Student Association elections will take place March 25-27. Here is a breakdown of the candidates for vice president.
The vice president both directs and assists the Student Association's recognized clubs and student organizations. The vice president advises and oversees the needs of these organizations.
Name: Myriam Diomande
Year: Junior
Major: Communication
Party: Impact
Current SA position: Office Manager
In September, Myriam Diomande was the assistant of then-SA Vice President Lyle Selsky. After Selsky's resignation in January, she was reassigned to SA office manager.
She said her experience in the office and as UB Step Troupe's president qualifies her as a viable vice president.
"I have the experience," Diomande said. "I have been in that office for two years now, and I see changes that need to be changed. And I need to be a part of that."
Diomande stressed the importance of the "tier" system her party would aim to implement. The plan, based on the University of Vermont's student government, would allow clubs with larger budgets to fundraise less than the 50 percent of their budget currently required for all clubs according to SA rules.
She said bigger clubs have a harder time fundraising that amount, though clubs with smaller budgets would still be required to do so.
Diomande said her party has talked to Entertainment Coordinator Marc Rosenblit about updating SA's website. She said Rosenblit is planning to design the website and doing it "in house" will be cheap and efficient.
"I am passionate about anything that I do," Diomande said. "Anything that I step to or put my word on, I give 100 percent to it. I feel you need someone like that in the office. It is a hard job, but at the end of the day, I feel I am the most qualified for that position."
She went on to say, "SA's image right now is not the greatest. We really want to change that."
Name: Evan Chen
Year: Junior
Major: Finance
Party: Value
Current SA position: President of Enactus; treasurer of Chinese Student Association
Evan Chen is currently involved with more than 20 clubs. He said it is these experiences that qualify him to be vice president.
If elected, Chen said a major part of his platform is giving clubs access to proper resources, using cotton candy machines and photo booths as examples.
He plans to implement a mobile payment system for clubs. This would give students the opportunity to use credit cards or Campus Cash to pay for events and fundraisers, like bake sales or tickets.
Chen said he wants to make SA more inclusive for students.
"SA isn't just seven people," Chen said. "It is more than just the president, vice president, treasurer and delegates. It is about the staff, the students and UB."
Chen said his experience as a coordinator in Ellicott, where he manages the gym, has allowed him to cultivate management skills. The gym maintains traffic of more than 7,000 students a month and employs more than 100 people.
He believes being involved in numerous clubs has helped him become better organized, which he plans to bring to the vice presidency if elected.
He doesn't see his heavy involvement as a potential negative. He said each organization has taught him something that has allowed him to improve.
"I'm not one to quit," Chen said. "I am always one to get better."
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