Build BU, the slate elected to be next year’s Boston University Student Government executive board, is looking to bring reform to the current SG system in an effort to work hand-in-hand with students after winning the election Tuesday night.
The winning slate is composed of President-elect Devin Harvin, Vice President-elect Hafzat Akanni, Executive Vice President of Internal Affairs-elect Lovie Burleson and Vice President of Finance-elect Hector Meneses.
Build BU ran on a three-pillar campaign encompassing three fundamental aspects of student life: classroom, culture and communication. Burleson said Build BU is hoping to improve the attitude and culture surrounding campus sporting events throughout their one-year term. The slate is also hoping to strengthen its relationship with Student Health Services and keep students in the loop with any potential changes made by the administration in that regard.
Student Election Commission co-chair Vincent D’Amato said this year’s election saw 1,700 students vote, 500 more votes than last year.
Burleson said she sees the growth in voter turnout as a great start to getting the student body engaged after their work during the campaign to increase involvement.
“I’m glad to see that the student body’s becoming more engaged with Student Government,” Burleson said. “I’m so glad to be able to be a part of this team — to give those student groups a voice.”
Burleson said the slate will be reviewing its campaign, going through the checklist of tasks to accomplish, listening to students and implementing their concerns.
“We’re going to really emphasize self-care, so building upon the initiatives already in motion and also strengthening our partnership with Student Health Services,” Burleson said. “With communication, our big thing is getting students at the table … We want to make sure that the students are always present.”
Meneses said he is particularly looking forward to educating students about the value of SG and its impact on student life.
“This mentality that students have where they feel like Student Government doesn’t do anything or that it’s a résumé builder is something that really frustrates me a lot, and I do want to change that mentality with the e-board,” Meneses said. “It’s something that will change.”
Andrew Chiao, a junior senator in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he voted for Build BU because he wanted his vote to reflect the needs and desires of his constituency.
“People within Student Government seemed to mention that they liked Build BU’s mission and their campaign, [and] that solidified in my mind who I wanted to vote for because I wanted to represent CAS’s interests,” Chiao said.
Among their interests related to Build BU’s platform, Chiao noted that the advocacy and initiatives pursued by the CAS senators for students, such as his own smoking-cessation campaign, were reflected in Build BU’s dedication to reach out to student groups on campus.
Chiao said he appreciated how Build BU’s mission reflects the CAS SG mission.
“They were saying, ‘We want to get involved. We want to be their liaison to Student Government to help them if they have needs that they think aren’t being well represented,’” Chiao said, “… And that’s what CAS Student Government really tries to do.”
Burleson said Build BU met with over 60 student groups during the campaigning period in an effort to build relationships with students.
Current Vice President of Finance Bernie Lai said she was unsurprised by the outcome of the election. She said she consistently saw endorsements for Build BU on her Facebook feed during the two weeks of campaigning and nothing for losing slate BUnited.
Lai said she hopes the incoming e-board experiences a smooth transition into their new roles. She said her personal experience was difficult and overwhelming.
“I hope they’ll manage to build off what we currently have,” Lai said, “… so they’ll be able to succeed in areas that we weren’t able to reach.”
Lai also said that while it can be difficult to reach out to the student body effectively, Build BU succeeded in getting student groups to support them.
“I’m hoping that their fighting spirit during the campaigning period will translate over to their attitude when they assume their leadership roles,” Lai said.
Nehemiah Dureus, a junior senator for the College of Engineering, said he supported Build BU from the beginning.
SG currently has an outreach problem, Dureus said. To get a goal accomplished in SG one has to “know someone who knows someone” to see it through, he said.
“I feel like the new e-board has the capability to get students interested in Student Government … and get the word out to the student body effectively enough so you wouldn’t have to be in Student Government to know what’s happening,” Dureus said.
The only way to do that, Harvin said, and the only way for Build BU to succeed, is with students who are willing to invest themselves in SG.
“Anything we’ve harnessed in our platform — classroom, culture and communication — the only way that works, the only way we really build BU, is with people invested in Build BU,” Harvin said.
