In its first meeting of the month, the University of Massachusetts Student Government Association (SGA) announced the upcoming start of elections as well as passed a handful of motions.
Elections for president, vice president and student trustee are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 13 and continue until Thursday, March 14. The elections will be held on Campus Pulse.
A debate is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12.
The candidates for SGA president are current SGA Secretary of Finance and former SGA senator Zac Broughton and current senator and member of the finance committee Darlene Vu. SGA senator Emily Hajjar and SGA Under-Secretary of the Registry Preston Davis are running for vice president. SGA vice president and former Chair of the SGA Finance Committee Garrett Gowen, SGA senator Dave Morin and Megan Kingston, who does not currently hold a position in the SGA, will all run for student trustee.
During Monday’s meeting, Broughton, Hajjar, and Gowen announced their official campaign. The three will run together on a platform that includes cheaper student parking, more reasonable construction schedules, defending students to the town of Amherst, attempting to lift the ban on alcohol at campus events, promoting diversity on campus, and collaborating with the Graduate Student Senate.
Monday’s meeting also dealt with the allocation of funds to the Cape Verdean Student Alliance (CVSA) for their Alternative Spring Break trip to São Vicente in a few weeks.
The group needed $3,500 for lodging and transportation for their trip, which will cost approximately $20,000 for 16 members of the group to attend.
Sophomore Eveline Dejesus explained the group’s goals to the Senate, telling them that upon arrival to the island the CVSA will “execute community service, build cultural relationships and eventually build a working exchange program with the University of Cape Verde.”
In addition to these goals, Dejesus also said that the group would help in elementary schools in São Vicente, learning more about their own culture as students of African descent.
Established in 1982, the CVSA is one of the oldest registered student organizations (RSO) on campus. This trip will be the group’s fourth consecutive visit to Cape Verde for spring break.
Another member of the group, accounting major Rondale Davis, said that the trip helps student to reevaluate stereotypes about Africa.
“Many people have a negative image of Africa and by going on this trip and building relationships and seeing the beauty of the land, we hope to change that for some people,” said Davis.
The SGA passed the motion to allocate money to CSVA.
The SGA also briefly discussed a motion that was presented in last week’s meeting in regards to the Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP). The motion, which requested that the administration allow students to waive the school health insurance plan at the beginning of each semester, instead of at the beginning of every academic year, passed during last week’s Senate meeting.
Though the motion passed by a majority in the Senate, SGA President Akshay Kapoor vetoed it. Kapoor was not present at the meeting.
According to the SGA bylaws , the motion needs to be presented again in Senate following the veto, with the president in attendance to answer questions. The motion was tabled until next week’s meeting.
The meeting concluded with the appointment of new commuter senator Chinedu “Obi” Iloh.
“I want to make the SGA more visible and transparent to students. A lot of people don’t know what the SGA does,” said Iloh addressing the Senate. Iloh also expressed a desire to help represent students who may not feel that they are being fully represented in student government.
Ashley Berger can be reached at [email protected].
