Students at the University of Miami have spoken and chosen their next representatives. Each senator has different goals and visions, yet each share a desire for a better future for UM and its students.
On Sep. 22, the UM Student Government Elections Commission announced the results of the Fall 2022 Senate Elections. 1,241 undergraduate students cast their ballots, deciding the next representatives of the University of Miami’s student body.
“I think it is very important for students to vote as senators and other elected positions directly represent their interests. Their vote truly makes an impact,” junior marine affairs and political science major Samantha Suchsland said.
Suchsland served as Lakeside senator last year and won the election for Pearson senator for the 2022-2023 academic year.
When deciding who to vote for, students sought similar traits in candidates. Elisa Della Mea, an international student from Italy majoring in human resource management and entrepreneurship, shared her hopes for this year’s elected senators.
“I am hoping for Senators that have the students and the university’s best interest in mind and genuinely care about their opinions,” Della Mea said.
Della Mea added that she values their effort and hard work.
Similarly, Cristina Montes, a sophomore studying business analytics, looks for highly-motivated candidates.
“When deciding on who to vote for I am looking for the most motivated candidate who takes their position seriously,” Montes said.
Student Government has long been a valuable organization on campus, representing student’s interests since it began in 1926, the same year that UM opened its doors. It is split into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The senate is the primary part of the legislative branch and its elected officers act as the supreme legislative power. Student Government as a whole plans and implements a variety of initiatives regarding academics, campus life and other facets of student life.
Many of the elected senators articulated clear goals they already had in mind. From working on facilitating parking on campus to advocating for technological improvements, the senators are prepared to represent the student body.
“My main goal for this year is to work with Parking and Transportation to identify solutions and ways to prevent the issue many students faced while selecting their permits for the year,” Suschland said.
Angel Aguilar, elected senator for the Miami Herbert Business School and a junior studying accounting and economics, had a more academic focus.
“Some of my primary goals this year include investing in additional online pre-graduate resources, discussing technological improvements on campus based on my work with Campus Liaison Council last school year and engaging in roundtable discussions with UM business administrators and MHBS students on new academic products in an effort to continue supporting the number one ranked undergraduate business school in the state,” Aguilar said.
Through the Student Government Senate, students have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty and administration to generate visible change on campus. Notably, in the past year, Student Government has advocated to lift parking restrictions during family weekend and installed face mask dispensers around the campus.
Sophomore Evan Bycholski, who successfully ran for senate again this fall, expressed his appreciation for the organization.
“The reason I value student government is because of the ability and platform it gives students such as myself to work closely with their peers and administration to make positive change on campus,” Bycholski said.
His mission to advance the university community and faithfully represent the interests of the class of 2025 inspired him to run for a second consecutive year.
“To have a representative that represents the many different people on campus and give a platform to those of various backgrounds and identities would be ideal,” sophomore organizational leadership major Sara Holtam said.
Representing a diverse student body comes with certain responsibilities and challenges.
“The responsibility of representing my peers requires a heart full of motivation, willingness to serve and ability to collaborate with peers which I am so excited to do this upcoming year,” Aguilar said.
Below are the results for this year’s student government senate elections:
Residential Life:
Stanford Residential College: JM Murphy
Mahoney Residential College: Brandon Damus
Pearson Residential College: Samantha Suchsland
Eaton Residential College: Bryn Prosser
Lakeside Village: Nik Howell
University Village: David Rubin
Academic Schools and Colleges:
College of Arts & Sciences: Samantha Zeigler and Nicholas Wolfe
College of Engineering: Felipe Rangel
Frost School of Music: Eric McKenzie
Miami Herbert Business School: Angel Aguilar
Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science: Ryan McMullen
School of Architecture: Chailin Lewis
School of Communication: Sofia Palacios
School of Education and Human Development: Rachel Bermudez
School of Nursing and Health Studies: Dahmoya Kennedy
Class Senators:
Freshman Class: Trey Lazzari and Zayn Dalao
Sophomore Class: Evan Bycholski and Madison Smith
Junior Class: Bria White and Edward You
Senior Class: Devin Flaherty and Jorge Gonzalez
Senators:
Student Employee: Angel Cruz-Viola
Transfer Student: Paul Douillon and Vanessa Garcia
Student Athlete: Daphne Lavassas
International Student: Vjera Radovic
Commuter: Nicole Calderon and Kevin Cruz
Run off elections will be held Sep. 26 and 27 for the third commuter senator.
The following senate seats are available for special appointment: Miami Herbert Business School, School of Communication, Transfer Student, International Students, Student Employee, Veteran Student, Fraternity Row and Freshman Class. Students may apply through Engage by Sep. 28 at 11:59 p.m.