Candidates for next year’s Student Association Executive Board positions will present their platforms before the student body starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Sweeps, as the speeches are more commonly known, will take place throughout Lecture Hall. The event was moved into Lecture Hall this year in response to past problems related to candidates’ ability to travel in a timely manner between the communities.
Mountainview College and BTV will be in Lecture Hall 1, Off Campus College in Lecture Hall 2, Dickinson Community in Lecture Hall 7, College-in-the-Woods in Lecture Hall 8, Hillside Community in Lecture Hall 9, Hinman College in Lecture Hall 10, Susquehanna Community in Lecture Hall 13 and Newing College in Lecture Hall 14.
Information regarding SA elections is continuously updated at www.binghamtonsa.org/elections.
The students below have declared their intent to run for the corresponding offices.
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President:
Jeremy Goldstein
Goldstein plans to make the SA about student voice, taking on tough issues that he said the administration may not always endorse.
If elected, Goldstein said he will set up a Web site where students can exchange books with each other, as well as a student committee to meet with the Binghamton City Council and Mayor Matthew Ryan.
He believes that his experience working with the community as a firefighter, as well as with the student body on the SA Research and Planning Committee, will help him, if elected.
FUN FACT: If given the choice, Goldstein would want any superpower that comes with a cape.
Jared Kirschenbaum
If elected, Kirschenbaum, a junior, hopes to help all students with their needs by building upon his experience of solving student group issues as the SA’s current executive vice president.
Kirschenbaum said he plans to tackle issues related to the men’s basketball program, President DeFleur’s retirement and the future of the Off Campus College Transport blue buses, while using what he has learned from serving on the SA Executive Board to help improve the overall student experience at Binghamton University.
He has served on a variety of different committees, including OCCT’s Board of Directors, the Student Leadership Committee and Harpur College Council. He feels he has the experience and knowledge to help guide the campus in the right direction next year.
FUN FACT: His greatest talent is making a four-leaf clover with his tongue, and he dreams about traveling to New Zealand.
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Executive Vice President:
Karl Bernhardsen
Bernhardsen said he wants to use the EVP position to “increase cooperation between student groups.” To do this, he would divide the expansive Student Group Council into smaller subdivisions arranged by group type. Advocating for a more equitable distribution of office space was one of his priorities.
He was a member of the Student Assembly last year and was a member of the constitutional review committee. He is also the deputy news director for WHRW radio.
If elected, Bernhardsen said he would bring a new face to the SA as someone who is not already “entrenched in the SA system [that keeps] recycling the same people.”
FUN FACT: If he could be any beverage, Bernhardsen would be Earl Grey tea — “simple and gentlemanly,” he said.
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Jenna Goldin
Goldin believes student groups are about meeting people, having fun and accomplishing goals. As EVP, she wants to ease the burden of paperwork and regulations for student leaders so they can get back to focusing on their organizations.
As assistant to the EVP, president of the Junior Class Council and secretary and co-founder of the Binghamton Animal Alliance, Goldin feels she has experienced the difficulties that arise in organizations first hand.
If elected, she plans to create a monthly student group newsletter and calendar, hold training sessions for student group leaders, facilitate easier group registration and provide fundraising assistance.
FUN FACT: Goldin said her greatest talent is being able to play many musical instruments.
Randal Meyer
Meyer said he is running for EVP because he sees a need to improve the SA and how it operates. He wants to be the one to direct the change and make sure it is done for the good of the BU community.
If elected, he would like to set up a voluntary peer consulting program, a University-wide Google calendar through the new BMail and a revised handbook for student groups.
Meyer believes that his experience as an assistant to the EVP, founder of the College Libertarians and an Executive Board member of various student groups has shown him what student groups are looking for from the EVP.
FUN FACT: If Meyer were a superhero, he would like his superpower to be the ability to make sunlight appear in Binghamton between October and March.
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Vice President for Finance:
Phil Calderon
Calderon plans on running a “multi-faceted campaign,” with a platform that involves making PAWS more user-friendly, revising the treasurer’s handbook and taking charge of the problems revolving around OCCT.
He wants to give student groups the opportunity to view their budget any time they need, instead of waiting to get their monthly year-to-date (YTD) statements.
Calderon said he is ready to make the necessary decisions, be available to students no matter the time and allow groups to work together and communicate more efficiently.
FUN FACT: He believes his greatest talent is the ability to always remain positive, no matter how bad life gets.
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Adam Shamah
Shamah says he wants to run for VPF to bridge the disconnect between the VPF’s office and the more than 200 student groups on campus.
Having served as treasurer of two student groups and assistant to the VPF, Shamah plans to make sure that student group vouchers and financial paperwork are processed quickly and efficiently.
He wants to be VPF to assist student groups who need the help, but at the same time allow groups as much autonomy and freedom as possible.
FUN FACT: If Shamah could only eat one food for the rest of his life, he would eat lettuce.
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Vice President for Academic Affairs:
Daniel Rabinowitz
Rabinowitz did not respond before the time of publication.
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Vice President for Programming:
Aaron Cohn
Cohn, the incumbent, is running unopposed. He plans to bring bigger, better and more forward-thinking entertainment to students on a limited budget.
He loves to plan fun events for students, and he says he’s done so during his time this year as VPP, as former president of CIW and co-founder of the SnoCats Ski and Snowboard Club.
FUN FACT: Cohn says one thing he could do everyday without getting tired of it would be pulling pranks on “fellow, unsuspecting E-Board members.”
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Vice President for Multicultural Affairs:
Edmund Mays
Mays would like to be VPMA to encourage more student group collaboration on events, advocate for the rights of students and give more power and responsibility to cultural groups.
He believes that by helping spread diversity on Binghamton University’s campus, he can ensure that BU continues to be the premier public university in the Northeast.
As current treasurer of the SA and former assistant to the VPF, he wants to use his financial experience to help cultural groups manage their finances in any form they need.
FUN FACT: He feels his greatest talent is to insert the word “Google” into any sentence.
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Pick up Friday’s issue to stay up to date on the SA elections.