By Joshua Robison / The Jambar
After a nearly two-week delay, the results for the Youngstown State University Student Government Association presidential and vice presidential election have been announced.
Justin Tucker, junior chemistry major, won the election for president, and his running mate Abdullah Riaz, junior mechanical engineering and biology double major, was elected as executive vice president.
Tucker and Riaz campaigned with the intent to focus on supporting international students, improving campus life and student recreation and enforcing academic transparency.
Tucker said that one of the first issues he plans on addressing as president is to strengthen SGA to make it effective.
“I think in order for our organization to be as effective as I want it to be, my first focus, especially over the summertime, needs to be strengthening SGA as much as I can through governing, document review and through finding good, qualified people to come up and be representatives and senators,” Tucker said.
With SGA fulfilling more positions, Tucker said he wants to run his administration on an open-door policy.
“I don’t want to be the one making decisions,” Tucker said. “I want our [executive board] and the [student representatives] they have guiding the process. I don’t want to be interfering.”
Riaz shared the sentiment for aiding international students during their academic career. Having immigrated to the U.S. in his youth, he said his experiences are similar to that of international students.
“My first initiative is to help [international students], help them navigate YSU and help them realize that there is more to YSU than they think,” Riaz said.
Riaz said that he is data driven and wants to look into the reasons that certain majors and programs are being cut over others, and how his administration with Tucker can make adjustments.
“I’m very data driven, you know, so I don’t mind sitting at a desk for hours analyzing data and looking at data,” Riaz said. “My main thing would be to look at the data for, ‘Why did a program get cut?’”
Riaz suggested some of the measures SGA could take to help struggling programs is to look into advocating for them and possibly combining majors and programs.
Tucker said there are still many strides they can take to help students at YSU.
“But what we can do is try to increase enrollment in these majors to prevent them from being cut or try to help them growth-wise,” Tucker said. “Use name and reputation so it’s easier to lobby for grants, for research funding.”
Riaz said he feels that with his position, he has the power to influence positive change at YSU.
“[Tucker] and I are in a really good position, and I believe this is all about positioning,” Riaz said. “I feel if we position our ideas and our solutions to their problems, then there’s a way to influence real change here at YSU.”
Tucker and Riaz said they intend on doing their best, working with the other members of SGA, and Riaz said they are currently improving relationships with SGA members.
“Coming in, we already have a great chemistry with all of them, and I believe that we are all on the same path with what we want to do, which is just improving YSU,” Riaz said. “[Tucker] and I are more than willing to work with [SGA], and if they have ideas, we’re more than willing to help execute them.”