MEET THE CANDIDATES: Student Government's First Public Forum
Words by Reuben Pulatov
The Undergraduate Student Government held its first “Meet the Candidates” Forum on Tuesday, April 25. Candidates came from either the City United Slate, or from a handful of independent candidates hoping to step in. Increased access to mental health resources and food, as well as the perpetually broken escalators and elevators, were common themes among all of the candidates as the most pressing problems facing the college and the student body.
Vying for the position of President of the Undergraduate Student Government are two competitors: City United’s incumbent Asif Sattar, looking for his third year (alongside running mate Aila Choudhary), and newcomer Zine Ebersohn, running independently alongside Gilles Seulio for VP. Also independently running for Executive VP is Nana Wiafe Addae Owusu, who addressed food insecurities, infrastructure, and mental health issues among the student body, being among the first to mention these as common themes that would be repeated by several candidates throughout the night.
Asif and Aila (who is currently VP of Campus Affairs) cited their existing record of improvements, including the Interfaith space that was created last semester, the second annual Iftar gathering that had occurred last month, and the recent $200,000 club budget referendum. They invoked the good work already being done by City United’s members, their existing associations with staff, and their wish to see their existing works-in-progress through to the end.
Zine and Gilles spoke of their own history as foreign students at the college, and how they believed that it could be improved through outside voices. Gilles brought up the college’s history of student protests and frequent progress, but lamented that the institution had largely stagnated, alluding to their campaign posters asking voters to “end the status quo”.
When asked what the most pressing issues facing the college were, Zine made note of the poor state of mental health among students in general, even with the resources that the college provides. Gilles, however, decided to focus on food as a target, remarking on how many students rely on the college and its cafeteria for nutrition, and claimed that it did not adequately address different dietary needs among the diverse student body. City United’s Aila and independent Nana addressed the commonly-criticized infrastructure of the school, with Nana echoing the issue of food access and recommended working with outside companies to help. Nana also brought up complaints regarding academic advisement from his fellow students. City United’s Asif told his own story of a friend who was in danger of failing their academic program due to poor academic advisement, and how he often needs to step in to help his friends when advisors fail to properly advise.
On the question of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, Asif reiterated the existing club referendum for an increased budget, claiming that clubs and their ability to foster community were one of the great tools for increasing diversity and inclusion. Zine spoke of her upbringing in South Africa as being one of exposure to diversity of people. She stated that she wished to have better communication with the student body, wants to help students access inclusionary programs and make it easier for them to have the opportunities that the college offers, and for the student government to address the need for an expansion of the Interfaith space. Her partner Gilles mentioned that being both Black and a foreign student, he was part of the college’s diversity and wished to see it flourish, but that he felt unrepresented in the student government. Already part of the college’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Incubator program, he vowed to listen to the voices of students, and be their voice in the student government.
Following up on statements regarding communication, the candidates were asked about the quality of the college’s communication. Candidates were asked about many students feeling that they are overloaded with irrelevant emails, and that the spaces for flyers on campus are filled with information that none of them come across.
Zine asserted that the best way to get the word out is by talking to people face-to-face; having friendly faces of fellow students telling people about events and opportunities. City United VP candidate Aila later echoed this point. The independent candidate made reference to the Philosophy Department's Pizza Forum as a group that effectively gets people in the door and then tells them of other things happening around campus. Gilles brought up the possibility of asking the professors to directly tell students of upcoming events and programs that may interest them.
The City United slate gave particular strategies for limiting the glut of posters around campus, including enforcing take-down dates that would remove the posters after their relevance has passed, and changing the email system to allow students to opt-in to emails that they may be interested in, rather than all emails being sent to all students. Nana reiterated many of the strategies already stated.
Additional competitive seats were VP of Academic Affairs and NYPIRG Board Member, though not all candidates were present. For Academic Affairs, City United’s Miguel Arias told a story of how he had some academic issue that he needed addressed, only to be eventually directed to an office with a locked door and a piece of paper taped to it with an email address. He mentioned that there are only 4–6 advisors for the 4,000 students in the Colin Powell school, insisting that more needed to be done for students to have outlets to address these sorts of issues to someone in charge.
Present candidates for seats in the New York Public Interest Research Group were Alba Suarez and Klea Hazizaj, both running together and representing City United. They stated their support and active lobbying of New York State Assembly Bill A5843A, a.k.a. the “New Deal for CUNY”, which would vastly increase funds and the faculty-to-student ratio, and bring about a return to free tuition for the college; as well as Bill A04738, a.k.a. the “New York Health Act” that would induct a universal single-payer healthcare system for the state of New York.
A second forum is scheduled for Wednesday, April 26 at 06:00 P.M. over Zoom (Meeting ID: 864 2107 5483, Passcode: 912578). Votes are open until the end of Thursday, April 27.
