A few days ago, I was asked by the editors of Night Call to write an op-ed about why I want to be President,

and what my larger vision is for CLAS Student Government. For some candidates, that first question is an easy one to answer: because I am applying to Med-School, because I want the accompanying stipend, etc But for me, those questions, particularly the first one, is a bit more complex. I dont think the answer to that question should be able to fit on the back of a bumper sticker, or for that matter in a single sentence. So I want to tell you a part of the story that brought me to the position I am in noweverything from coming to Brooklyn College, to joining student life, and to now, when I am running to be your president. Brooklyn College has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up living rather close to the college. Every morning, I would walk out my front door and look out on our iconic library tower; obstructed by a sliver of the fifth floor of New Ingersoll (I am fortunate enough to have this same view today). I remember coming home from school in the afternoon, hearing the chiming of the bells, and always trying to discern what song was playing at the time. Brooklyn College was always my first choice for college. CUNY Hunter and a few others gave close seconds, but there was no way I could go anywhere else. My ultra-religious high-school, however, was not such a big fan of the idea. They fought my college applications long and hard, but at my commencement I had known that I would be leaving to become a proud Brooklyn College student, and the first in my family to receive a college degree (I was the only one, out of a graduating class of eighty-five, to enroll in college after graduation). During my first semester, I did what most of our students do: come to classes, and then go home, maybe spending some time in the library as well. I felt as though something was missing, as though I was missing out on a part of the college experience. On the first day of the following spring semester, I was sitting in Professor Tirellis Friday morning PPP class, when a guy named Eric Eingold walked in. He said he was with a group called NYPIRG, and they were working on a relatively large-scale environmental campaign against fracking. I had always been what you would call politically active, and a strong environmentalist, so I decided to show up to one of their meetings and see what is was all about. Two weeks later, I became the chapters Project Leader for the newly-renamed environmental justice campaign. After spending a semester with NYPIRG, I realized that there was a lot that could be done, in fact, that needed to be done on our campus, and with NYPIRG I could not focus on that as much. That is why I left to form my own club, Student for food

Sustainability, to advocate for healthier, affordable, higher-quality food on our campus. In less than a year we were able to successfully push for a bid for new, better food services on our campus, we were able to make the administration focus on sustainability and efficiency, and we were able to bridge activism with the academic experience, by hosting a symposium honoring the legacy of Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. As a club president, I got my first experience with student government. I got to experience firsthand the awful, bitter, hostile relationship between club leaders and the Budget and Finance Committee. And I also got to see what happens when a group of power-hungry leaders get a hold of an outdated system with no transparency, no functioning constitution and no system to make it work. That is when I decided that I would run for student government, knowing that there would be a lot of work ahead of me if I wanted the system to work. I knew right from the start that the biggest problem student government had to address was the horrible communication between the administration, student government, and the student body. That is why my first act as Speaker was to create a committee on Media, Outreach, and Engagement, to make sure we are doing everything we can to communicate better with our students. About a week into my position as Speaker, I realized that I was wielding more power than any member of student government should ever have. That is why I authored an overhaul of our rules of Assembly, to take away the power from my own position, and to strip the parties of the chokehold they had on our government. When Hurricane Sandy hit, we had to put everything else on hold, including the election reform package I had proposed. Over nine-hundred of our students were living in Zone A, and even more in other devastated areas. I felt a personal obligation, not just as Speaker of the Assembly, but as a member of the college community, to do whatever was necessary to make sure our students had what they needed. On November 1, 2012, the first day campus was open after Sandy (classes were still cancelled), I was sitting right where I am now, behind my desk in the Student Government office, coordinating with school administration, student government members, student groups, and relief organizations to make sure we had a strong relief infrastructure in place for our students. On August 28, during the first meeting of the Assembly, in my first message to the Assembly as Speaker, I said most of our fellow students have other stresses besides their schoolwork, and that Student Government should be there for themto give them

the voice they just dont have, and to make being a student that much easier. We ran on the idea that Brooklyn College should be a school that works for its students, not the other way around. I think that speaks to the core of my mission as Speaker, and the core of the mission I wish to continue, as President of CLAS Student Government. But being president is not just about great stories and good sound bites. Here are some of the central parts of the PHD platform (the full platform is available at http://www.tinyurl.com/PHD2013): The first and primary job of the president is to be the voice of the student body in the administration, the University, and the local and state legislators. Unlike faculty and administration, students are not paid to be here, we pay to be here, and we should have greater representation because of that. But not only do we need more student representation on every committee, we need students on more committees. No decision on this campus, even those like tenure, which have been long-standing faculty issues, should be made without student votes. The Student Government President needs to have a presence in the legislature. That is where the rules are set, and that is where the money comes from. Just this week I was in Albany for Higher Education Lobby Day, and I have been there for many committee hearings and other meetings. We need to make ourselves, and the President must make himself, more vocal and more visible: not just at club events, but where it counts in the legislature. But the president has to be a more visible presence on campus, which is why the PHD platform was the first to call for monthly town halls with all three student government presidents. Our campus needs some major changes. Our facilities are outdated, falling apart, and impairing our ability to be the 21st century learning center we ought to be. Our facilities must be student-focused, not just designed to better suit professors research labs. We need to fully renovate every bathroom. Students must have access to priority parking. And we must finally open the doors the Bedford Avenue side of New Ingersoll Hall. An integral part of this is upgrading our technology and focusing on innovation. That is why PHD is calling on President Gould and the administration to take our Five Bar Pledgeto make a commitment to have five bars of Wi-Fi and Five Bars of cell phone service in every room on the entire campus. Its not just a convenience issue; its a public safety issue.

The 21st century workforce is very different than it was forty years ago, and we need a 21st century curriculum to match. We need to prioritize career services, create roadmaps to graduation so students can finish in four years, and make sure financial literacy and information about scholarships and student loans is incorporated into the core curriculumif Homers Iliad is needed to graduate, so should financial literacy. In addition to new full-time faculty, the school must prioritize the hiring of more academic advisors: and not just for the pre-health students either. We need to protect our colleges diversity and defend the rights of all of our members to live freely and securely on our campus. This means we cannot allow police intrusion in the classroom. We must make sure Academic Integrity and freedom are maintained for all of our studentswe cannot allow any administrator or professor to infringe on that. And we must make sure we are doing whatever we can to support those minorities who need it most. As I said in the first debate, the first step to a better government is a better budget. The President needs to make sure that every penny of the $112.05 student activity fee is being maximized for the entire student body. That means holding everyone accountable for every penny, it means making sure every club has what they need, and making sure no group is being forced to conform to the model of another. The next President will have a lot to do, and not much time to do it. Vote for the candidate who has shown he has the experience to do what is necessary, and has the vision to move the school forward. Vote for the party that has shown they know what student government is aboutgetting as much done in as much time as you have, not about making promises you cannot keep. Vote for me for President, and vote for PHD on April 22.