In lieu of a standard Senate meeting, Student Government (SG) relinquished their time to allow a candidate town hall. The town hall was for those running for the presidencies and vice presidencies of Representative Student Organizations (RSOs), as well as the candidates for SG president and vice president. The town hall was hosted by current SG President Farid Barquet, a fourth year Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience and Biomedical Sciences double major.

The RSO candidates were allowed the opportunity to present each of their platforms. The remainder of the time was allotted to the SG president and vice president candidates to answer questions regarding their plans if elected.

ACA

First to present were the candidates for ACA (ALANA Collegiate Association). The candidates are Taylor Goethe and Aria Dines, Christian Gayles-Love and Carlos Villegas, and Daniel Ruano and Katerin Salgado.

Goethe, a second year Film and Animation major, and Dines, a second year Film and Animation and Illustration double major, highlighted their plans to provide a better platform for students to voice their opinions. They reflected their disapproval of the recent C11 policy revision and are determined to support student voices.

Following those two were Gayles-Love, a second year Mechanical Engineering Technology major, and Villegas, a third year Management major. Their platform focused heavily on a series of seven initiatives they look to carry out once elected. These initiatives include the unifying of ALANA students, faculty and staff, improving ALANA programing and bringing together RIT and NTID’s ALANA-affiliated organizations for closer collaboration.

Ruano, a third year Network Systems and Administration major, then took the floor alongside his running mate Salgado, a third year Psychology major. The two aim to expand the ALANA community and to build it into a family of supporters for every member. They have experienced others looking out for them and want to pay that kindness forward.

Global Union

Next to present were the Global Union candidates. Global Union runs a three-position ticket, with president, vice president and treasurer elected together. The candidates are Ian Effendi, Maria Rigas and Ketake Tilak as well as Roshan Mathew, Samixchha Raut and Paula MacDonald.

Effendi, a third year Game Design and Development major, outlined his desire to improve communications with Global Union, noting that recently many communications channels have died out. Effendi and his team look to ACA, NSC (NTID Student Congress) and OUTspoken as models of what Global Union can be and wish to largely emulate their success.

Mathew, a third year cross-registered Human-Centered Computing major, looks to get Global Union more involved. He wants to work more closely with the co-op and study abroad offices, as well as the Wallace Center, to make the most of Global Union’s opportunities and resources. He and his team also aim to promote more collaboration between Global Union’s affiliates.

NSC

NSC candidates Jacob Custer and Edward Riley spoke next. They were running unopposed.

Custer, a first year Economics major, and Riley, a second year Applied Computer Technology major, hope to increase the unity and cooperation between students of RIT and NTID. They desire a closer affiliation between RIT and NTID clubs and are ready to work with college senators to meet the needs of all deaf and hard-of-hearing students across campus.

OUTspoken

Next were the presidential and vice presidential candidates for OUTspoken. Henry Farr, a first year Computer Science major, and Ryan Roy, a second year Interpreting major, were unable to make the townhall due to class conflicts, but sent forward a statement to be read on their behalf. They are also running unopposed.

Their statement outlined three clear goals. First, they look to create a fund for an LGBTQIA+ scholarship for RIT students. Second, they plan to increase the number of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. Third, they will fight for the return of hormone therapy to campus for transitioning students.

Student Government

The remainder of the time was dedicated to Bobby Moakley, a third year Environmental Science and International and Global Studies double major, and his running mate Corinne Mendieta, a fourth year Mechanical Engineering Technology major and current CAST senator. They are running unopposed for the positions of SG president and vice president.

Moakley, the current SG vice president, showcased their platform’s slogan “Helping you achieve your creation.” He explained that, as president, he would fight to give students the resources and opportunities to create, learn and explore. This would be achieved in three steps.

The first, setting up a diverse environment, would allow for a more diverse and varied pool of ideas and points of view. The second, providing the tools to succeed, would largely consist of an effort to educate first and second year students on the various resources available to them as a member of the RIT community. The third, offering a platform, would entail the provision of SG funding to take students to conferences and showcases, as well as promoting the work of RIT students.

Barquet closed the townhall with a reminder to vote. Elections will be held online on March 27–28 at vote.rit.edu and results will be shared at the next senate meeting on March 30, 2018..