Northeastern Student Government Association 2021 Direct Elections Results

Following a week of voting, results for the Student Government Association’s Direct Elections have been announced. A total of 4612 students participated in this year’s election, which is 24% of the full-time undergraduate community. The results are: 

• 3430 — Power to the Pack slate

• 590 — No Confidence

• 592 — Abstentions

Out of these results, the Power to the Pack slate received 85.5% and No Confidence received 14.5% of the eligible votes (not including abstentions). 

As per the Association’s bylaws, President-Elect Casey Buttke and Executive Vice-President-Elect Isabella Galinkin shall begin serving their term at the beginning of the Summer 2 session and until the end of the following Summer I session.

There were five referenda questions presented on the ballot. Here is the break down of each with percentages (not including abstentions).

Question 1: Should the Northeastern administration work with the MBTA to reduce public transportation fares to the MBTA Reduced Fare rate (at least 50% reduction) for all Northeastern University students? (Passed with 97% approval)

• 4346 — Yes

• 112 — No

• 154 — Abstain

Question 2: Should the Office of Student Orientation and Family Programs create specialized orientation programming dedicated to promoting overall student mental wellbeing and educating students on the mental health resources available to them, both on and off-campus? (Passed with 95% approval)

• 3983 — Yes

• 221 — No

• 408 — Abstain

Question 3: Should Northeastern University allow students to pay tuition at the per-credit hour rate without the need to Petition for Reduced Load? (Passed with 96% approval)

• 4004 — Yes

• 152 — No

• 456 — Abstain

Question 4: Should the Northeastern University Administration increase UHCS’s mental health funding to hire more clinicians representative of demographics of the Northeastern student body to reflect the needs of the student population? (Passed with 94% approval)

• 3970 — Yes

• 245 — No

• 397 — Abstain

Question 5: Should Northeastern University adopt a 3 meal-per-day plan at a semesterly rate at least 24% less than the current 17 meal-per-week plan? (Passed with 96% approval)

• 3988 — Yes

• 173 — No

• 451 — Abstain

Thank you so much to all who voted this year! We encountered quite a few technical glitches as we moved to the new Student Hub platform, and we will continue working on these bugs and issues with ITS for next year.

This Week in Senate: March 22, 2021

This week, the Senate reconvened for a full-body meeting on Monday, March 22. The Senators received a special address from Maureen Timmons, Director of Dining Services.  She shared with the Senate the “then, now, & next” of dining throughout the pandemic, explaining the process of shutting down campus last spring, and changes they made last fall. Notably, Director Timmons mentioned that next year’s freshman class will be a “bulge” class, meaning it will include 1-2,000 additional students.  Because of the expected increase in the meal plan-using population, Dining Services is working to develop alternatives to dining halls, such as food lockers and meal kits.  Senators asked questions about the recent change to the meal exchange program, food waste and sustainability, and food insecurity on campus.  Director Timmons reiterated that, while unpopular, the recent change in dining plans is an effort for campus to return to pre-COVID-19 practices. 

The first item of new business was for Elections Chair Chaturvedi to announce the Student Body Elections results. The uncontested slate for President and Executive Vice President, Power to the Pack, was elected with 85% of non-abstaining votes.  Casey Buttke will be the next Student Body President, and Izzy Galinkin will be next year’s Executive Vice President.  Additionally, all five referenda questions were passed with over 94% support.   Next, the Senate received media training from EDoC Nivar to clarify expectations for Senators’ relationship with the media, whether it be student/local journalism, or behavior online in general. 

The final order of business was to nominate candidates for internal elections. These positions include the five Vice Presidents, Comptroller, and Elections Chair.  The following students were nominated for these positions: 

• Comptroller: Syaad Khan

• VP of Academic Affairs: Senator Alex Arenas

• VP of Student Affairs: Senator Emily Perez

• VP of Student Involvement: Senator Robbie Nuemann

• VP of Student Services: VP Sebastian Chávez

• VP of Sustainability: Senator Zach Greenwald

• Elections Chair: Elections Chair Sam Chaturvedi 

VP Chávez and Elections Chair Chaturvedi were both nominated for a second term in the position they are currently serving.  Nominations are open through the remainder of the week.  Next Monday, March 29, the Senate will reconvene to debate and vote on each Candidate.

This Week in Senate: March 15, 2021

On March 15, 2021, the Northeastern Undergraduate Senate convened for its weekly meeting. This meeting featured two guest speakers: University Chancellor Ken Henderson and Dean Bob Jose. The Chancellor discussed the administration’s recent announcements regarding campus life during the Spring and the plan for Fall 2021. He further requested that Senators speak with their constituents about the Climate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion survey and highlighted the recent hiring of a Chief Inclusion Officer at Northeastern. Following this presentation, senators were able to ask questions to the Chancellor, ranging from topics such as calmness days, to NUFlex to referenda initiatives.

Dean Jose also addressed the importance of the Northeastern Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Survey. This survey has not been done since 2008 and is a way for administration to identify student concerns. The anonymous survey is being conducted using a 3rd party (Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium) to allow Northeastern to compare the survey data to over 60 other schools across the country. The +20-question survey will be sent to students and remain open for 3-4 weeks, with data reporting out by the end of May/beginning of June. Dean Jose then requested ideas of how data should be conveyed to students, such as via email or News at Northeastern article. Question and answer time opened the discussion to how results will influence University future plans, which is dependent on the feedback received. 

Leadership addressed then took place. Executive Vice President Opet announced that future Senate meetings will be held on Zoom instead of Microsoft Teams, hopefully allowing for more community-building interactions. Additionally, nominations for Internally Elected Positions are due the following week, with candidates needing to send in their candidate information sheets by 3/25. The next two Senate meetings (3/22 & 3/29) will be full body meetings. EDE Clapper reminded everyone that NU’s Got Talent will be happening 3/27, and Elections Chair Chaturvedi put in a reminder about voting in the general election via the Student Hub.

Two pieces of legislation were then discussed: SS-SP-21-111 and IR-SP-21-112. SS-SP-21-111 was presented the previous week and sought to not make SAIL mandatory for students to use. This was debated, with debate centering around the use of SAIL in classes such as co-op related classes versus other platforms. The bill was then brought to a roll call vote, the record of which can be found in the minutes for this meeting.

IR-SP-21-112 was presented and a question and answer period followed. This piece of legislation is an Internal Resolution, meaning it would only be valid (if passed), until June 2022. The bill adds the role of Boston Intercollegiate Government (BIG) Voting Representatives as appointed positions within SGA’s leadership team. Information gained from question and answer period include the following: the time committee is 3-5 hours per week with hours for BIG counting as engagement hours; membership in BIG or SGA are required prior to applying for this role to ensure that Northeastern’s BIG representatives have an understanding of both organizations they represent; voting representatives should be leadership members as to have access to cabinet in order to be cognizant of what occurs in all parts of the association. This resolution will be debated and voted on in the next full body meeting (3/22).

The meeting was adjourned at 9:01pm. The next meeting will be a full body meeting on 3/22 and 7pm on Zoom.

This Week in Senate: March 8, 2021

Last Monday, March 8, the Student Government Association reconvened for a Full-body Senate. Mark Jannoni, Assistant Vice President for University Equity and Compliance & Title IX Coordinator, gave a special address to discuss Northeastern’s Title IX policy changes, updated to ensure compliance with new federal regulations. Federal law requires that Northeastern more strictly defines sexual assault, restricts allegations under the Title IX jurisdiction to those committed on campus property during educational programming, and change the formal resolution process by requiring a “live hearing” with cross-examinations, during which both the complainant and respondent must participate. To account for the shortcomings of the new federal regulations, Title IX has created an additional policy on Sexual & Gender Based Harassment (SGBH). The SGBH policy has jurisdiction over allegations taking place off campus and/or outside of educational programming. The procedure for SGBH cases mirrors that of the old Title IX policy, with no live hearings or cross-examinations. 

After the Senate was called to order, members of leadership gave their addresses.  Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Arenas announced that the peer advising program is officially beginning a pilot process in DMSB. This program will allow students to connect with peers for advising matters. We are hoping it will be replicated in other colleges soon. VP of Student Services Chávez announced that ITS is currently rolling out a density tracker pilot program, and students should expect access to the service in about a month. Finally, Elections Chair Chaturvedi reminded everyone that the election season is underway, and voting will be open on the Student Hub between March 14-18th! On the ballot will be candidates for Student Body President and Executive Vice President, as well as 5 referenda questions. 

The Senate debated and voted on SS-SP-21-109, a Sense of the Senate calling for the establishment of a Northeastern-wide syllabi database that professors could opt into to make their syllabi available to all students. After a short debate, the legislation passed by unanimous consent. SS-SP-21-110, a Sense of the Senate calling for the reversal of changes made to financial aid advising was removed from the agenda through a motion, because after further discussion with the financial aid office, it was concluded that the piece of legislation was not going to be beneficial to the student body. 

SS-SP-21-111 was introduced, a Sense of the Senate calling on the University to make the usage of SAIL non-compulsory in classes. Inquiries brought up during question and answer time included the implementation strategy of the authors if the legislation passes, and concerns about feasibility given the amount of money Northeastern has spent on the platform. Debate and voting procedure on SS-SP-21-111 will take place at the next Senate on Monday, March 15. Finally, the Senate approved by unanimous consent the FY22 budget proposed by President Kuznetsova.

This Week in Senate: March 1, 2021

On March 1, 2021, the Northeastern Undergraduate Senate reached quorum for its weekly meeting at 7:08 PM. Guests Rich Davis and Michelle Rapp from the Office of Alumni Relations began the meeting with a presentation regarding the various programs and services available to undergraduates through the Office, including Husky Starter and NUSource. Further, they provided insight about incentives for givers on annual Giving Day and how they can help raise money for student groups on campus.

Following the presentation, announcements were presented to the Senate. 

• Executive Vice President Opet announced that nominations for internally elected leadership positions will be held March 22nd, and Internal Elections will occur on March 29th.

• The second announcement pertained to the recognition of sensitive topics addressed during Student Government meetings. In future discussion, all speakers will be asked to provide content warnings prior to speaking on potentially upsetting topics. 

• President Kuznetsova announced that the budget will be presented at the Full Body meeting next week, March 8th. 

• VP for Student Services Adewunmi declared that there will not be an Executive Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the remainder of this semester given the precedent set in prior confirmation hearings.

Two pieces of legislation were presented, SS-SP-21-109 and SS-SP-21-110. The authors of each piece of legislation were given 10 minutes to present and answer questions from the Senate (as normal). Below is a summary of the pieces of legislation. These summaries do not represent the opinions of the Senate concerning these bills. Both will be debated and voted on at the full body meeting next week.

• SS-SP-21-109 details the creation of a syllabi database for Northeastern University. This system would be optional, and professors would have the ability to opt-in and upload syllabi from their classes. 

• SS-SP-21-110 calls on Northeastern to return to the system where each student gets a specific financial advisor assigned to them. It has been reported to the Senate that response times for financial questions have increased after the adoption of this system. Additionally, having a specific advisor allows for students to have a more personalized experience.

Prior to the adjournment of the meeting, the association’s leadership team presented February’s two Senators of the Month: Harrison Voigt and Tim Sullivan. These senators were chosen for the exemplary work they have done across multiple committees, as well as for their thoughtful, important words expressed during Senate meetings.

The Senate’s next meeting will be on March 8th at 7 PM. This meeting will be a Full Body meeting (mandatory attendance for Senators).

This Week in Senate: February 22, 2021

On Monday, February 22, the Northeastern University Undergraduate Student Government Association Senate convened for its regular session. The meeting began with an address from Executive Director of Communications Nivar addressing the most recent HuntNews article published regarding the referendum debate. Moving forward, the association will continue working to make the referenda process more accessible to clubs on campus and to implement student projects. Further, media training will be provided to all association members in the near future to enable senators to confidently speak on behalf of their constituencies to the best of their abilities. 

Following these introductory remarks, a candidate for the role of Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (EDoDEI) was presented for confirmation. As is standard for this type of confirmation, the candidate went through a question and answer session, before the Senate convened for an Executive Session. This session was used to weigh the merits of the candidate’s fit for the role of EDoDEI. It is standard practice to hold these debate periods under executive session to respect the candidate and foster genuine conversation (see Robert’s Rules of Order). Following discussion, a Secret Ballot vote was cast and the candidate was not confirmed. The Association appreciates the candidate’s willingness to serve in the capacity of EDoDEI and the time they have dedicated to SGA.

In the Association’s next meeting, Monday, March 1, there will be a review of legislation SS-SP-21-109. 

SGA Releases Internal Budget for 2021 Fiscal Year

Continuing SGA’s openness with the student body and Northeastern community, SGA is sharing our annual budget allocated from the Finance Board for the 2020-2021 academic year. SGA requested and was allocated $20,441.61 from the Finance Board for the 2021 Fiscal Year.

In recent history, the Association has never used all of the allocated budgets it received from the Finance Board, and all funds it does not use goes back into the Student Activity Fund. We have worked to minimize our reliance on the Student Activity Fund with this coming fiscal year’s budget being less than 36% of what it was two years ago in 2019. This will remain a priority through maintaining funding efforts for the Association’s cash account. The cash account is used to cover the Association’s expenses not detailed in the budget. In accordance with the Student Activity Fund Manual, if there is food for Senate meetings, the expense will come out of the Association’s cash account and no longer from the Student Activity Fund. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to SGA’s leadership or click the feedback form in the upper righthand corner. SGA will continue to work with undergraduate students to positively impact their daily lives.

Northeastern Student Government Association 2020 Direct Elections Results

Following a week of voting, results for the Student Government Association’s Direct Elections were announced today. A total of 5,085 students participated in this year’s election which is 27% of the full-time undergraduate community. The results are:

• 2,770 — NU Lens slate

• 1,099 — No Confidence

• 1,216 — Abstentions

Out of these results, the NU Lens slate received 71.6% and No Confidence received 28.4% of the eligible votes (not including abstentions).

As per the Association’s bylaws, President-Elect Kate Kuznetsova and Executive Vice-President-Elect Billy Opet of the NU Lens slate shall begin serving their term at the beginning of the Summer 2 session and until the end of the following Summer I session.

The ballot for the election also posed a referendum question to the Student Body. The question was “Should Northeastern fulfill the City of Boston’s requested monies for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT)?”. It passed with 80.6% of the eligible votes (not including abstentions). The vote totals are:

• 2,426 — Yes

• 585 — No

• 2,074 — Abstain

Statement on the recent event regarding the deportation of Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi

To the Northeastern community:

On Sunday night at Logan Airport, Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi was unjustly denied entry into our country despite having a proper F1 student visa. The U.S Customs and Border Protection deported him before the scheduled Boston federal court hearing on Tuesday, without allowing him access to his lawyer.

We stand with Northeastern community members who feel affected by this incident of discrimination and intolerance. We are extremely proud of the rapid response and mobilization we have witnessed from fellow students, faculty, and staff, which is why we are actively fighting to preserve every students’ feeling of belonging on this campus.

To effectively advocate for you, we are working with Northeastern administrators to ensure clear communication regarding Shahab’s return. We hope for due process and justice for our fellow student and eagerly await his return back to campus. Until then, our hearts are with Shahab throughout this process.

Sincerely,
The Student Government Association

Student Task Force Combatting White Supremacy & Fascism Ideology

Bigotry and hatred have no place on our campus and in our community. SGA has been working closely with the Northeastern Student of Color Caucus and Graduate Employees of Northeastern University - UAW to release the below statement and push for action. We have joined the Student Task Force Combatting White Supremacy & Fascism Ideology to work against the hatred and people attempting to divide us and hurt us all, especially people of marginalized and vulnerable groups. We invite everyone to read our joint statement and join us in condemning hatred and bigotry on our campus and in our world and work to create a safer and more inclusive community for everyone. Any person or group looking to work with the task force may contact us or the Northeastern Student of Color Caucus.