Four candidates will be running for the 2022-23 Student Association Senate, according to the SA ballot, which opened Monday. The slate of candidates was not released ahead of time, and was empty as of Friday. Students can vote until Friday at 4 p.m.
The four candidates are running for 12 open positions, ensuring that each candidate will hold a seat on the Senate during the 2022-23 academic year. The SA found itself in the same position during the 2021-22 SA Senate elections, with four candidates running for 12 seats.
Here’s everything to know about the election:
Who’s running: There are four uncontested candidates: Amelia Kelly, Cameron Kiner, Tangeniqua Washington and Barakat Sahi. All four will become members of the Student Association Senate, regardless of the election’s results.
What the SA Senate does: SA Senators are elected by the undergraduate student body as representatives and are responsible for overseeing and controlling the organization’s annual budget. SA Senators also have the power to recognize or derecognize clubs and work with the executive committee — made up of the e-board and club council coordinators — to advocate on behalf of undergraduate students.
From the candidates: The Spectrum contacted all of the candidates and asked for information about their platforms and mission statements. Only Sahi and Kiner responded in time for publication.
Barakat Sahi: Sahi believes that his cultural background as an Iraqi will give him a unique perspective on how to best help members of the student body who feel underrepresented. The freshman undecided major says that he enjoyed his time spent collecting signatures for his campaign and listening to students’ grievances. Sahi says he is grateful to run in this election. He explained that where he’s from in Iraq, people didn’t have these opportunities.
“Now I want to make sure that all students can find something they enjoy or would like to get involved with,” Sahi said. “I want them to take advantage of all the opportunities that UB has to offer and there are a lot of them.”
Cameron Kiner: Kiner is a freshman biochemistry major whose main focus is prioritizing the mental health of the undergraduate student body. He says that destigmatizing mental illness is important to him and that once he is a member of the senate, he intends on further advocating for mental health awareness. Kiner believes that his experiences from high school, ranging from senior class president to choir club treasurer, will help him encourage students to be involved in their community.
“It’s easy to feel like our voices don’t matter or like we’re just one among many who are exactly like us,” Kiner said. “But that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Each and every student here is unique, with their own distinctive experiences, beliefs and values.”
How to Vote: Undergraduate students are eligible to vote and can submit their votes on UBLinked.
Kayla Estrada is a senior news/features editor and can be reached at kayla.estrada@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Estrada is the opinion editor at The Spectrum. She is an English major who enjoys rainy weather, “Bob’s Burgers” and asking people who they voted for. When she’s not writing, she can be found hunting for odd-looking knick-knacks at the nearest thrift store.
