ALYSSA BUMP
Assistant Life & Arts Editor
Fredonia is a predominantly white institution.
According to statistics from Fredonia’s website, it’s a 70 percent white institution; only 9 percent of students are African-American.
With that being said, where can black students find representation?
For the first time in Fredonia history, the majority of student government positions consist entirely of black men and women.
The senior class president, Deoniss Jackson, found that many people did not support her because she is black.
She said, “I had to work twice as hard to get people to realize that I can handle this position and excel greatly within the position.”
The fact of the matter is that her role is vital to the senior class, and Jackson works hard to go above and beyond her duties.
One of Jackson’s biggest tasks as senior class president is raising money for the senior class gift. Because of the coronavirus, her job has become more difficult.
“Although that may have been cut short due to the virus, I have been doing everything I can to make the rescheduled graduation a trip worth making,” Jackson said.
She now has to communicate with the senior class and the Student Association online while also contacting President Hefner about plans for commencement.
Obtaining this position was beneficial to the black community at Fredonia, of course, but Jackson makes it clear that, “I do not just represent the black community. My goal with being class president is and always has been to make sure the seniors enjoy their last year.”
Fredonia’s junior class president, Lylens Lubin, has previously served as the sophomore class president and is currently the public relations chairman for the Student Association as well.
As class president, Lubin works to, “Resolve problems and [inform] school leaders and the student government of ideas emanating from the class.”
But Lubin was reluctant at first to take this position. He feared that he would not be good in this role or be able to handle the responsibilities.
Yet, Lubin still worked hard to achieve this position.
He said he, “Had massive support and belief from the student body.” This helped him gain more confidence and have fun.
Lubin noticed before running that the Student Association lacked representation for people of color. This motivated him further to run for class president.
Lubin said, “Having a known face as president, as well as being a person of color, shows people that anyone can do anything regardless of where you’re from.”
He feels not only that it is important to have diverse representation, but that it is necessary for an institution like Fredonia.
The sophomore class president, Israel Ortiz, has the largest class to represent.
He said his biggest responsibility is, “Fielding questions and easing concerns of students.”
As a black man, obtaining this position did not come easily to him. Ortiz had to deal with the racial divide at Fredonia.
“It almost doesn’t matter who knows you and who likes you. When it comes to positions of power your color changes everything,” he said.
Because Fredonia is predominantly white, many students do not understand this struggle.
They do not know what it is like to be nervous over an election because of the color of their skin.
However, Ortiz was familiar with this type of pressure.
He has won both the Princeton Prize and Race Relations Award.
This nervousness does not go away, however, and despite his experience, Ortiz still feared how being a black man would affect this election.
After successfully winning, Ortiz made it his goal to represent, “The little man, the voiceless and underrepresented.”
Even prior to being sophomore class president, Ortiz has helped incoming students through being a jump start leader. He helped other families of color find comfort by easing their fears.
Ortiz said that he took on the role of sophomore class president because he was tired of, “Watching [my] peers struggle and watching other students of color leave school because of the environment was not acceptable.”
He is seeking to find answers to the mental health crisis and race questions.
“We need to find a way to bring more students of color to Fredonia, and we need to find a way to make the students of color already enrolled feel like they’re at home,” he continued.
Fredonia’s student body president, Jillian Beard, has previously held positions as sophomore and junior class president.
Beard’s job involves communicating information from administration to students.
Specifically, Beard said, “This means listening to positive and negative student experiences and providing resources, actively attending and participating in the faculty senate, college council, FSA Board of Directors meetings and maintaining communication with SUNY SA (which is like SA headquarters, if you will).”
Beard felt that was one of her biggest obstacles when running for her positions was the lack of representation in the Student Association.
She said, “There is just a mental barrier that happens when you’re new to something and feel like a stranger due to the color of your skin.”
One of Beard’s biggest goals is to represent the voices of students that are too often overlooked. She pointed out that many faculty members do not want to hear about the discomfort black students often face.
She said, “It is my job to represent the best interest of the students, and make sure that the faculty aren’t just hearing those concerns, but that they’re listening.”
Some of the problems on campus that Beard is aiming to solve have to do with the grading policies, diversity and inclusion and mental health services that can be accessible on campus.
Regarding the grading policies on OnCourse, Beard and her team were working on a resolution before Fredonia transitioned to distant learning.
She said, “This resolution will be passed when we (if we) return in the fall.”
Because Fredonia’s students are predominately white, they do not understand why many black students feel out of place.
Fortunately, this year’s student government is working hard to help the black community, and Fredonia’s community as a whole, be better represented.