By Leigh Roberts | April 17, 2023
The results of the election for Student Association President are announced while candidates celebrate.
Photo Credit: Leigh Roberts / The ASP
The results of the Spring 2023 elections at the University at Albany were announced Friday, April 14 by the Student Association (SA). The announcement included the results of the race for SA President and Vice President as well as the winning SA Senators and State University of New York (SUNY) SA Representatives. In addition, the results of the Student Activity Fee referendum, held every two years to decide whether the fee is mandatory or voluntary, were announced.
Jalen Rose, a sophomore at UAlbany and Dutch Quad Senator, won the race for SA President with his “Fight the Power” ticket that included Amelia Crawford as Vice President. Crawford, who has served two terms as an SA Senator and is the current Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Government Operations, was elected as a SUNY SA Representative in addition to being elected as SA Vice President.
Rose and Crawford’s “Fight the Power” platform seeks to increase outreach between the SA and the student body and increase student involvement, particularly voter turnout. Rose also hopes to see the SA work with students to fight “the power,” meaning the university, to get their way. During his campaign he has discussed eliminating fees for students parking on campus and making printing free.
Current SA Vice President Ciarra Medrano was in the running against Rose with her “Experience the Change” ticket, which included Ekemini Etor – who served as former Executive Assistant, Vice Chair, and briefly as Chair of the Board of Finance – as candidate for Vice President.
Medrano and Etor’s “Experience the Change” platform also emphasized outreach between the SA and student body, with a focus on advocating for minority groups. One policy that Medrano discussed during her campaign was bringing back the Advocacy Center for victims of sexual violence.
With 68% of votes, the Student Activity Fee was voted mandatory. At the SA Presidential Forum on April 5, both candidates for SA President emphasized the responsible use of Student Activity funds regardless of the results of the referendum. President-elect Rose, who is also the current Chair of the Committee on Appropriations, has said in the past that the Student Activity Fee being voluntary would mean SA would have trouble funding student groups.
The Student Activity Fee costs students $110 per semester and goes toward the groups, programs, and activities of the Student Association. Had it become voluntary, students would be able to manually opt out of the fee each semester.
According to Elections Commission Chair Catherine Devaney, due to low turnout the result of the Student Activity Fee referendum may be subject to change. The SA Senate will make a decision on this matter on Wednesday, April 19.
The following winners of the races for Senator and SUNY SA Representative were announced on Friday:
Senators-Elect
Tishan Roye - Applied & Natural Sciences Division
Shania Blair - Business & Management Division
Luther Kohout - Business & Management Division
Fiona Facciolonga - Humanities Division
Jalen L. Miller - Law & Government Division
Selwa Khan - Law & Government Division
Shane Gardner - Social Sciences Division
Erin McGrath - Social Sciences Division
Jeremy Zheng - Senator At-Large
Joleen Chen - Senator At-Large
Mo Temesgen - Senator At-Large
Sean Millington - Senator At-Large
James Cooper - Senator At-Large
Ethan Madappatt - Senator At-Large
Jenn Alonso - Senator At-Large
Sidney Wheeler III - Senator At-Large
Luke Johnson - Senator At-Large
Jacob Velasquez - Senator At-Large
Mike Regateiro - Senator At-Large
Anthony Margillo - Senator At-Large
SUNY SA Representatives-Elect
Amelia Crawford
Selwa Khan
Jeremy Zheng