With the advent of Stevens’s annual Student Government Association (SGA) election, the time has finally arrived for students to cast their votes! This marks the second consecutive year of contested Student Government elections. Each candidate duo spent the past week campaigning against one another for the positions of President and Vice President of Operations (VPO), culminating in the Vice Presidential debate, which took place on November 13, and the Presidential debate on November 14.
As outlined by the SGA, the responsibilities of the President include serving as a primary representative of the Stevens student body to University administration, interacting with SGA board advisors, appointing and overseeing the SGA cabinet, and setting a strategic vision for the SGA. The Vice President acts in a supporting role, serving as a liaison between the Cabinet members elected by the President and Senate members representing the different schools at Stevens, while also guaranteeing transparency between all branches of the SGA. Additionally, the Vice President meets with committee chairs and works to improve internal operations. In an effort to learn more about each campaign’s candidate profiles and initiatives, The Stute spoke with the candidates at the Meet and Greet event, which took place prior to the Vice Presidential debate on November 12.
Noah Wachtel (2/4), Presidential candidate, and Thomas Paolillo (2/4), VPO candidate
Campaigning under the motto “Students to All,” the duo seeks to connect students to resources on campus that they may not be aware of, such as student discounts, faculty connections, campus organizations, and the Hoboken community. They cited the intimidating aspects of college as a “roadblock” to individual and collective success for students, suggesting new initiatives to alleviate these stresses. This motive is inspired by Wachtel and Paolillo’s shared challenge of seeking involvement on the Stevens campus as first-year students. If elected as President, Wachtel hopes to combat this issue by “leverag[ing] […] Cabinet members […] to […] run committees or have committees under them that accomplish […] goals,” to improve the campus environment. Paolillo hopes to support this effort by incentivizing open lines between each SGA branch, allowing issues to be resolved sooner rather than later. Collectively, the campaign duo guarantees effective communication with the student body through anonymous feedback forms, improving the SGA public forum, and reinforcing feedback-driven leadership. Finally, like many of the other campaign groups, Wachtel and Paolillo expressed optimism about finances, citing an increase in the Student Activity Fund. Despite this, they still commit to advocating for students financially by leveraging the SGA and university leadership to restore or replace lost programs.
Arthur Serra (3/4), Presidential candidate, and Anushka Pathak (2/5), VPO candidate
Campaigning under the motto “A Range of Views, A Wealth of Experience,” the duo highlighted their experience within the SGA’s finance committee and their differing backgrounds, with Pathak studying Quantitative Finance and Serra studying Mechanical Engineering. They believe this will allow them to reach a broader audience of students while upholding their promises by leveraging trial-tested leadership experience. Running under the shared values of “Accountability, Transparency, Empowerment,” they hope to uphold accountability through initiatives such as monthly meetings with club organizations, transparency through the creation of a public SGA website followed by a monthly financial newsletter, and empowerment through active engagement of SGA senators and facilitation of student-alumni connections. As for the candidates individually, Serra attributed his interest in the presidential position to his longtime SGA involvement and returning executive priorities to the cabinet. He expressed frustration with the lack of focus on the student body, stating, “The most the cabinet really should be doing in terms of legislation is occasionally rewriting an addendum, like whether it be financial or from your process. The key part of the cabinet is focusing on executive stuff, getting stuff done. I think legislation has taken up a lot of our time.” If elected as VPO, Anushka hopes to focus on encouraging collaboration between SGA committees through weekly meetings with all committee chairs. Together, they guarantee student perspectives are fully acknowledged through initiatives such as cabinet office hours or senator engagement with the First Year Experience course. With respect to concerns surrounding budget cuts on campus, similarly to Wachtel and Paolillo, the campaign duo were optimistic about the student budget, but promoted the objective of lessening the pain of budget cuts if they did occur.
Jeylan Jubran (3/4), Presidential candidate, and Sam Strassburger (3/4), VPO candidate
Campaigning under the motto “Your Vision, Our Mission,” the duo united over shared concern regarding the frequent complications associated with implementing new policy. Jubran cited the pessimism she often encountered as a student leader on campus as inspiration, asserting the candidate duo’s intentions to “cut the red tape, connect the campus, champion your voice,” and give student initiatives visibility without unnecessary barriers. Jubran sees her move toward Presidential candidacy as an extension of ongoing independent efforts to improve the campus community and Hoboken outreach, hoping that a role within the SGA will provide her with a better platform to facilitate meaningful improvements for the student body. Jubran also will reinvigorate former SGA members who left prematurely, stating, “I saw firsthand how the SGA can kind-of drain a person that has such amazing passion to do something. I was so sad […] to see […] mass resignations that happened, because a lot of these [students] have amazing ideas.” Jubran expressed full confidence in Strassburger, who demonstrates a strong interest in incentivizing collaboration within the different branches of the SGA by improving culture. Strassburger highlighted low committee meeting attendance and Senator vacancies as a morale decline, and will bring passion back to the SGA by connecting personally with Senators and aligning their motivations with relevant committee work. Together, Jubran and Strassburger guarantee current feedback channels to enhance student engagement with the SGA, proposing initiatives such as regular town hall meetings where students can express concerns, consistent visibility by holding office hours in student spaces, and improving club outreach to ensure proper funding. Lastly, the duo emphasized that the student budget is sufficient, but requires an adjustment in allocation that recognizes active student organizations.
All three campaigns highlight a unique vision for how the SGA can better serve the student body. Together, their proposals reflect an ongoing commitment to protecting student voices and strengthening student leadership across campus.
