Current elected officials in the Student Government Association spoke out in regards to this year’s SGA election cycle and the quality of campaigns at their last meeting, Thursday, Feb. 13.
With SGA elections happening March 3 through March 5, campaigning is already in full swing. As of Feb. 18, three candidates have announced bids for the position of president and two for vice presidential . But, it already seems that the battle for political power has drawn blood.
Current SGA Vice President Grace Kane took the podium at the Feb. 13 meeting and urged the candidates to change the way this election was being run. As vice president, it is Kane’s job to oversee all things election-related. This includes election rules, which Kane has noticed are being broken.
“As candidates, you should be treating each other with kindness and professionalism. Running for office or a student government position, should not mean trying to undermine others,” said Kane. “It should mean proving why you are the best person for the job through your ideas, your integrity and your ability to lead with respect.”
While a concern, this wasn’t what worried Kane the most. Election rule-breaking is a habit that can be rectified, but a candidate’s behavior is irreversible.
SGA President Clinton Oreofe also requested more ‘kumbaya’ from the candidates following Kane’s speech.
Following the SGA meeting, Treasurer Joshua Durand expressed his thoughts on how this election cycle is going.
“It’s easy to get lost in competition and sort of, like, go after each other but I think what Grace said is a great reminder that we are all on the same team,” said Durand.
During the open forum, there was a buzzing moment after Oreofe mentioned that, after Suffolk latest purchase of the 101 Tremont Street building, the school hopes to be able to offer housing for all students, including law school and graduate students. This will include a 21-and-up dorm hall, combating Suffolk’s current dry-campus status.
After the uproar that this caused, a few students that work within the housing office on campus made it adamantly clear that these are, for the time being, simply hopes and wishes and that nothing is set in stone.
Additionally, SGA’s Person Impressed Most People, or PIMP, award has made a comeback this week, being awarded to the chair of the Academic Committee Milind Kulkarni, by SGA Secretary Ruby Walsh. These PIMP awards are a way for SGA to show their appreciation to their members of the senate and to ensure that their efforts and passion doesn’t go unnoticed.
Check-ins with the Student Affairs Committee brought forth news that they have been in discussion with university representatives and have decided to bring down the cost of purchasing a new Ram Card from $25 to $10. This was an amendment that was well received, as it only costs the university $7 to produce the cards.
They also discussed multiple club events within the Open Forum, both being used to support those affected by the Palisades wildfire and separate club events. Also present at the meeting as a guest speaker was Kristin Baker, a representative for the Performing Arts Center. She was there to invite SGA members to the upcoming production of “She Kills Monsters.” Baker briefly covered the synopsis of the show before leaving cards for students to take to secure tickets for the show.
“The most successful leaders are those that build their campaign on honesty, hard work and respect. Not on hostility and rule breaking,” said Kane.
The next SGA meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 20, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
