SGA holds elections for AY 2025-26 positions

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST

By Bella Grimaldi Asst. News Editor Cesár Matos was elected as SGA’s president for AY 2025-26 in a campus-wide election held on April 15. The results of the election for president, senators, and other eBoard members were announced on April 17 via SGA’s Instagram account. Voting took place on April 15 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ballots were accessible through RamLink and the link in SGA’s Instagram bio. Luke Yubeta was elected student trustee. This will be Yubeta’s first year serving on SGA. Khoa Bùi won reelection as Student Activities Trust Fund (SATF) treasurer. Alix Ayoub won reelection for outreach & events coordinator. Ana Julia Ribeiro won reelection for diversity and inclusion officer. Shawn Brooks, Adnan Sajid, and AJ Vasquez won reelection as senators. Members of SGA will be officially sworn in on May 6, the final senate meeting of the academic year. According to the SGA’s Instagram, the positions of SGA vice president, secretary, and publicist are vacant. There are also 27 vacant senate seats. On April 14, SGA held its annual Meet the Candidates Night to open election season. SGA President Evelyn Campbell opened the meeting by saying the event would look different from how it has in previous years, with candidates giving a one- to three-minute-long speech. After speeches concluded, students would have time to meet and speak with the candidates. The first candidate was current SGA Vice President Matos. Matos said as president, he would focus on empowering the student body. “Every student deserves a clear path from the classroom to their future career, and I'll make sure SGA is a part of building that path. But none of this works without our students - none of this works without you. SGA isn't just the title - it's supposed to represent you, your ideas, your needs, and your money,” he said. Matos added as vice president, one of the goals he focused on was expanding opportunities for student internships. “I worked toward this goal because I believed in the empowerment of the individual student and the potential that our students have in our community and the community that surrounds us,” he said. Matos said he wants to bring a change in culture because he believes there is a lot of apathy about events on campus. He said as president, he is looking forward to connecting with members of SGA and empowering them to take ownership of their role. During his speech, Yubeta said, “I hope to work with our student population to understand what tools we need in order to be successful academically, and grow our knowledge of the resources we have to be accomplished professionals as we enter the workforce.” He added he intends to keep an “open mind and listen to the concerns” of his classmates. Yubetta said he hopes to “create new programs and policies that can help our students in ways that we may currently be lacking.” He added he is looking forward to building a bridge between students, faculty, administration, and the Board of Trustees. Yubeta said he has prepared to take on the student trustee role by familiarizing himself with the position and taking on running the Admin Forum and panels. He is a member of the University’s men’s ice hockey team and the student finance coordinator for the Center for Student Experience and Career Development. Current SGA Treasurer Bùi gave his speech next. He said, “I will work to build a stronger, more passionate University spirit. A spirit that celebrates who we are, who we believe in, and what we can achieve together.” He added, “Financial support isn't just about numbers - it's about enabling ideas, uplifting student voices, and creating experiences that will be remembered long after our journey here.” Bùi said in his second term, he wants to improve school spirit and make class registration more streamlined and clear for students. Current Outreach and Events Coordinator Ayoub said, “One of the things that I want to do next year is to be able to carry on the legacy of the fRAMily and to be able to make new changes and have new goals with all the people that I serve with and all the people in their organizations and clubs across campus.” She added she is looking to have more unity both between SGA and the University’s community and within SGA itself. Ayoub said she is working with Matos on new ideas for projects and ways to format projects to make them more comprehensible for the campus community. Four of the candidates could not make it to the meeting to give their speeches in person. Their speeches were posted on the SGA Instagram account. These candidates include current Diversity and Inclusion Officer Ribeiro, current Senator Vasquez, current Senator Brooks, and current Senator Sajid. In a video posted on the SGA Instagram account, Ribeiro shared her experience coming to the U.S. and how diversity and inclusion have impacted her. In a separate post, she said, “I’ve faced exclusion for being culturally different. I’ll fight for a campus where every student feels heard, valued, and supported - no matter who they are or where they’re from.” Vasquez said, “I’m all about practical solutions, open conversations, and making sure student concerns actually lead to change.” Brooks said in a post, “I’d like to come back and help around campus once again.” Sajid said he wants to make an effective change for students at the University. He added his goal when originally joining SGA was to add more Halal food options for Muslim students. “I myself am a Muslim student who attends Framingham State, and we have very limited food options at the dining hall, at the grille, at Sandella’s, at pretty much any place there is to eat. That's one huge change I really wanted to make,” said Sajid. He said he realized during his time on SGA he could make changes not only for Muslim students, but for all students. Sajid said, “My goal as a senator in the next 2025-2026 year is to incorporate and add options, not just for obviously Muslim students, but for all the students. I'd like to make changes that are beneficial for everybody.”