SA Election Endorsements

SA Election Endorsements

Election season is once again upon us, and candidates vying for numerous leadership roles in the Student Association are putting up aggressive campaigns. The diverse pool of contenders presented their case before The Spectrum's Editorial Board last week, and we've selected to endorse those who made the best impression and those who would serve our student body best. We encourage you to review our observations before you go to the poles on Tuesday, March 27 through Thursday, March 29 in the Student Union lobby.

What we at The Spectrum want to share is our personal suggestion for which ticket could do so while providing the greatest service to students. When elections open on Tuesday at 10 a.m., take our observations into consideration, but also do your own investigation - an informed decision based on what you know and believe will produce desirable results.

President/Vice President

Peter A. Grollitsch and Ashish Abraham

PROGRESS

The Spectrum strongly supports Progress party candidates Peter Grollitsch and Ashish Abraham, running for SA President and Vice President respectively.

Of the three presidential tickets, Grollitsch and Abraham appeared to be the most sincere about improving SA and moving the organization into a new direction after a year of utter stagnation.

Some aspects of their platform seem idealistic and relatively difficult to accomplish, yet both Grollitsch and Abraham are dynamic individuals who seem to have an excellent handle on their plans and aspirations for next year.

Addressing concerns of unnecessarily high stipends and other such funding issues within the current administration, Grollitsch believed that mandatory student activity fees could be put to better use and spent more wisely.

As far as building a relationship with the student body, Grollitsch and Abraham pledge to make their presence known and make themselves readily available to the student population by holding office hours on the first floor of the Student Union. The duo also intend to hold SA related activities in Clark Gym on the south campus and bring sweeping improvements to the commuter lounge - presently in shambles thanks to Student Life.

In the end, Grollitsch and Abraham say that their ticket's overall biggest merit is the qualifications they have earned given their extensive experience of working within SA and serving in various leadership roles throughout the UB community.

Treasurer

Andrew DeShong

UB REDEFINED

Andrew DeShong clearly shines through as the most qualified treasurer candidate with his experience as the treasurer of Sub Board I Inc. and as the present Chief of Staff for the current SA administration under the leadership of president Viqar Hussain. In fact, DeShong is by far the most competent leader vying for any executive board position out of all other candidates.

DeShong claims that SA has more potential than it is presently tapping into and was quick to criticize the Hussain administration for not "treating clubs as if they are [SA's] lifeline."

While clubs are the lifeblood of SA, it should be noted that every undergraduate student contributes to and is a member of SA - demonstrated by the fact that all students pay the mandatory activity fee. We encourage DeShong to deliver on his commitment to SA clubs, but to also work with Grollitsch and Abraham to help provide services and entertainment for all students.

SUNY SA Delegates

Melody Mercedes, Jovan Ramirez, Jack Niejadlik, and Rohan D'Sousa

UB REDEFINED and PROGRESS

While no single party had a complete ticket of qualified SUNY Student Assembly Delegate candidates, four in particular stood out - two from the UB Redefined party and two from the Progress party.

Melody Mercedes and Jovan Ramirez of the UB Redefined party are not only qualified, but they both showed a genuine interest in working for the betterment of the overall student body. Mercedes has a year under her belt as both a delegate and in serving as the Student Assembly's secretary. She clearly leads the group with her charisma and ideas.

Jack Niejadlik and Rohan D'Sousa are two newcomers from the Progress party who pleasantly surprised The Spectrum staff with their ability to command a group and a superior campaign. Their professional attitudes will serve UB well at the state level among delegates from SUNY's other 63 institutions. Niejadlik's experience, based on his superior service as a UB ambassador - working as an orientation aide and in other significant leadership positions - as well as his party's ability to communicate ideas and stand up for what they believe in are the precise qualifications that candidates seeking delegate positions should have. Along with Mercedes and Ramirez, Niejadlik and D'Sousa bring professional diversity and charisma into what The Spectrum sees as an ideal ticket.

THE CONTENDERS

One party whose presentation was heartfelt and refreshing included presidential candidate Robert Mercurio, vice presidential candidate Scott Swanback, and treasurer candidate Zachary Lauria. While they made an honest attempt to level with students by communicating on a casual level, their weakness lies in their dependency on each other, whereas candidates from other tickets would work equally well interchangeably.

UB Redefined president and vice presidential candidates Christopher Mendoza and Shuja Hussain have the drive and ambition to lead, but seemed unprepared to offer strategies on how to improve SA administrative policies and activities - in other words, we anticipate getting much of the same mundane leadership we've come to expect from the SA dynasty.

Jean Martin, treasurer candidate for the Progress party, knows SA finances inside and out, though his overall attitude was eclipsed by Andrew DeShong's knowledge and charisma given DeShong's greater experience in SA affairs.

The four delegates we chose not to endorse each seemed to lack confidence in themselves and in their overall plans while in office.

Like all the candidates in this year's election, however, The Spectrum commends these individuals for taking such a strong interest in the future of UB. Many students claim to want change, but these are the ones who took the initiative to try to make it happen. The process of constructing a ticket and campaigning for office is an admirable feat, and each candidate for every positions deserves recognition for accomplishing it.