After meeting with all of the candidates in the 2011 Student Association Election, being held Tuesday through Thursday in the Student Union, the members of The Spectrum's editorial board have chosen to endorse the following candidates:
President / Vice President
We endorse the Blue Party in the presidential race. Daniel Ovadia and running mate Teresa Sprow will bring new ideas to the SA, where candidates with the most internal experience often get elected. As noted in Friday's edition, Ovadia and Sprow lack the experience of opponents JoAnna Datz and Meghan McMonagle; however, they impressed us with their enthusiasm and their realistic proposals for next year.
Ovadia, the current SA Community Service Coordinator and an RA in Wilkeson Quad, vowed to discontinue bonuses for student SA employees and proposed a system for students to give anonymous feedback about the organization. He also said he would partner with True Blue to increase school spirit, and he mentioned taking on more unpaid SA staffers to decrease the money spent on stipends.
Ovadia stressed that the biggest problem with the current SA administration is miscommunication with the student body. The Blue Party ticket includes plans for a more transparent online budget, and Ovadia plans to research what is possible and not possible to avoid making lofty promises to the students.
Sprow, currently SA's graphic artist, was well-spoken and exhibited confidence. She stressed that though McMonagle has more experience working with clubs as the current special interest service and hobby coordinator, she has also worked extensively with clubs this year (managing clubs is the vice president's biggest responsibility).
We were impressed with Sprow's honesty when she said that she and Ovadia would not be able to change the whole SA – their vision instead hopes to build upon and improve what already exists. Sprow's experience as an employee in the president's office has allowed her to develop relationships with important players in the UB community, which she plans to use next year if she is elected.
Despite our endorsement of the Blue Party, it's worth noting that the editorial board preferred McMonagle for vice president because of her credentials. Her current position deals very closely with UB's many clubs, giving her the necessary experience to fulfill the vice presidential duties. However, students must choose a president and vice president together, and The Spectrum feels that the Ovadia-Sprow combination is the better choice because of the greater importance of the president's position.
Treasurer
Most college students have trouble managing the meager cash left in their pockets, let alone the multimillion-dollar sum that comprises the SA's budget. That is why treasurer is perhaps the most important of the E-board positions. We endorse the VOICE Party's Sikander M. Khan, the current president of the Muslim Student Association, and we feel he is more than qualified to handle the job.
Khan's current position requires him to manage over $10,000 for his club; additionally, his work as a business analyst intern at M&T Bank has given him experience with handling accounts with values that sometimes reach $1 million.
As far as his plans for next year, Khan's proposals were simple and attainable – his best idea was a transparent, easy-to-understand, interactive online budget, where students can post feedback and make suggestions. He said his goal is for UB to have more services for students to take advantage of when he leaves office, if elected.
With the impending SUNY budget cuts, Khan realizes that the slashes to UB's funding can affect the student body negatively. He plans to learn more about dealing on an administrative level so that he can prevent students from losing any services.
SUNY Delegates
Delegates are expected to have an extensive knowledge of the state of SUNY and the goings-on at UB, while also working as a team to represent the university's student body in Albany. Although the student body will elect four SUNY Delegates this week, The Spectrum's editorial board chose to endorse only three of the nine candidates.
James Gibbons (Blue Party)
Gibbons' experience as a congressional intern gives him the lobbying skills necessary to push UB's agenda at the state level. Currently an SA Senator and an RA in Schoellkoph Hall, Gibbons has the straightforward, no-nonsense personality to get his ideas across. He presented himself in an articulate manner and showed that he will be able to work well with a team.
Darwinson Valdez (Independent)
Also an SA Senator, Valdez is the only independent candidate in the entire election; he said his independent stance reflects his willingness to take full responsibility for his actions. Valdez also had interesting ideas like monthly Spectrum guest editorials and open forums on campus to keep students informed and involved.
Kayla Williams (VOICE Party)
The president of the university's largest club, the Black Student Union, Williams knows what it's like to represent the views of a large group of people. She stressed that her job as a SUNY Delegate would be to engage in conversation with the campus community. If elected, she promises to represent UB's diverse population by promoting the ideas of all walks of life.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
