Letters to the editor: SA officials speak out

     This year was supposed to be the beginning of an end to the old Student Association.

   As SA Vice President, I put in every bit of effort I could to support the Senate and their push for a new Student Association. I knew that my ability as your Executive student representative was needed in this aspect of student government. So, like I promised last year on the campaign trail, I advocated for accountability and transparency every single day from August 2009 all the way up until present day.

   Senate Chairman Paul McCarthy, myself, and a whole list of supporters in student government supported now SA President-Elect Justin Wax Jacobs. He and his running mate, Vice Presidential candidate Rebecca Fioravanti, ran an incredible campaign in which they reached out to the average student and let them know that they were looking out for them as well as every single other student on this entire campus. Unfortunately due to a predictable, yet dirty, campaign run by Vice Presidential opponent Leah Rotella, Miss Fioravanti lost by 30 votes.

   While that loss was tough for many people to swallow, the battle was won, as SA Senator Justin Wax Jacobs inherited the Presidency. 

   Unfortunately, the story doesn't end here, or I wouldn't have written this article. As soon as the "old dogs" of SA found out the results, rumors that everybody knew couldn't be avoided became reality. Presidential candidate Joe Bonilla and Rotella sued Wax Jacobs and Fiorvanti for what they call "campaign infractions." Their goal of suing was to ask for a reelection so that Miss Rotella did not have to work with President-elect Wax Jacobs and so Joe Bonilla could have another chance at the Presidency. Does that sound like good student leadership to you?

  This week, the SA Supreme Court will have decided your next President or call for a reelection of the President in the fall. Besides how completely insane that sounds, I want to point out one last thing in this case that I believe the students need to know. On the side of Wax Jacobs and Fioravanti, was, well, themselves representing themselves. Can you guess who was on the side representing Joe Bonilla and Leah? It was current SA President Joshua Sussman and the horrific excuse for a student representative, SA Senator Ben Jacobs.

   What I can't truly believe is how the current President decided to insert himself into a court case that determined the next President of the school, while presenting in front of 6 Supreme Court Justices that he appointed to the court himself and Chief Justice Brandon Patterson, who is a very good friend of his, as well.

   I ask the population to prepare for the worst and realize that a court of 6 people will attempt to invalidate the elections and simply remove Justin Wax Jacobs as President-elect while leaving Leah Rotella as Vice President-elect. Be prepared to see the worst and have your President-elect removed from his rightful office by your student government officials who don't care about you or the students at all.

    I am disgusted that it has come down to this but we will not let you down. We will not stop fighting because of the injustice that has been promoted to the students this year and for the past four years. Wax Jacobs is your President no matter what the court will corruptly decide. I ask that you all become vocal in the last few weeks and join me in the fight for reform.

Respectfully,

Alex Pena

Student Association Vice President

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   Last week, the ASP printed a letter from Student Association Senator Adam Feisthamel attacking the decision of the Student Association Senate to increase stipends for students. As an officer receiving a stipend, I wanted to express why I voted for these increases. Most importantly, I refute Senator Feisthamel's claim that the raise was "completely inappropriate."

   The Student Association budget is composed of the Student Activity Fee paid by all undergraduates and was approved for 2010-2011 to distribute over $2.1 Million. Of this, 3.2% (or $67,000) will be allocated as stipends for positions within the Student Association. For 2009-2010, the total allocation for stipends was $66,750. Therefore, the total difference in the stipend increase was only $250, a 0.3% increase.

   In order for the Student Association to run efficiently and allocate funds to student groups, there must be an instrument used to distribute the Student Activity Fee back to the students. Here at UAlbany, a major part of the instrument helping student organizations is the group of SA officers receiving stipends. All of these officers are students, constantly working to advance student life and involvement on campus.    

   The $67,000 is a necessary expenditure that enables the SA to allocate student funds in a fiscally responsible and efficient manner. As the SA Chief of Staff Tremayne Price has mentioned, stipends "tie a Student Association employee to the organization, and ensure that employees will perform their tasks in an appropriate fashion."    

   Part of Senator Fesithamel's criticism revolved around a proposed $5,250 increase in stipends. This figure amounts to about a quarter of one percent of the Student Activity Fee.  Even if this increase had been approved, stipends would have constituted just 3.5% of the budget. In my opinion, 3.5% is a reasonable price to pay for the allocation of our entire student activities fee. Other student governments on college campuses pay two or more full time faculty members to perform the same duties as our student officers, which would be far greater than the stipends that allow the Student Association to have the assistance of dozens of student staff.