The GSA Election Committee is pleased to announce the results of the 2024-2025 GSA Officer Elections and Referendum vote:

President:
Isaac Kolding: 333
(78 abstentions)

Vice President:
Sarah MacDougall: 336
(75 abstentions)

Treasurer:
Tamara Grosso: 338
(73 abstentions)

These elected candidates will officially take office on June 1, 2024.

Referendum:

That the student activity fee be MANDATORY for all graduate students: 269
That the student activity fee be VOLUNTARY for all graduate students: 142

Thank you to all of the graduate students who participated in these votes!

Sincerely,

GSA Election Committee

Layne Jensen (EC Chair)
Jamison Garcia Ramirez (EC)
Nathan Lynch  (EC)
Gollapudi Venkata Sai Revathi (EC)
Roisul Galib (EC)

 

Every two years the graduate student activity fee is put up for a referendum vote.

A mandatory fee ensures that GSA is able to continue funding all of the clubs, programs, services and advocacy initiatives you have come to expect from your student government.

A voluntary fee would mean that the organization as a whole would cease to exist.

We hope that you will vote to continue supporting GSA when the referendum vote takes place online April 8th to 11th to coincide with the GSA officer elections.

The Candidates for GSA E-board are as follows:

For President:

Isaac Kolding

“If re-elected, I’ll keep working for living wages, lower fees, and a more accessible GSA.”

I am the current president of the GSA and a PhD candidate in English. If elected to a second term, I will continue to work to make GSA’s services feel more welcoming and easy to navigate, will continue to argue for living wages and lower fees for graduate students, and will build on relationships I have established with University administrators to connect graduate students to valuable resources. In public statements, interviews, and meetings with administrators, I have argued that graduate students need more economic stability, more access to resources like health insurance, and better access to parking. I want to keep calling on the University to focus on its primary mission—teaching and research—and to make sure that graduate students receive the funding and resources they need to succeed at UB and on the job market. I have also worked to revamp GSA’s documentation so that every student feels that they understand how to take advantage of the great services we offer. I will continue to make myself available by attending all GSA events in person and meeting with students who have complaints or issues.

For Vice President:

Sarah MacDougall

“A service-oriented leader and student advocate who enjoys working directly with students.”

I am a current graduate student in the department of linguistics who also works in psychology and cognitive science. I am the current GSA Vice President and a graduate assistant for the Graduate School. In both of these roles, I have enjoyed advocating for the needs of all graduate students, including fighting for increased programming for master’s students from university departments. Over the past year, I have brought a number of topics to meetings with upper-level administrators, including international student issues, parking concerns, equitable division of awards, an improved parental leave policy, and institutional software subscriptions, to name a few. Most recently, I worked with the Mark Diamond Research Fund Director, Dr. Courtney Doxbeck, to adjust the timeline of the grant submission and review process, with the hope of giving more students an opportunity to apply for MDRF funds if they’re in an accelerated program or changing fields. I am passionate about connecting students to resources within and outside of the university, including organizations like the GSEU to connect students with assistance on employment-related concerns. I have also enjoyed working with students to set up or reactivate clubs, and working with faculty and administrators on various committees. I am re-running for the position of VP so I can continue to advocate for these things and more, and because I enjoy working directly with students to connect them to resources and support student-led initiatives.

Over the course of the next year, I aim to work closely with clubs and make sure they’re aware of all the funding opportunities available to them, including opportunities that would allow students to connect across disciplines. Additionally, I would like to continue pursuing conversations surrounding parking – If graduate student employees need to be in a certain place at a certain time, they should be able to find parking so they can get to where they need to go without coming in at 8am. Like last year, I would like to push for having regular meetings with President Satish Tripathi so that graduate student concerns can be heard at the highest levels of administration. I am always open to hearing concerns from students, and I’m happy to connect anyone to the appropriate places to address those concerns if it’s beyond the scope of the GSA.

For Treasurer:

Tamara Grosso

“Supporting graduate students with resources they need to achieve success!”

I am a fifth year PhD candidate in the Linguistics department. I have served on the Linguistics GSA executive board as a Secretary (2020-21), President (2021-22) and the Board Representative (2023-24). I currently serve on the GSA Services Committee. I have served on the Mark Diamond Research Fund committee twice and am a recipient of a Mark Diamond Research Fund grant to support my dissertation work. I have utilized many of the GSA services myself and I would like to help other students utilize the funding and services available through the GSA.

Some specific goals I envision for the role:

  • Meeting with club officers to ensure that requests for funds are in order and are fundable.
  • Improving documentation and training materials so that application procedures are clear.
  • Increase awareness of funding opportunities available to graduate students.
  • Utilizing feedback and working with the Finance Committee to develop a budget that prioritizes student needs.
  • Representing student needs at the SUNY Student Assembly

Prior to matriculation at UB, I was an independent contractor, managing my business needs and interfacing regularly with clients. I spent 7 years managing all insurance, licensure and other pertinent documents to ensure that my work was compliant with local and state regulations. I have experienced all aspects of parenthood while being a student from pregnancy to nursing to having preschool and school-aged kids. These experiences have prepared me for the importance of organization and working within deadlines.

Graduate students do not all fit into a single mold of life outside the university. We have unique experiences, pressures and motivations. I would like to help match students and their unique situations to the resources they need for success as graduate students.

To see more about my academic work and CV, visit my professional website at:
https://tamaragrosso.wordpress.com

 

Details concerning election procedure can be found in the 2023-2024 Election Code.