Student government stack up

UB's Student Association is one of the most "unique and autonomous student governments in the country," according to SA President Travis Nemmer.

Nemmer and the total $4.2 million budget he controls caught the attention of The New York Times early this week. Nemmer, who takes home a $12,000 stipend for his position, was the only SUNY student government president to make The Times' roundup. But he isn't the only president in the SUNY system who oversees millions of dollars and thousands of students. However, there aren't a lot of rigid mandates for how exactly student governments need to operate. Stony Brook University, Binghamton University and Geneseo differ from UB.

SUNY student goverments don't have excessive interaction with each other, but the SUNY Student Assembly is a connective thread. President of the Student Assembly Kevin Rea, who attends Maritime College, represents the nearly half-million students who make up the entire SUNY system's student body.

UB's autonomy sets it apart from other schools, including ones within the SUNY system. While some governments have faculty advisers and heavy administrative influence, UB's student government acts more independently.

"[Administrative involvement] really depends on the culture on the campus," Rea said. "Maritime tends to have a fair bit of oversight. I think it might just contend on how the student body is; the student body in Maritime is much more reliant on the administration of the college."

UB's SA also has a unique setup with Sub-Board, Inc. There are only two other schools in the country that have an independent student-owned fiscal organization that allows them to ensure their own salaries and insurance, according to Nemmer.

Rea said there is a spectrum among the SUNY campuses when it comes administrations' role. Schools like SUNY Fredonia have an adviser who is a voting member, but Rea said they still act without excessive oversight.

Nemmer doesn't think faculty advisers belong in any student governments.

UB's SA receives $3.6 million from its mandatory student activity fee of $94.75, which comes from over 19,000 undergraduate students.The rest of the money Nemmer oversees comes from reserves and assets.

Stony Brook has as undergraduate student population of over 15,000 and a mandatory activity fee of $94.25, bringing Stony Brook's Undergraduate Student Government (USG) budget to about $3.1 million. Anna Lubitz, president of Stony Brook's USG, takes home about $8,000 for her stipend.

Binghamton University has a budget of $2.5 million per academic year and a mandatory activity fee of approximately $92, according to SA President Mark Soriano. Soriano represents over 12,000 students and receives a stipend of $4,000.

Geneseo has an undergraduate population of over 5,000, and SA President Carly Annable oversees a budget of $1.28 million and gets $100 per student for their mandatory student activity fee. She receives a stipend of $1,750 for the entire academic year.

All four schools' mandatory activity fees go directly to the student governments, with little to no administrative control. But this isn't the case throughout the SUNY system, which is comprised of 64 institutions. For example, some community college administrations may take up to 90 percent of the fees, leaving 10 percent for their student governments to allocate, according to Rea.

Geneseo has an adviser who must be approved by the president. Annable said her SA operates independently otherwise. Binghamton's SA, like UB's, operates entirely separate from university administration, according to Soriano.

"I do think that having an independent student government is one of the most important things about having programming on campuses," Soriano said in an email. "The best way for that to happen and for it to be possible is for students to work independently with handling their mandatory student activity fees."

Lubitz said Stony Brook's student government and university administration collaborate with some proceedings, but for the most part, USG is "run by the students, for the students."

Rea noted that a set requirement for university administrative involvement in student government does not exist within the SUNY system.

"What happens when you start making requirements, it's great for a school that may need oversight, but some schools that have benefitted and done fine without oversight [would] get forced to add another degree of bureaucracy," he said.

Nemmer oversees over 160 SA-sanctioned clubs, and he noted the number tends to fluctuate a lot due to clubs getting approved and derecognized. Stony Brook's club population is comparable - Lubitz oversees about 150 groups - while Binghamton has approximately 300. Geneseo has 40 SA-funded student organizations but over 200 university-approved associations.

Less than 14 percent of UB's undergraduate population voted in the SA elections, and low turnout is not uncommon in other student governments. Geneseo and Stony Brook see about 10 percent of students at the polls, while Binghamton sees about 15 percent.

When Nemmer began his tenure this past fall, he faced the aftermath of a scandal worth $300,000 - former SA Treasurer Sikander Khan attempted to spend that much of students' fees on a fraudulent mobile application. Nemmer promised to instill safeguards to prevent such scandals in future administrations.

Binghamton's SA also experienced misconduct in recent years, according to Soriano, when a middle-aged community member pretended to be a student for several years. He managed to get elected to a high office within the student government.

"Since then, we have made it our goal to avoid anything that smacks on unprofessional behavior," Soriano said. He added that SA is first and foremost a quality learning experience, stating, "even if we make mistakes, or fail to accomplish our goals, we are essentially running a business."

Despite the differences in operation, size and funding, each president agrees on one thing: an honest, student-run, independent government is essential to campus life.

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