The Student Government Association (SGA) elections are set for April 8, with the entire executive board, class senators, class programming councils and the Hopkins Organization for Programming President up for election.
Last year, the Editorial Board expressed disappointment with the lack of participation by students in executive board elections with three positions left uncontested. This year, that trend has worsened, with one position being uncontested and two positions having no candidates at all. In contrast to the seven candidates who ran in last year’s elections, only five candidates are on the ballot for executive board positions.
The Editorial Board is disheartened to see the lack of engagement and participation in SGA elections. SGA is a big time commitment and we can understand why students are hesitant to take on the responsibility of a leadership role, but ultimately, SGA holds real institutional power that can be used to enhance student life and address concerns. Recent wins like free iClicker access and a semesterly printing stipend of $4 are direct results of SGA advocacy. While there are meaningful ways to engage and implement change on campus outside of student government, the formal institutional processes of SGA remain effective and provide the legitimacy, recognition and resources from which change can be pursued.
After interviewing the candidates for SGA Executive Board, The News-Letter endorses the following: Vishnu Dontu for executive president, Omotara Tiamiyu for executive vice president and Sumire Sumi for executive secretary.
Executive President: Vishnu Dontu
We endorse sophomore Vishnu Dontu for the position of Executive President. Dontu currently serves as his class president: a position he has held for two years.
As the current sophomore class president, Dontu has already demonstrated an ability to turn policy proposals into action. His accomplishments include working on the 50-page free printing program initiative and advocating for upgrades to gym equipment at the Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center. This track record, combined with his experience navigating SGA’s institutional structure, makes him a capable and prepared candidate for executive leadership.
In a response to The News-Letter, Dontu articulated a thoughtful and clear vision for addressing student needs across a wide range of topics. As Executive President, Dontu stated that he would advocate for reforms to the Foundational Abilities curriculum, increase access to study spaces, improve dining hall offerings and provide students with important information on Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainments on campus and student rights. His proposals to expand dining dollar access to vendors on St. Paul Street, push for more inclusive graduation requirement reforms, and ensure better representation of underrepresented groups within SGA are all made with student experience and equity in mind.
While many of his goals echo initiatives championed by current Executive President Stone Meng, Dontu’s sustained focus on student well-being and tangible improvements to campus life position him as a strong successor capable of bringing about visible change.
The other candidate for this position is junior Tyler Turner. We appreciate Turner’s dedication to improve student mental health and school spirit, such as through initiatives like Wellness Week and Blue Jay Crew, and these are certainly important issues for the student body. However, we believe that the Student Body President should have more expansive and far-reaching priorities that touch on concrete aspects of student life, as Dontu’s platform has highlighted. Turner’s platform and goals seem generally to be better aligned with the role of the Programming Committee as well as centered on forming new institutional structures that we worry may add to bureaucracy that SGA has historically been weighted down by.
Executive Vice President: Omotara Tiamiyu
For the role of SGA Vice President, we endorse sophomore Omotara Tiamiyu. Tiamiyu is currently a sophomore class senator and serves as the head of the student services committee.
In her current roles, Tiamiyu has already introduced several concrete programs and initiatives that directly address student concerns, demonstrating her ability to work within the structures of SGA to effect concrete change. Last semester, she presented the Menstrual Product Initiative to SGA, which led to the improved availability of menstrual products on campus, and she also led the Student Services Grievance Hall Initiative this semester.
We are encouraged by her dedication to listen to diverse perspectives in the student body, which she has demonstrated through various meetings with the Graduate Student Council and her role as student services committee head. We are confident that she will utilize her experience and knowledge of SGA to be a strong vice president.
Tiamiyu is running on the IMPACT ticket with Dontu and Sumire Sumi. The Editorial Board appreciates the ticket’s specific and concrete goals to address student concerns, as well as the breadth of the topics they aim to tackle.
The other candidate for Vice President is current Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Senator Daarian Rouhani, who is running on Turner’s ticket. While we respect Rouhani’s commitment to service and SGA and his efforts as School of Arts and Sciences senator to improve communication between committees, Tiamiyu’s platform offers goals that are better aligned with the role of vice president, and her prior initiatives showcase more tangible impacts on student life. Rouhani’s policy platform is similar to Turner’s, with an added emphasis on civic engagement between Hopkins and other Baltimore universities that the Editorial Board appreciated. As aforementioned, the focus of Rouhani and Turner’s platform seems to be more relevant to the mission of the Programming Committee.
Executive Secretary: Sumire Sumi
For the uncontested position of executive secretary, we endorse freshman Sumi. Sumi is a part of the IMPACT ticket along with Dontu and Tiamiyu. Sumi currently serves as a Class of 2028 Senator.
In a response to The News-Letter, Sumi acknowledged the importance of transparency between SGA and the student body for the role of secretary, which is critical to keeping students informed on the actions of their student government. She also highlighted the need for greater social media engagement and advertising of SGA, and the Editorial Board believes that this may lend itself to an effective secretary who uses diverse avenues and mechanisms to keep the student body informed.
Executive Treasurer:
No candidate is running for executive treasurer.
Chair of Programming:
No candidate is running for Chair of Programming.
We are deeply concerned by the vacancies in the key positions of Executive Treasurer and Chair of Programming. The Executive Treasurer is responsible for managing SGA’s finances and distributing funding to the many student organizations that depend on this funding for their activities. The Chair of Programming facilitates important and engaging student life events — like class socials and the major fair — which many students look forward to and value.
More broadly, the minimal number of candidates running reflects a growing disconnect between SGA and the student body that threatens the vitality and accountability of our student government. We say it every year because it remains true: Active participation in SGA, whether through voting, running for office or staying informed, is crucial to ensuring that student voices are heard and acted upon.
As much as “complaining culture” is a part of Hopkins, students are not powerless, and SGA does represent the student voice to the administration. Without electing leaders that understand and are committed to hearing student concerns, complaints will only be read by Sidechat users instead of members of administration who actually have the power to address problems and implement change. Disengagement only perpetuates the cycle of stagnation.
Voting in this election, even if the choices feel limited, is a way to reinvigorate a system many perceive as dormant. We encourage all students to vote for the candidates they feel best represent their needs, hopes and concerns. Even in a limited field, your vote has the power to shape the future of SGA and, by extension, the future of Hopkins.
Buse Koldas is the Voices Editor for The News-Letter and Executive Secretary for SGA. She was not involved in the writing of this article.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that Dontu led the free iClicker initiative.
The News-Letter regrets this error.
