Following Tuesday’s election and the referendum, it was business as usual at the Student Association session Wednesday night as they continued to discuss issues while preparing for change.
Jess Falace, current vice president of activities, won the position of SA president in the election on Tuesday and is “extremely excited” to get started next semester.
Current Student Association president Vrinda Kumar couldn’t be “more pleased” that Falace is her successor.
“Jess is extremely qualified and creative.” Kumar said. “It’s a great mix to have in a leadership position.”
Falace wants to concentrate on getting campus and get the shuttle to go downtown to expose more students to what Plattsburgh has to offer during her presidency.
“With the downtown revitalization we want to give the students the opportunities and experiences that downtown offers.” Falace said.
Kristin Berkey won the the executive vice president position and Shiyiheeim Nertey-Tokoli won the position of vice president of finance in the election.
The Student Association election process was “long, exhausting but definitely worth it” according to Falace.
Serving as vice president of activities has given Falace insight and the ability to “reach out to the voters and learn what they want.”
“It’s a difficult process but you have to stay strong and persistent.” Falace said.
Jake Avery, the Student Association advisor, feels nostalgic every time the election season comes around, bringing him back to when he severed as the executive vice president.
“It’s fun to watch them grow during the campaign season.” Avery said. “It’s interesting to see their policies and how they go about campaigning.”
The budget referendum that comes every 2 years passed with flying colors with 1,339 yes vote out of 1,583 people who voted.
“It’s a huge achievement,” Avery said. “They worked very hard. It was very stressful but they got past it.”
However, the busy week of change in the SA office did not halt productivity.
The discussion of an additional meal plan for freshmen, a new club dedicated to disability advocacy and other issues were brought to the floor Wednesday night.
The Student Association plans to focus on transitioning for the rest of the semester while continuing to work on it’s upcoming event, the President’s Gala on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m..
“We are putting a lot of effort into creating a solid foundation for the next group of senators to work upon,” Avery said. “This is very important for any government, but especially in student government.”
The Student Association is very optimistic about the upcoming semester and what it will achieve.
“There’s a lot of high energy going into next semester.” Avery said. “They’ll have 52 weeks to get the job done. I’m excited to see what they’ll do.”
“We have a lot of eager people coming to the administration,” Falace said. “That’s how we get things done.”
Email Windsor Burkland at news@cardinalpointsonline.com
