During my time as President, a series of negative opinion pieces were published about me by a Mr. Mark Krupinski. Although I felt they were unfair, both my Cabinet and I held our tongues in an attempt to “be the bigger person.” However, recently a letter to the editor written by a Mr. Eric Londres, who I’ve never met, was brought to my attention, and after reading it, I felt the need to speak up for myself.
I won my Presidency after a very contentious election in which one of my best friends ran against me. At first, my reputation, and the reputation of my Cabinet was mostly positive. I had just come off a successful year as CCSI (now known as VPSI) under President Matt Hunt. During my tenure as CCSI, I developed and wrote the New Organization Process, led the first Leadership Connect, formed the Electronics & Gaming Subcommittee, and created the Subcommittee Head Council. My Vice President of Operations, Cat Oesterle, was the previous SGA Public Relations Chair. Together, we drafted an all-star Cabinet. Our VPSI, Soindos Abdah, had just formed the Muslim Educational & Cultural Association (MECA). Houston Migdon, our VPF, was known for being a logical and reasonable force on the Budget Committee. Hannah Timm, our VPAA, had a 4.0 and was a transfer student who attended Harvard. And our Secretary, Parker Petroff-Rims, was an eager and well-respected Freshman Senator.
One day a senator, Andy Waldron, presented a petition to remove the name of Mr. Greg Gianforte from the academic center he had just donated 20 million dollars to build. Rather than take a stance in that moment, I set up a meeting with University officials to discuss the points which had been brought before the Senate. Afterwards, I actively sought out the opinions of my peers so that I could make an informed decision – a decision that I felt was in the best interest of the Student Body I represented and the University I loved so dearly. Although I disagreed strongly with Mr. Gianforte’s opinions, I believed the benefits of a new academic center for students outweighed my own sentiments, and from my discussions, it seemed that the majority of students felt the same way. At the time, I was very much so in the closet. I was regularly meeting with Dr. Zarin in CAPS in an attempt to come to terms with my sexuality. I am not going to point fingers, but a small group of students took it upon themselves to begin a slander campaign against me, painting me to be naïve to the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. Can you imagine, for a second, being in the closet and having somebody actively seek to depict you as an enemy of the LGBTQ+ community? It was devastating.
Soon after I made a public statement with my stance, Mr. Gianforte would famously “body slam” a reporter. Gianforte had assaulted a member of the press and was now in a position of power to possibly challenge the civil rights of a group I silently belonged to. My opinion on the matter, as well as many other students’ and faculty’s opinions, changed. However, I was appointed to a Board of Trustees Committee to discuss the matter where I did my best to keep an open mind and hold an impartial stance throughout the process. At the end of the summer, the Board of Trustees voted to alter the name slightly, but keep the Gianforte name in the title of the building nonetheless. I did not have a vote and I was not particularly happy with the ruling. However, rather than make a public statement criticizing the move, or condemning those who supported keeping the name, I decided to instead release a statement calling for compassion, unity, and encouraging students to seek common ground with those whose beliefs and backgrounds were different from their own. I hold no regrets over my handling of this situation and am proud of the way I responded to a uniquely difficult scenario for a college student to be placed in. The same, however, cannot be said for my next point.
The stipend bill. That Easter haunts my dreams. I will say, without hesitation, that this was a mistake. Doing this right after budget cuts? Dumb. Putting this on the docket without discussing it first? Also dumb. My support for this bill came from two primary sources. The first was one of multiple stipend-related conversations myself and other delegates had with SGA officials at the COSGA Conference at Texas A&M. A student I spoke with told me that he used his stipend to support his family in Colombia. He informed me that had he not been offered a stipend, he would not have been able to accomplish the incredible things he did through his school’s SGA serving on their Supreme Court. The other came from a member of my Cabinet who needed to quit their job because it was nearly impossible for them to balance a part-time job with the incredible amount of time, pressure, and effort that goes into being a member of the SGA Cabinet while also being a full-time student. I want to add the caveat that before the SGA I had served on two E-Boards, was the founding President of a club, served in multiple roles in my Fraternity, and had multiple on-campus positions such as Orientation Leader, Peer Mentor, and Student Ambassador. I was not ignorant to the time, dedication, and self-sacrifice required of student leaders outside of the SGA.
A senator then forwarded the bill to a fellow student encouraging them to post about it, in outrage, on one of the class Facebook groups. This led to a fiery reaction from the Student Body and, given that the proposers and I had not had a chance to flesh out the idea with the Senate, this firestorm turned into a raging inferno that was far beyond our control. We tried to explain that 77% of Student Governments across the nation received stipends, that this would be used as a means to incentivize and enable students to run for office, that this would provide accountability for those who did not perform their roles as elected officials, and that the current Cabinet wouldn’t even benefit from the bill. We were not nefariously seeking to get ourselves paid, but many didn’t see it that way. Ironically enough, certain members of SITTV, who were and remain my harshest critics, made a genuine proposal at the following meeting to pay the SITTV film crew a stipend. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up. I was villainized by many and this perception is one that has lived on. It is a perception that, despite the immense amount of time and effort I put into improving student life and serving my University, has defined my time as President on paper.
What saddens me the most is that through my own conflicts and mistakes, many of the incredible accomplishments of the 2017 SGA went undocumented and unrecognized. I’d like to mention some of those here. Hannah Timm was the first ever Vice President of Academic Affairs. She turned an idea on paper into an unstoppable force for change. She developed strong relationships with high ranking academic officers, such as Vice Provost Chassapis, the Deans of each College, and even Provost Christophe Pierre. Through these relationships, and a set of senators who helped her every step of the way, she was able to gain a reading day for students, create accountability for underperforming or unfair professors, develop a bill of student rights (props to Senator Jhustin Scarlett), and set the groundwork for future VPAA’s to succeed. Soindos Abdah, the 2017 VPSI, is a 5’1” Muslim woman who wears a hijab. She lives in a country and a world where every word in that description brings question to her capabilities as a leader. Rather than allowing hate and judgment to bring her down, she rose above these adversities and proved to be an unstoppable force. Through initiatives such as Stevens for Solidarity, she taught so many the value of acceptance, the importance of diversity, and that you truly cannot judge a book until you read it. Our Senate Retreat had record attendance. Cat’s committees were taking on initiatives left and right. Bills were being passed at a rate I had never seen before. Senator Melanie Caba formed the Health & Wellness Committee that pushed for a campus smoking policy and extended Health Center hours. We got involved in municipal affairs with the Target 1870 voter drive and helped plan the 2017 Hoboken “Mayoral Candidates Forum.” Cat and I even met with Mayor Dawn Zimmer! We formed a Campus Traditions Committee that brought about events such as the Wittpenn Walk, Quack or Treat, and the Duck Dance. Sena- tor Van Deursen passed a petition calling for additional Gender-Neutral Bathrooms. We fought for safer conditions in SLH Housing and a reduced cost meal plan. Senator Gallo’s Gender-Neutral Housing Ad-Hoc Committee set plans to implement optional gender-neutral housing. We continuously sought student input through new events like “Cookies with the Cabinet” and an ongoing question form that required senators to reach out to their districts for their opinions on campus issues. We formed the Presidents Council, a coalition of the governing bodies at Stevens, that aimed to create student unity and improve overall quality of life on campus. These are just some of the countless efforts that emanated from a Senate and Cabinet that wanted nothing more than to serve their peers.
My plea to you, Mr. Londres, is to please keep attending SGA meetings. I remember how helpless my Cabinet and I felt as, week after week, Mr. Krupinski would post hateful opinion pieces in an “SGA Roundup” column while barely attending any of our meetings. The media plays an incredibly important role in keeping elected officials honest and holding them accountable. However, in doing so, they have a duty to their readers to stay truthful themselves. Not once did Mark reach out to me or anyone on my Cabinet to understand our perspective. I challenge you and anyone who seeks to report on the actions of elected officials to strive to hear all sides of a story.
I don’t know Mr. Chlus, but I ask that you give him and his Cabinet a chance to prove themselves. My advice to you Jason: if you want to serve in fear of making mistakes, in fear of making bold choices, or in fear of taking actions that you believe are in the best interest of Stevens, then sure, heed the advice of Mr. Londres and “don’t be Tommy Daly.” Criticism, especially when printed on a canvas as public as a newspaper, can be difficult to take. Instead of letting it get you down, let it inspire you to change the narrative.
