Voting has opened for a new Student Government Association (SGA) election cycle on Tuesday Mar. 11, marking a new season for UMKC student leadership.
The new election cycle will see an entire ticket elected to the executive board, replacing the current executive board members for the next year.
“Leading the SGA this past year has been a whirlwind,” said current SGA President Yasmen Hassen. “It’s been a hectic and busy but also very rewarding experience.”
One of Hassen’s biggest goals was to advocate for off-campus student housing within the city.
With the help of her executive board, Hassen started an initiative called RooRefresh where she invited students to grab free drinks and express their thoughts on resident housing.
The events served as a way for the SGA to collect data on student opinion which, according to Hassen, is vital when communicating concerns with upper administration.
“You can’t come into these meetings [with upper administration] with feelings, unfortunately,” said Hassen. “You can’t just say this is what we want, this is how we want it, and hope to get things done.”
Her approach was instead to show the needs of students to the chancellor through the data and numbers she collected from the events.
Throughout her term, Hassen made progress on her goals to increase visibility of the SGA board to the general student body and raise the issue of off-campus housing to the chancellor.
However, much of the work she started will fall on the shoulders of the new SGA executive board, and it will be up to them to see it through.
“I do hope to have a conversation with the new leadership before my term ends and let them know, this is what I’ve been doing, this is how we’re going to finish it off,” said Hassen. “Just to make sure they continue that conversation and continue that push with the chancellor.”
Graduate student Justice Horn served as Comptroller under Hassen and previous SGA President Ophelia Griffin.
Horn is running on an SGA ticket again this year, but under president this time.
As Comptroller, Horn oversees both the student government’s finances and the Student Activity Fee Committee (SAFC) which funds the 450+ student organizations at UMKC.
“This year, we are on track to allocate every dollar to student organizations, ensuring all funds support activities that enhance the quality of life for UMKC students,” said Horn.
Horn plans to take the responsibility and financial insight of the comptroller position to tackle budget cuts, office closures, and tuition hikes if elected president.
Current speaker of the SGA Senate Andrew Tracey is running for vice president under Horn.
As speaker of the Senate, Tracey worked on a sustainability initiative that would increase spending on sustainable and environmentally friendly practices on campus.
“Although this initiative received overwhelming support from students, UMKC has yet to increase spending on sustainable projects,” said Tracey.
Tracey hopes to continue advocating for sustainability alongside Horn and using their experience on the SGA board to prioritize student needs and foster a welcoming, inclusive campus environment.
