NewBU, one of the three slates running in the Boston University Student Government Executive Board election, strives to voice the needs of the student body to BU administration and improve student life on campus, according to its members.
NewBU is comprised of Presidential candidate Nadia Asif, Executive Vice President candidate Petar Ojdrovic, VP of Internal Affairs candidate Rachel Feigelson and VP of Finance candidate Atid Malka.
Asif, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said her slate is running on a platform divided into three main parts: environment, academics and student life.
One of NewBU’s initiatives under the platform “academics” includes implementing a pass/fail system for certain classes. Asif, the current ENG senator, said a pass/fail system would allow students to branch out and take more courses that are not directly related to their majors.
“Getting a pass/fail system is very realistic, considering that two of the most competitive universities in the world are right across the river and they both have a pass/fail system,” Asif said. “We just want to encourage students to explore and step out of their comfort zones.”
Ojdrovic, a junior in ENG, said he would like to see BU become a more environmentally friendly place.
“Environmental change and climate change are absolutely huge,” Ojdrovic said. “It’s the next big issue that we as a planet face.”
Ojdrovic outlined NewBU’s plans to reduce the university’s carbon footprint, including efforts such as installing solar panels and reverse vending machines around campus.
Feigelson, a sophomore in the College of Communication said she has worked closely with the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Center during her time in SG, and this is why she considers issues surrounding mental health and sexual assault an integral part of her slate’s campaign.
If elected, Feigelson said, NewBU would work to distribute medical professionals more thoroughly and evenly around campus so that students won’t have to wait to get medical assistance.
“If you need that help, you need it now,” Feigelson said.
In addition to her work with SARP, Feigelson has held many different roles within SG. She explained that she was elected the vice president and senator of West Campus, chair of Student Life, a 33 Harry Agganis Way Residence Hall Association senator, deputy chief of staff and co-director of City Affairs.
“I know how the system works, and I know how to communicate well with people from experience,” said Feigelson of her past SG involvement.
NewBU’s youngest member and the only freshman in all the three slates is Malka, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Malka said his youth does not hinder him from being a qualified member of the SG E-board, as he has been involved in multiple aspects of student life at BU. He explained that he is currently an SG senator for the Florence and Chafetz Hillel House, a member of the Constitution Reform Committee and a member of the club ultimate Frisbee team.
“As a freshman, people don’t expect you to be going after something so big, but as [a] part of so many organizations of campus, I really want to make sure that everyone I know has a voice,” Malka said. “That is something that drives me to want to be on the E-board.”
Asif said that engaging with the student body is of the utmost importance to NewBU, as its members hope to create a more accessible SG.
“We’d like to lead a Student Government that reaches out and communicates with its constituents, and a Student Government that serves as a liaison between the student body and the administration,” Asif said.
Malka added that the NewBU slate is dedicated to involving the student body in its government and working with students to make decisions.
“I want to make everyone here at BU feel included, feel important and feel that they’re a part of the student body,” Malka said.
In order to do so, Ojdrovic said the slate sets a goal to speak to 1,000 students a week, and that they tallied 300 individual conversations on the first day of campaigning alone.
NewBU also prides itself on its diversity, as it is the only slate representing all three grade levels eligible to run. Ojdrovic said the NewBU members also hail from different colleges and backgrounds and speak a total of 12 languages combined.
“We really strike a chord with the majority of students here, because when they look at us and when they talk to us, they see themselves,” Ojdrovic argued. “They see standard, normal students who want to make a difference and who really have their best interests at heart.”
