MEGAN KIDBY
Scallion Editor
College student association elections are a cornerstone of student governance on campuses across the country. These elections serve as a mechanism through which students can actively participate in shaping their college experience.
This article aims to report on the outcomes of the recent Fredonia Student Association (SA) elections, including the candidates who ran and the election results. These elections are essential as they determine the leadership responsible for advocating for students’ needs and enhancing the campus community.
The primary role of the Student Association is to oversee and manage the financial activities of student clubs. To streamline this process, SA categorizes clubs into a tier system. These tiers are organized in ascending order of responsibility and include the following levels: endorsed, provisional, acknowledged, chartered and constituted.
When a new club is established, it initially holds the status of an “endorsed” club. To progress to higher tiers, clubs must fulfill specific requirements, such as organizing a designated number of campus events. In return for meeting these criteria, they receive increased funding allocations to support their activities.
The elections featured a diverse array of candidates, each vying for positions within the Student Association. The candidates represented various academic disciplines, backgrounds and perspectives, which offered students a wide range of choices when casting their votes.
Upon taking office, the candidates inherited the responsibility of regularly participating in the weekly SA meetings. These meetings are convened to deliberate on a wide range of matters, including bills, legislation and resolutions introduced by members of the campus community.
The four class presidents, alongside the SA president and vice president, also gain automatic membership and voting rights within the University Senate, which serves as the primary governing body on campus.
When asked about the most recent elections, SA President Rosie Rapisarda said “I just want to thank everyone who ran in the elections and congratulate everyone who won! Information is power, and my goal is to work with the newly elected class presidents and representatives to provide that for the students. I truly believe that together, we can formulate and execute plans that will positively further the students interests at SUNY Fredonia.”
The results of the Fredonia Student Association elections were announced on 9/14/23 and were as follows:
- Senior Class President:
- EJ Jacobs – 54 Votes
- Runner-Up: Jah-Quail Griffin – 32 Votes
- Senior Class Representatives:
- Jah-Quail Griffin – 38 Votes
- EJ Jacobs – 38 Votes
- Sierra Mills – 38 Votes
- Sangai Keita – 30 Votes
- Justina Eodice – 20 Votes
- Cassondra Doubek – 14 Votes
- Junior Class President:
- Daniel Quagliana – 66 Votes
- Junior Class Representative:
- Thomas Stone – 1 vote
- Sophomore Class President:
- Dakota Richter – 2 Votes
- Sophomore Class Representative:
- None
- Freshman Class President:
- Megan Soto – 73 Votes
- Runner-Up: Jacob Allen – 41 Votes
- Freshman Class Representatives:
- Jacob Allen – 52 Votes
- Megan Soto – 49 Votes
- Christian Baez – 40 Votes
- Graduate Class President:
- None
- Graduate Class Representative:
- None
If you would like to be involved with the Student Association, there are many ways you can join. One way is by attending the Student Association meetings every Thursday at 6 p.m. in McEwen G24. They are open for attendance by all students, faculty and staff members. If you would like to vote on specific matters in the community, there are currently many open representative spots available for all classes, including the graduate class. In order to become a representative after the elections have concluded, you must get a letter of intent physically signed by half of the representatives in your class. The best way to do this is to bring your letter to a Student Association meeting and ask there. Congratulations to all the elected officials and keep an eye out for what they’ll do next!