Impending tuition increases and potential aid cuts have put things in perspective for most UB students. More students are devoting more thought to how they are going to pay for school than how they are going to spend their weekend. The Spectrum Editorial Board entered our Student Association election endorsement process with these tough issues in mind, especially in regards to the most contested race - that of SUNY SA delegates - which has the most influence on SUNY decisions regarding tuition. Knowledge of these issues along with plans in how to address them factored heavily into our endorsement decisions.
President/Vice President
The Elevation ticket of Dela Yador and Sonia Kang is unopposed in the SA presidential election. The Spectrum gives them a qualified endorsement.
Yador, the current SA Vice President, has ample experience as a high-profile leader in SA, being one of the most accessible SA E-board members in recent memory. Kang may not be as visible to the average UB student, but her experiences as SA assistant treasurer and FSA vice president should translate well to vice president.
Yador and Kang spoke about SA expansion, particularly in student outreach and promotions through the creation of SATV on campus cable channel 46. The two candidates also acknowledged limitations in SA's growth, particularly with regard to Sub-Board, Inc. Yador assured The Spectrum that unlike previous SA E-boards, he had no plans to replace Sub-Board or replicate their services. The Spectrum applauds this recognition of one of the most unique and successful UB student institutions.
The pair's insider status can be blinding, as both candidates were unable to identify any real weaknesses within the current SA institution. This revelation could reveal a sort of complacency within their platform. Both Yador and Kang should make a concerted effort to analyze where SA could improve.
One weakness The Spectrum identified was a platform that was a little too heavy on relatively minor quality of life issues instead of focusing on student advocacy for hard issues like the SUNY tuition hike. Though Yador and Kang said they want to form a committee of students and administrators to discuss campus issues like tuition, they had not thought clearly about how they would form the committee, who would be on it, and what issues it would tackle. The plan is a good start, though; it would add weight to student input that has been lacking in President John Simpson's UB2020 plan. The Spectrum hopes Yador and Kang make this student advocacy a priority.
Both candidates had a hand in this year's SA successes, and they are looking to expand on what has worked. For example, they said they would continue having single-genre Fests, a plan The Spectrum feels makes for more coherent and pleasing shows.
Treasurer
In the two-person race for SA treasurer, The Spectrum endorses Elevation candidate Mazin Kased over Michael Telesford. Kased's experience on the SA Senate Finance Committee and as SA Senate Chair gives him an edge. While Telesford offered significant financial and student club experience, he was not well informed on the specifics of the SA budget, and his plans for change were too vague.
Kased's experience dealing with line transfers and other intricacies of the SA budgetary process are valuable to the position, and this experience seems to have helped him address a specific weakness in the current financial system. Kased said he wants to make SA transactions quicker, a problem any club or company that deals with SA would love to see fixed. The current process can take weeks, so it is refreshing to see a candidate address this issue.
Kased also said he would maintain the current all-access level of transparency regarding the SA budget, an important detail that allows the student body to keep tabs on how SA handles its money. This level of openness is in step with Kased's promise of fiscal responsibility.
SUNY SA Delegate
The field for SUNY SA Delegate is crowded, but the experience of the Elevation Party set a majority of their candidates apart from the crowd. Laura London, Peter Rizzo and Mercedes Tavarez all receive endorsements from The Spectrum.
Rizzo, London and Tavarez presented ambition to raise UB's profile on the SUNY SA Council, stating they wished to run for SUNY Board of Trustees positions and forge strong relationships with other Western New York SUNY schools.
The candidates came off as very knowledgeable and understood the issues they will deal with as SUNY delegates, particularly regarding the upcoming tuition increase. Tavarez's experience as President of the Educational Opportunity Program SA carries particular weight in the tuition debate, and she and her fellow candidates should continue to make the SUNY tuition hikes a priority.
Rizzo and London showed strength as articulate leaders with the energy to stand out in the SUNY SA forum. Both stated plans to get a UB delegate elected to a SUNY position, and both would be viable candidates in achieving that goal.
Rizzo, London and Tavarez spoke with remarkable candor regarding the inconsistent performance of the current delegates, differentiating themselves as energetic and devoted candidates, not merely placeholders.
Elevation candidate Brittany Shapiro and Reform Our Campus candidate Matt Pelkey divided the editorial board, and The Spectrum could not endorse either.
Shapiro presented herself as knowledgeable about the issues and Elevation ticket, but did little to set herself apart from her fellow candidates, seeming to merely echo the party line. But her sophomore status and experience in the SA Assembly should translate into a strong future SA career.
It was agreed that Pelkey's strong personality and political experience could be an asset for UB's SA delegates; however he seemed unprepared for a discussion on SUNY tuition. He did not know basic facts such as the cost of tuition, nor did he know specifics of the tuition proposal. Questions were also raised regarding several divisive incidents Pelkey mentioned in his prior UB political career. Pelkey's strengths come from his ample and diverse political experience and his abilities as a public speaker, but his lack of preparation made it impossible to give him a full endorsement.
Delegate candidates Francisco Baiocchi and Jason Rivera were both personable candidates with valid experience, however neither appeared knowledgeable enough on the issues for any endorsement.
