BSG Candidacy Statements
April 21, 2017
Irfan Alam – President Candidate
Hi! My name is Irfan Alam and I am running for BSG President alongside Ben Painter as my VP. I currently serve as the Chair of the Treasury on the executive committee, and have previously served as an At-Large Representative to the SAFC and a member of the SOOC. Outside of BSG, I have been a member of ResLife since my sophomore year and am currently the Head Proctor of Appleton Hall. Additionally, I helped found the South Asian Student Association and am a proud spokesperson for the Muslim Student Association.
Through these varied experiences, Ben and I have fostered strong working relationships with Student Activities, ResLife, and Department Heads, which will help tremendously in achieving our goals next year. Specifically, we will work with administration to improve upperclass housing, collaborate with ResLife to create common sense party regulations, and partner with the Multicultural Coalition to potentially establish a new executive committee position for Diversity and Inclusion. While these are some of our own initiatives, we look forward to working alongside you all to elevate your voices and ensure that your concerns and your goals can be achieved throughout next year.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
Rile O’Connell – President Candidate
As a member of BSG over my entire Bowdoin career, I can confidently say this has been our most successful year yet. However, there is still progress to be made. Firstly, we have failed to financially support our student organizations. Robocup’s future is uncertain as it’s unable to send its team to Worlds, despite being the world champions a few years ago, one of many examples for why we need to increase club funding. We also go to a school where over half of the student body is on financial aid, but this aid has not been expanded to other aspects of Bowdoin life. Club fees, such as BOC dues, should be automatically covered for all students on financial aid. I will also focus on finding an alternative to Chegg, which has proven to be an expensive and inconvenient service. Students at Bowdoin come from all different socioeconomic backgrounds, and my proposals are an important first step in making Bowdoin a more inclusive community for everyone. With a direct line of communication to the trustees and administration, the BSG president is uniquely positioned to confront these issues, and that’s what I intend to do. I will not let you down!
Ben Painter – VP for BSG Affairs Candidate
Hi! I am thrilled at the opportunity to lead the student government next year alongside Irfan Alam. I currently am the Vice President of Student Affairs, a leader for the outing club, and a member of Quinby House. After reflecting on our experience as leaders on the exec team, Irfan and I have a unified vision for next year:
- Work with administration to improve upper-class housing
- Partner with ResLife to create common sense party regulations
- Restructure the BSG to include a position on the executive committee for Diversity and Inclusion. This restructuring should not and cannot happen without the direct involvement of various groups and leaders on campus. I look forward to working directly with next year’s MC rep, the MC coalition, as well as the leaders of other groups and departments on campus in order to achieve this goal.
If elected, next year will be my second year on the executive team and my third year serving on the student government. From my work with the BSG, I have the experience and close relationships with student leaders, administrators, and trustees needed to be successful leading the BSG next year. Thank you for your consideration!
Liam Nicoll – VP for BSG Affairs Candidate
Hello Bowdoin College,
My name is Liam Nicoll and I am running for BSG Vice President. At school we are all expected to live the “Bowdoin experience”. My Bowdoin experience has been one of community, friends, new worlds and old, diversity, homogeneity, cooperation and contention. I’ve served as the Vice President of the Class of 2018, At-Large BSG Representative, an Entertainment Board member, a track athlete among other things. While these activities may define my experience, they do not define yours. Each person has his or her own “Bowdoin Experience”. I have thought a lot recently about what it takes to be truly invested in such a diverse community. The only answer is to listen to each and every student’s opinions and ideas. That realization has driven me to run for BSG Vice President. I want to be in a position intimately engaged with the people around me, I want to learn more about my peers’ experiences and I want my own policies to be reflective of them. I could not ask for a better way to finish my “Bowdoin experience” than by listening to and representing my classmates.
Thankfully,
Liam Nicoll
Spencer Antunez – VP for Student Affairs Candidate
Hi! My name is Spencer Antunez and I am running for Vice President of Student Affairs on the BSG Executive Council.
My experiences over the past three years at Bowdoin have given me a broad perspective of student life here on campus. I have been an RA for the past two years and my involvement in planning programs, organizing orientation events and giving advice to first-year students has given me a behind the scenes look at student affairs. My role as a varsity hockey player and active community member gives me a unique perspective on certain forces that bring our community together and others that pull us apart. I plan to use this arsenal constructed over my three years in Brunswick to redirect the student body back towards the enthusiastic lifestyle this campus is known for.
I look forward to the election and hope to earn your vote between now and then. If you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out to me.
Ural Mishra – VP for Student Affairs Candidate
My name is Ural Mishra and this year I’ve served on the BSG Assembly and the Student Affairs sub-committee as an At-Large Representative. As a result, I have become familiar with the responsibilities and challenges faced by the committee and the BSG. This year, I started the BSG’s discussions on class, organized the Uncommon Hour talks and have served on various BSG ad-hoc groups. Beyond the BSG, I was a founding member of the South Asian Students Association, am an I-Club board member and contributed to the ASA’s #ThisIs2016 photoshoot.
If elected, I will continue to advocate for more programming on class, mental health, race and religion. I will work directly with the Inter-House Council to generate a greater level of interest and support for college house events. I also hope to work with the VPs of Facilities and SOOC to establish relationships with other colleges: particularly Bates and Colby, and have student groups travel to each other’s campuses. This not only means more events and performances, but also collaboration and the exchanging of ideas between student groups.
I’ve been an active member of the Bowdoin community, and I hope to be able to serve you all as VP of Student Affairs next year. Vote Mishra!
Salim Salim – VP for Student Affairs Candidate
Hello! My name is Salim Salim, and I am running for Vice President of Student Affairs. I currently serve as the Class of 2020’s Vice President, a member of the eBoard, a reporter and photographer for the Bowdoin Orient, and a leader for Bowdoin’s Muslim Student Association. Holding these positions on campus has enabled me to interact with many different student groups at Bowdoin, and ultimately allowed me to explore and learn about its needs and areas of improvement.
As VP of Student Affairs, I plan to address the many concerns that have been left behind or normalized on campus. I would focus especially on improving on-campus housing, community discussions and dialogues, and campus cohesion. In high school, I developed communication and planning skills that would be helpful to me in this role. My involvement in organizations like Seeds of Peace, and my position as President of the Student Body have given me experience that I would like to apply as VP of Student Affairs. Mohamed and I have dedicated much of our time in high school and at Bowdoin, together, contributing to the common good of our communities. Thank you for your consideration!
Nathanael DeMoranville – VP for Academic Affairs Candidate
Hello, everybody! My name is Nate, and I am a first-year currently serving on the Academic Affairs Committee as a Class Representative. This year has given me much experience relevant to being the Vice President of this committee, and it has also shown a couple of areas for growth that I would like to capitalize on.
My long-term goals for this position are to increase diversity in the faculty and create a better relationship between the student body and the Board of Trustees. I plan to work with the Bowdoin administration more heavily than I have this year to accomplish these two goals.
In terms of programming, I would like to repeat the events we’ve successfully held this year like No Hate November and Food for Thought, but I would like to increase attendance through stronger advertising. I would also like to create additional programming to more frequently engage the student body, perhaps with talks that addresses students’ unique experiences in the classroom.
To conclude, I would like to be the VP of Academic Affairs to continue to serve the student body, and I strongly believe that I have the experience for this position. I hope to have your vote.
Mohamed Nur – VP for Academic Affairs Candidate
My name is Mohamed Nur ’19 and I’m running for VP for Academic Affairs with Salim, who is running for VP for Student Affairs. I currently serve on three committees for the college: the Trustee Committee for Multicultural Affairs, President Rose’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Diversity Report, and the Reaccreditation Committee. I am also Howell’s Programming Director and the Minister of Culture and Education for AFAM. Finally, I work at the Student Center for Multicultural Life and will be Head of the Multicultural Coalition next year. I want to pursue and advocate for policies and programs to enrich the academic experience of Bowdoin students.
First, I want to push back the Credit/D/Fail deadline for students so they can make a better informed decision after they have received more graded assignments. Second, I want to attach class syllabi to current course descriptions so they are accessible during registration. I want to then reevaluate the ESP and IP requirements to ensure they’re an accurate measure of exploring social differences and providing international perspectives. Lastly, I want to bring more faculty of color as well as female faculty in STEM and improve their retention. Thank you for your consideration!
Leah Matari – VP for Student Organizations Candidate
Hi everyone! My name is Leah Matari and I am a first year. This year I am an at-large representative for BSG and I sit on the Student Organizations Committee which is the VP positon I will hold next year. I have worked really closely with the current VP and the committee to change the rechartering process. Next year I want to continue with the theme of change and create workshops club leaders will have to attend. In these workshops they would learn about the SAFC and how to effectively lead a club on campus. I am so excited to be the Vice President of SOOC and look forward to working with a diverse, passionate and creative executive team.
Ben Hopkins — VP for the Treasury Candidate
As Treasurer of the 2020 Class Council I sit on the Student Activities Funding Committee, and over the past year I have gained a comprehensive understanding of how the SAFC operates, how it is managed and where it is flawed. I strongly believe that I have the skills and experience to lead this committee effectively, working with the following three objectives:
First, ensure the committee is allocating money based on consistency, relevance and impact.
Second, make adjustments to the funding process to make it more convenient and efficient for club leaders and treasurers.
Third, directly address the currently unsustainable position of the SAFC. New clubs are chartered each year and this, combined with the growth and diversification of current clubs, is putting an overwhelming strain on an unchanging budget. In order to maintain equal access to our student organizations, and promote an inclusive, vibrant student life at Bowdoin College, the process will be reviewed and made more sustainable. ?
Ana Timoney-Gomez – VP for Facilities and Sustainability Candidate
Hello everyone – I am Ana Timoney-Gomez, I am a current junior. Next year I will be serving as the Vice President for Facilities and Sustainability. I originally ran for this position because I saw all the positive impacts it has had the past two years and I wanted to continue this trend. My main focus for the coming year is to continue the efforts to improve upperclass housing. I sit on the Financial Planning Trustee Committee and we have already begun these conversations. Given that Irfan is already sitting on the Housing Working Committee, and Ben is also already sitting on the trustee committee that will review all these recommendations – we have already inadvertently worked as a team of three to improve housing and residential spaces on campus. I hope voters continue to afford me the opportunity to work with Irfan and Ben in the coming year. ?Thank you!
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