Members of the two slates vying for leadership of Boston University’s 2025-2026 Student Government Executive Board engaged in the annual Slate Debate Tuesday night.
The slates BridgeToBU and EmpowerBU faced off in an amicable debate, moderated by StuGov Associate Justice Andrew Taylor.
The debate began with opening statements from EmpowerBU President Suraj Nellore and BridgeToBU Vice President of Internal Affairs Zakiya Majeed-Landau.
The slates then engaged in direct discourse, with BridgeToBU President Matthew Feliciano and Executive Vice President Tony Wu seated opposite Nellore and EmpowerBU Vice President of Finance Bryce Thompson. The first segment featured general questions highlighting the differences between the slates, particularly regarding student advocacy amid ongoing campus activism.
Feliciano emphasized the significance of student demonstrations and the effects recently signed executive orders have had on universities.
Nellore stressed the need for the creation of safer spaces to advocate on campus. He said EmpowerBU will tell administration the specific priorities of student groups, instead of simply relaying what students are doing.
The slates were then asked specific questions about their platforms.
Nellore said EmpowerBU is committed to working with administration and taking action.
“What’s important to us is working with the administration,” Nellore said. “It’s also making sure that we’re taking accountability and we’re taking ownership, and we’re being proactive in the initiatives that we have on campus.”
Wu discussed BridgeToBU’s dedication to being transparent with the student body.
“You cannot have a student government that is transparent without having student government that can be simultaneously held accountable,” Wu said.
Candidates were then asked about their commitment to their potential roles.
Thompson said EmpowerBU’s dedication to active change through its initiatives stems from personal experience, and recognizing the power of student government is crucial to reaffirming that commitment.
“We understand the power that [StuGov] has,” Thompson said. “The power that it has to impact the student body and the power it has to really make a change on campus.”
Feliciano stressed BridgeToBU is committed to putting the campus community and student leadership at the “forefront of its mission.”
“What I think is really important and central to my mission is making sure that not just myself is capable of doing things, but also making sure that the next generation of student leaders is trained [and] is confident in being able to handle those things,” Feliciano said.
The discussion then shifted to audience questions, covering budgeting, funding allocation and community engagement.
BridgeToBU Vice President of Finance Hanna Yilma delivered the closing statement for her slate, stressing its concrete policies and commitment to taking action.
“We do not have concepts of a plan for creating a better BU,” Yilma said. “Rather, we have concrete policies and comprehensive and organized outlines for the initiatives we will enact once elected.”
Nellore delivered EmpowerBU’s closing remarks and discussed how empowerment is a unifying force for BU students.
“As your student body representatives, we’re here to empower you to tackle different challenges you face in your everyday life,” Nellore said. “Empower you to take on different initiatives to leave an impact on BU and, ultimately, to empower all of us to create a vision and future for BU that we all resonate with as one unit.”
Following the debate, Feliciano said he was pleased with BridgeToBU’s performance and student engagement.
“We want students to see a little bit of themselves in us,” he said. “Not just in our cadence, but also in the way that we address their concerns on campus.”
Nellore said he had a “great time” discussing policies and disagreements.
“If we’re going to try and build out a BU student government that’s transparent and reactive and proactive, we need to make sure we’re having these conversations,” he said.
Junior and debate attendee Owen Steck said he was impressed with the respectful discourse between the two slates.
“Especially these days, with so much animosity in debates and that being the norm, it was nice to see people be [respectful,] even when they disagreed with each other or challenged each other,” he said.
Current StuGov Executive Vice President, Madeleine Ariola, said she was proud of how the debate went.
“Both of the slates are extremely qualified,” Ariola said. “It’s really exciting to see more engagement in student government, especially as somebody who prides themselves in increasing engagement … I’m really excited to see whoever wins [and] what they accomplish for the entire year.”
