This upcoming 9 a.m. on April 13, through 2 p.m. on April 16, 2020, is when the Alternate Student Trustee election will transpire. All currently registered Kean students are eligible to vote in this election on Cougar Link. 

The students of Kean University elect two student representatives for the Kean University Board of Trustees. These students are elected for a two-year term, in which the first year they are an alternate non-voting member, and the second they are a voting member. These student representatives act as a voice for the student body and give a student’s perspective and vote on issues surrounding the Kean community. 

This spring, there are four student nominees for the position: Jeremy Gusset, Sierra Herman, Novena Petryk-Cordi and Kobe Robinson. All of the candidates are outstanding members of the Kean community, and want to expand their involvement on campus through this position. 

Jeremy Gusset transferred to Kean in 2016 and is currently a fourth-year architecture student. When transferring, he was determined to make the most of his time at Kean through on-campus involvement. Since transferring, Gusset has served on the executive board for Kean Hillel and the American Institute of Architecture Students. 

In addition, Gusset is a part of the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation and the McNair Scholars Program. He also currently has an internship with the Office of Facilities and Campus Planning and is a Freshman Resident Assistant for Residential Student Services. He also studied abroad in Rome and Wenzhou-Kean University, and completed two Alternative Spring Break trips with the Center for Leadership and Service as well as two humanitarian trips with the Human Rights Institute. 

Gusset said, "Ultimately, I want to use my wide range of experiences over these past four years to give back to the place that built me up. I want to act as a liaison for students, faculty, staff and administration."

He also said, “I will achieve this by giving students more chances and encouragement to be involved, and not only in the traditional sense. I believe every student here should be proud of where they are and try to seize every opportunity they can.”

The next candidate, Sierra Herman, is a psychology student with a minor in health who hopes to one day become a drug and alcohol counselor. She works for Residential Student Services and is involved with Crowned with Grace. 

Herman said, “I hope to make the lives of Kean students easier, make everyone feel welcomed, and lastly I want my peers to feel like they’re heard.”

She also said, “I find that one of the main issues the campus faces is the fact that students don’t feel heard. It is not enough to ask us what our opinions are, opinions must be turned into action.”

Herman continued,  “I understand that it is impossible to make every person happy on campus but there are common issues that students have expressed that have received no action. I plan to be honest with the students and tell them what is really going on so they can feel involved and make realistic expectations and concerns.”

Novena Petryk-Cordi is a math education major who hopes to one day become a high school math teacher that inspires her students and improves the quality of their education. She currently works on campus as a resident assistant for Residential Student Services and is a math tutor. She is involved in various on-campus organizations, and also volunteers her time at her local First Aid & Rescue Squad as a certified EMT.

Petryk-Cordi said, “To fully represent all students of Kean University, my biggest plan is to be as available and approachable as possible through a network of channels and engage with the community in general, as much as possible.”

She also said, “I want to be the Board of Trustee Student Representative to act as a voice for the student body. Together we can work to improve the Kean community and academia. My goal as the student representative would be to get rid of the multiple tangled channels it usually takes to create change.”

Finally, Kobe Robinson is a communication studies student who is also thoroughly involved on campus. He is in the Silver Level of The Leadership Institute, a Senator for the Class of 2022 through the Office of Student Government and a member of the Kean Public Relations Students Society of America chapter. He also works for the Miron Student Center as a Game Room Attendant. 

Robinson said, “I'm running for student trustee because I want to represent the ears and voice of Kean's student population so that we can together help make decisions that will benefit Kean and the students.”

He also said, “The most important role as Student Trustee is to represent the whole student population, meaning full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. My plan is to consistently inform the students on situations pertaining to them of course and listening to their opinions and concerns, so that I can voice them to the professional staff.”

He continued, "As Alternative Student Trustee, I constantly want to share as much information as I can with the students, and listen to their feedback so that we can act in the students' best interests."

Ultimately, all four of the candidates have great potential for serving on the Kean University Board of Trustees. Be sure to vote for one of the candidates on Cougar Link from April 13 from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. on April 16.