was just five years old.

“I live in the area, and I feel a strong connection to the campus,” Kuusisto said.

Kuusisto is adamant that there is a need for experience in the SGA in order to bring about a change.

“We need a different conversation than the one that is happening,” said Kuusito. “I can bring a different point of view to the election.

“Being co-president of the Economics Club helped me learn how to manage things, and it is time I stepped up and started managing,” he said.

Kuusisto is running on a platform of being more open to dialogue. According to his Facebook.com group, Kuusisto wants to send out regular e-mails updating students on campus happenings.

“We need more communication between students and the president,” he added.

Kuusisto is also running with the idea that a change is necessary. Although he respects fellow candidate Derek Khanna, he feels that Khanna’s campaign is too much like current president Aaron Buford’s and previous trustee Mishy Leiblum’s.

“We really need people who can think for themselves,” said Kuusisto.

Kuusisto is a resource economics major and his group can be found on Facebook.com as “Peter Kuusisto for Student Government Association President.”

“I am not the candidate attached to a group, I am the independent candidate attached to your ideas,” Kuusisto wrote on Facebook.

Emily Reynolds can be reached at [email protected].