Fall Student Assembly Elections Come to an End

The winners of the SUNY Broome Student Assembly elections were announced October 4th. For the fall semester the Student Trustee position, and Senator positions were up for grabs. In total 6 students ran for Senator, Avaris Banks, Luke Cho, Ahjahnay Minard, Nicholas Gilbert, Ricky Oundo, and Amber Gary, all of whom were elected to the assembly. The trustee race was between Peter Kennedy and Michelle Smetana. Peter Kennedy won the trustee position, and Michelle Smetana chose to remain on the Student Assembly as a Senator.

The student trustee acts as a liaison between the Student Assembly and the

College Board of Trustees. As well as serving and overseeing several committees, along with acting as the official Parliamentarian for Student Assembly. Assembly. Unlike any other position in Student Assembly, the trustee works for the County, not the school. Since SUNY Broome is a public institution, in-part financed by the County, They Require that one student sit on the Executive Board representing the County.

Kennedy is a member of the Black Student Union, and the Political Activists for Change, which he cited as experience that led him to pursue his position in the assembly. When asked what the experience of running for office was like, he said “Running the

campaign was actually quite difficult because the person I was running against, Michelle, turned out to be a great person. We even Campaigned together and tried to get both of us elected to the Trustee Position. Unfortunately, for legal reasons we couldn’t do that. However, I’m very grateful because she stayed on as a Senator and she has been doing great work all semester.”

The flagship proposal of Kennedy’s platform is what he calls a “transparency report”. He says that it would be “accessible to all students, which would allow them to see exactly how and where your tuition money is spent, as well as providing statistics for previous years so students can easily understand in what areas certain fees associated with tuition may have gone up or down.”

As of November 7th, Kennedy said, “We have made quite a bit of progress on that actually, currently we’re in the process of putting all of the information together to make it more accessible for students. The great thing about being a public institution is that all of the information is there, the school is very transparent, it’s just a matter of

knowing where to find that information and making sure students can understand it.”

Also among Kennedy’s platform is working with the bookstore and cafeteria to make books more affordable, and expanding the hours that facilities such as the library and gym are open. Kennedy said that the student assembly presented American Food and Vending, who supplies the cafeteria, with disparities between the quality of food and the price students pay. He claims he has made it clear to executives of American Food and Vending “that their prices are too high and that if nothing changes, we will look for

other options including the possible non-renewal of their contract.” He says that similar strides are being made in regards to high prices at the bookstore, and that affordability and accessibility are top priorities for him.

Of the Senators who were elected this semester, students from varying clubs and background were elected. Amber Gary wants to show minorities on campus that their “voice is important and if we want [to be heard] we must stand tall and be brave .” She also desires to shine light on issues that affect students who stay in the dorms that may go overlooked. Nicholas Gilbert says he wants to help keep the conversation of the assembly “productive, inclusive, and focused.” He also shares some of Kennedy’s wishes to increase accessibility in areas such as the cafeteria, bookstore, and bussing. Luke Cho wishes to increase cooperation between SUNY Broomes business club which he is president, and the Student Assembly. Returning Senator Ahjahnay Minard said “This year I hope to accomplish letting people know that student assembly is here to help. That nobody is alone on this campus and that they have a right to be heard as well.” Avaris Banks said they want to “Make better volunteer hours and opportunities better for the students.”

This Spring semester, the officer positions of the club are up for grabs, which are the President, Vice-President, Vice-President of Administration, and Vice-

President of Student Affairs.

Originally published in the Fulcrum, November 11, 2019.