Voting starts April 13 at noon on CCC, and ends April 15 at 11:59 p.m.
Correcion 4/13/21: A previous version of this article said that if elected, Kazmi would be the first South Asian SA President, and Haque the first South Asian Vice President (VP). Actually, three South Asian students have served as SA President/VP. Rohini Bhatia served as VP in 2011, Roshal Patel served as President in 2012, and Shilpa Topurdurti as President in 2013. However, Kazmi and Haque would be the first students from South Asia, as the three prior students were domestic.
The Ticket:
President: Syed Sabeet Raza Kazmi, Class of 2023 (If elected, will be first international South Asian SA President)
Vice President: Rusama Haque, Class of 2023 (If elected, will be first international South Asian SA Vice President)
Experience:
Sabeet:
- President 2023 Class Council, 2020-2021
- Elected SA Senator, 2020-2021
- Chair of Campus Services Committee for 2020-2021. Completed and ongoing projects include installation of bidets, more diverse dining options, housing and facilities issues, re-initiating access to shared kitchens on Campus, etc.
- Worked as part of the Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Standards Sub-Committee 2020-2021 to help set up Standards of Excellence for Greek life organizations on campus.
- Successfully petitioned administration to offer a Two-Day break for students in the Fall semester after burnout from COVID-consequent issues, which also led to two “study breaks” in the Spring semester.
- Successfully petitioned for the extension of Spring break in the Spring 2020 semester to help equal the academic playing field for students adversely impacted by the pandemic, especially in light of the rushed move-out and zoom-transition process.
- Worked with Dining Services to bring more BIPOC-owned caterers to campus for school events, and pop-ups in various dining centers.
- Worked with Dining and Auxiliary Services and the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) to help students with financial and housing insecurity. Regularly updated students through various social media channels, and helped develop a successful summer dining experience for the student body.
- Strategized to organize and support student communities who wanted to protest within the downtown Rochester area in Summer 2020, and developed various contingency plans with the ODOS, Department of Public Safety and International Students Office.
- Contributed as part of the Transport Advisory Committee 2020-2021 to help structure and develop summer, fall and spring shuttle schedules.
Rusama:
- Vice President 2023 Class Council, 2020-2021
- Elected SA Senator, 2020-2021
- First and only student employee hired by the Title IX Office on campus to work on educational outreach and events on campus, and being a student liaison between the student body and the Title IX office to help collect realistic feedback on improving the Title IX process, conducting research using the annual Campus Climate Survey to work on improving safety in all areas and for all demographics on campus.
- Deputy Chair of Campus Services Committee for 2020-202. Worked on various projects including installation of bidets, distribution of SAD lamps, incorporating a trained mental health professional to assist Public Safety officers during mental health calls, more diverse dining options, housing and facilities issues, etc.
- Successfully worked with UHS and Dr. Ralph Manchester to provide free PCR COVID-testing for all students before winter break 2020, especially for international travel requirements.
- Member of Sophomore Advisory Board for 2020-2021. Provided feedback on enhancing the overall college experience for sophomores on campus.
- Member of Dining Services Advisory Board for 2020-202. Worked to bring more BIPOC-owned caterers to campus for school events, and pop-ups in various dining centers, more vegan and vegetarian options, etc.
- Member of River Campus Libraries Advisory Board for 2020-2021. Provided feedback on developing better structures in campus libraries to maximize students’ educational experience at the University.
- Legislative Advisor of Academic Affairs Committee for 2019-2020. Helped launch and promote the UR Student platform, tested the initial stages of Workday, liaised with CCAS to smoothen the advising process, provided feedback on the tutoring system and advocated for more transparency in student admissions handbooks, etc.
- Member of Presidential Advisory Committee for 2019-2020. Helped the executive body of the SA Government develop efficient plans and projects to better enhance the college experience for the student population.
Three Proposals:
- Founding Financial Independence for the Students’ Association Government by establishing an endowment that the SA Government will have exclusive access to, utilizing a part of the preexisting SA Presidential Discretionary Fund, and donations acquired through a semester-long campaign.
- Coordinating and collaborating, through monthly and/ or bi-monthly check-ins, with all four Class Councils, the Student Alumni Ambassadors, the RHA and Resident Advisors, D’Lions, First-year Fellows, Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Douglass Leadership House, Varsity Student Athletic Advisory Committee, MERT, and cultural student organization (e.g. Association for the Development of Interest in the Indian Subcontinent, Black Student Union) to gauge student needs, specifically work on issues pertinent to these organizations, and prioritizing projects based on their urgency and alignment with our core REAL values (Reformation, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusivity, and Loyalty and Leadership).
- Pushing for active reforms within the College Conduct guidebook to have a punitive measure for discriminatory and predatory behaviors by all University of Rochester affiliated personnel (e.g. all part-time, full-time, and visiting students, Deans’ Office administrators, administrative staff, facilities workers, ResLife staff, Department of Public Safety employees, professors, instructors, lecturers, etc). Further working with the Title IX Education Assessment Committee to develop a network of trained advocates (professors, professional staffer and administrators) who will be able to help students reporting Title IX cases as advocates for students (a role similar to that of Jennie Papkin — the current RESTORE advocate). This is a project that has already been implemented at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Links:
Instagram @kazmi_haque
Sabeet: Facebook @Sabeet Kazmi, Instagram @sabeetraza
Rusama: Facebook @Rusama Haque, Instagram @rusamahahaha
Other candidate profile:
