At 8:00 p.m. Thursday, the polls for the Student Assembly election were closed, and the College of William and Mary eagerly awaited the results. With the votes counted, Kaveh Sadeghian ’12 and Molly Bulman ’12 were named the College’s newest SA President and Vice President. Following a tough campaign, we congratulate them on their victory. As we go into next year, we hope both Sadeghian and Bulman remember the support they have from the College community and that they honor their campaign promises with this support in mind.
In the last few days, a campaign based on “no more petty politics” has put to the test the ideals and aspirations of their candidacy. The SA has been a culture of distrust and uncertainty, and it is our hope that Sadeghian and Bulman will be able to eliminate this atmosphere and to replace it with communication and compromise.
Sadeghian and Bulman campaigned on a platform based on more than just redefining the view of the SA.
There are plenty of other improvements we wish to see. For example, we would like to see a change in the Board of Visitors’ relation to the College. The BOV decides many things pertaining to the College — from the faculty to the budget to commencement speakers. Positions on the board are important and powerful. As president of the SA, Sadeghian will have a seat on the BOV, which means a direct vote from the students of the College. The position may seem like just a formality, but the ability to vote and make change presents a unique opportunity. As Sadeghian attends BOV meetings, he has the chance to affect College policy. We have faith he will relay student opinions to the BOV and show that students are invested in the College by conducting more surveys and obtaining more student responses as promised. We don’t just want our opinion to be heard: We want to see the BOV — and the school for that matter — making changes in line with student opinions.
In addition to uniting the student body and the BOV, we also want to see Sadeghian and Bulman unite undergraduate and graduate students. With his promises to get graduate students more representation in the SA, Sadeghian will have the opportunity to unify the two groups the College exists to serve. Kaveh’s creation of HARK — a website where student organizations can post online flyers and announcements — will also serve to unify campus. The website has university authentication and will launch this spring.
Another initiative on their platform was the implementation of a need-based scholarships. This scholarship will benefit students in low-income situations. Socio-economic status should not deter any student selected to be part of this community at the College. Sadeghian’s plan involves SA fundraising for an outside bank account controlled by the Office of Financial Aid, which would then allocate money to students in need. Students would be able to use this money for tuition, books and other various expenses. The College community values its students, and this is one campaign promise we want to see fulfilled.
Again, we wish Sadeghian and Bulman the best of luck as they step into their new roles in the coming months. Be proud of the accomplishments you have already achieved, and be proud that the student of the College selected you. Embrace this support, and remember to let the voices of students be heard, and to push for actions to be taken.