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SGOV: Three presidential tickets propose sensible plans for improving student life5 min read

By Jeremy Russell

This week, the student body will have the opportunity to elect the co-presidents for the 2020-2021 academic year. This is an important annual expression of democracy at a micro scale that allows members of the Stern community to highlight their primary concerns to both student leadership and the NYU administration. The outcome of this week’s vote will of course affect current students, but also set the tone for the incoming class of 2022. While this may not be the most important election of 2020 (perhaps a close second), this contest could impact your life in more concrete ways, including increased SGOV responsiveness and transparency, fewer recruiting events during midterms, and free coffee. Three co-president tickets will stand for election and participate in a town hall on Wednesday to answer questions. Voting will be conducted online and conclude on Thursday, February 13 at 11:59pm ET. Each ticket provided the Oppy with a short summary of their platform:

Morgan Miller and Dave Leffler

We view the Co-Presidency not as “leadership positions” but as “representation positions.” As your representatives, we will ensure that the student body understands exactly what the Student Government does and how SGov empowers students to steer decision-making. To do so, we have a five-part plan to guarantee and preserve transparency throughout the governance process:

  1. Publicize meeting schedules ahead of time and share attendees and agenda items.
  2. Host town halls – in-person and/or virtual – to give students’ ideas the floor so we can represent them and you most effectively.
  3. Publish meeting minutes, including different positions expressed and how input was weighed in making the final decisions, not just the final decisions themselves.
  4. Create a platform for an upward review process. Whether you think something’s being done well or poorly, all of your representatives – from us all the way to Dean Sundaram – should know. 
  5. Be personally available to you!
  6. With a more engaged feedback loop between you and your SGov representatives, you can personally verify that the Student Government is accurately representing you and how well SGov is doing it. Our job is to serve you and we need your perspectives to do so. Chat with us and challenge us; pressure makes diamonds!
Dave Leffler
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Morgan Miller

Antonella Tellez and Ashwin Chandra

We are so excited to run for SGov Co-Presidents! Our platform will focus on three key areas: Access, Balance, Community.

Access to people and information to help navigate the b-school journey. We are constantly drinking out of a fire hose and we can help make this experience manageable. Panels with MBA2s on course recommendations. Accountability for meeting room reservations. Electronic screens outside of the M2 study rooms. We will also give students direct access to SGov, with a Stern Suggestions forum for feedback and new ideas.

Balance between academics and recruiting. We are all getting our MBAs for different reasons, but we shouldn’t have to choose between learning and getting a job. We will work with OCD and Academic Affairs to limit corporate presentations during midterms, so nobody must choose between thank you notes and studying.

Community that fosters inclusivity and growth. Remember five whole months ago when we were all eager to make new friends and be involved? A new Slack channel for every interest? A WhatsApp blast every time someone went to the bar? We don’t miss the notifications, but we do miss that energy in the community. From on-campus events to social channels on Teams, we want to foster new connections across the entire MBA student body and give everyone the opportunity to contribute. 

Thank you for considering us. Come chat with us at Wednesday’s Town Hall!

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Antonella Tellez & Ashwin Chandra

Arianna Sanchez and Nick Foster

Community & Culture: These are the values that differentiate Stern and are our driving principles for leading Stern forward.

We know the little things add up, so we’ll immediately tackle what frustrates us on a daily basis. From bathroom cleaning schedules, to the lack of free coffee, to multi-factor authentication, we’ll alleviate these frictions to make our time here that much better. 

We also know the decisions made today impact us in the long run. We’ll prioritize initiatives that build Stern’s brand, including increasing alumni engagement and donation rate, and improving the Stern exploration process to yield more top talent for the future.

Most importantly, we want to cultivate a culture where people can speak openly, and where diversity of thought and experience is celebrated. 

We have what it takes to get it done, already having had experience working with administration and you, our classmates, via SGOV, MCA, EMSA, and block leadership. 

As your co-presidents, we promise to stay true to our guiding principles, be transparent, and always do what’s best for you; we’re committed to making your voices heard.

We look forward to sharing more in the Townhall. Until then, we’d love to hear from you — feel free to stop by our open hours (details to follow) or reach out directly. 

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Nick Foster
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Arianna Sanchez
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