The runoff election between Mark Krupinski with Alex Murtagh and Jason Chlus with Ryan Tom closed this past Sunday, November 25, at 7 p.m. The winning ticket was Jason Chlus with Ryan Tom. Every President and Vice-President of Operations (VPO) bring different working philosophies and agendas to the Senate, so The Stute reached out to these gentlemen to get a better idea of what their first steps are and where they plan on going with their new positions.
The President of the Student Government Association acts as the consolidated voice of the student body. They are responsible for representing student interests in meetings with upper-level administrators, Hoboken officials, and beyond.
The VPO is a more internal position for the SGA. The VPO oversees all committees in the Student Government and is also responsible for placing Senators into committees and appointing most committee heads.
Chlus, the new President, is eager to get started. The recent presidents, Lucas Gallo, Thomas Daly, and Matt Hunt, set a high standard for Chlus to live up to. However, he is confident: “I do not believe anyone is looking for me to be like past presidents. Stevens is constantly growing and facing new problems every day. The position of President is not a standard one and requires lots of awareness and [adaptability].” One of the initiatives he wants to pursue first is building a strong relationship with faculty and administration. After that, he says, “I will push for transparency with the Student Activity Fee and [figure out] where all that money goes.” Other initiatives he would like to take on include finalizing the space allocations for the new buildings, finding a home for the student organizations that have been displaced by the Jacobus Purge, and working with the Cabinet to make the SGA more efficient.
Tom, the new VPO, echoes Chlus’s excitement. “Jason and I already have a lot of ideas and initiatives that we are hoping to undertake, so we are looking forward to that.” Tom has been an Official of the SGA for two years and currently serves as the Speaker of the Senate. The Speaker is elected by the Senate and is not a Cabinet position. However, because he cannot be in both positions at the same time, he will be stepping down as Speaker on Sunday. The Senate will then nominate and elect a new Speaker.
Chlus was inspired in large part by Gallo. “[Gallo] has taught me everything I know about the position. He taught me about the challenges I will face, how to deal with them, how to be productive, know when to have fun, know when to push, and more importantly know when to listen.”
Rami Kammourh, outgoing VPO, also reinforced some key points. “[Kammourh] has taught me how important it is to maintain a structure and to become very aware of the SGA’s rules [and] guidelines,” Chlus reflected. Notably, the decision to hold the runoff election was made between Gallo and Parliamentarian Dylan Moon, highlighting the need for the President to understand the SGA’s constitution and bylaws thoroughly.
Tom believes that the most important thing he learned from his time working with the current Cabinet is patience. “I don’t mean in the sense of learning patience itself, but rather the patience required to create change. It’s really counter-intuitive as a student that cares about the university because my first instinct is to try and fix any problems immediately… Most of the time the best way to get things done is to establish and maintain connections with the right people and gently nudge things in the right direction.”
One of the bylaws of the Student Government Association states that Cabinet members cannot hold executive positions in other RSOs. Chlus is not leaving any positions vacant, but he understands that some members of the Cabinet might be. “I personally do not hold any e-board positions, [but] in terms of my cabinet I know they will find someone they trust and is knowledgeable in that area to fill their roles.” We asked him to clarify the rationale behind this rule, to which he replied that “the cabinet positions are a lot of work and a huge time commitment. If a member was to have an e-board position with another RSO on top of their workload [with the SGA,] they would be extremely overwhelmed.” Tom mentions another reason for the rule: “By giving up the position I am eliminating any conflict of interest that could arise, especially from a financial standpoint. Given that the SGA is in charge of distributing club funds and overseeing all RSOs, there is definitely a potential conflict of interest.” Tom is stepping down from the position of Treasurer in the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Interviews for Cabinet positions began Wednesday, November 28. The Cabinet will be finalized by the SGA Senate on Sunday, December 2, after appointments by Chlus and Tom. They are looking for individuals who have unique and different perspectives from them. Tom explains, “Jason and I share a lot of similar ideas and interests, so we have really been pushing for people who bring something different to the table.”
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