The 2023-2024 Student Government Elections are fast approaching. With the Student Government Association (SGA) being an active group on campus, students should vote so that their voices can be heard. With this year’s election, new Student Government candidates will be running. 

The executive board’s purpose is to be the voice for the entire student body. They act as the intermediary between the students, faculty, and administration. The board consists of the following positions: 

• Executive Board President
• Executive Vice President
• Vice President of Special Projects
• Vice President of Programming
• Vice President of Kean Ocean
• Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Director of Public Relations
• Treasurer 
• Secretary
• Assistant Secretary 

The SGA also consists of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and senator for the senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman classes. For this year’s election, many students are seizing the opportunity for a spot on the board. 

To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the executive board, students are free to visit the SGA’s Cougar Link page and select “EB Roles & Resp Revised 2021 New” in the documents section. 

In this year’s election, some candidates run unopposed for their desired position. The following students have no competitors in the SGA election. 

• Makenzie Kuntz for Executive Board President 
• Benjamin Lorenc for Executive Vice President
• Milly Tucci for Vice President of Programming
• Ashley De La Rosa-Hanlon for Vice President of Kean Ocean
• Sandra Bandeira for Director of Public Relations
• Codou Coundoul for Assistant Secretary 
• Joey Ippolito for Junior Class President
• Angel Ihie for Junior Class Treasurer
• Samantha Williams for Junior Class Secretary 
• Jada McBride for Sophomore Class President
• Cylia Blackmon for Sophomore Class Secretary

While many are unopposed, multiple candidates are running for the same position. These positions will be granted to the candidate with the most votes.

The vice president of special projects is responsible for ensuring that all recognized groups receive funding while making sure that they’re abiding by the policies. Both Cymantha Blackmon and Rebeca Rodriguez are running for this position. 

The vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion guarantees that students feel included on campus and that everyone’s needs are met. The candidates for this position are Jocelyn Herelle and Renee Rocha. 

The treasurer controls and regulates the budgets and trains the treasurers of all classes. The students running are Adeeb Hayajneh and Celina Luna.

The class board is responsible for making their class’s voices heard. This can include students’ suggestions, ideas, and concerns. This board works closely with the executives to ensure every student in each class is taken care of.

For the senior class board, Gylnnis Tan and Britney Wilson compete for the class president position. As for the junior board, Natalie Vega and Rachael Villafranca campaign to be the vice president. 

 Class senators are responsible for speaking on behalf of the students while being aware of their concerns and programs. In the SGA, multiple students can hold this position. Ashley Pacheco and Rachel Rosales are running for the senior class, Daniyel Brackett and Hadasha Ramirez are going for the juniors, and Desmon Camacho and Irianna Page are running for the sophomores. 

All these students have a chance to be on the SGA board, and that’s why every vote counts. Students should use their voices this election day to express who they want in office. 

Voting for SGA happens on Wednesday, April 5, at 9 a.m. and closes on Thursday, April 6, at 5 p.m. Students can visit Cougar Link on voting day.