From April 4 to 7, the University of Massachusetts Boston undergraduate student body voted for their representatives in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG).
While seats for senators were uncontested, USG’s president and vice president spots were heavily competed. Undergraduates also voted for Student Trustee Nolan O’Brien’s replacement.
According to the official election results, Vice President Ciro Castaldi and Senator Kendra Ford won the race for Student Body President and Vice President, respectively. They won with a majority of 55 percent.
Furthermore, Senator Pantea Fatemi Ardestani was elected to be the next student trustee with a majority of 42.8 percent.
In an interview with the Mass Media, Castaldi and Ford stated that one of their main goals for their upcoming period in office is to “have increased student representation on committees. The more community engagement there is about the decisions that are made at UMass Boston, the more students will feel connected to their campus and [be] heard.”
Additionally, they pointed out that other important aspects for them will be to “address concerns related to accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and safety” as well as increasing transparency between students and administration.
“The decision to have Kendra as a running mate made sense to me. When deciding to run for President, I wanted someone who had a different experience than I had,” said Castaldi when asked why he chose Ford as his vice president for the ballot.
“[Castaldi’s] dedication to unifying the branches of [UMass Boston’s] Student Government stood out to me, as this is a goal of mine as well,” said Ford.
“I wanna make sure that students are being heard,” said newly-elected Fatemi Ardestani, who previously served on the Campus and Community Affairs Committee.
All three winners also pointed out their willingness to face challenges they might face while in office.
Fatemi-Ardestani, as well as Castaldi and Ford, explained that they all will experience a time in the beginning when they will be adjusting to their new role. Castaldi pointed out, however, that “having already worked alongside [Ford], we have established a strong working relationship.”
“This will facilitate the process of getting started right away on the projects we have identified,” Fatemi Ardestani explained.
Although the situation might be “intimidating” at the beginning, she will make sure to voice students concerns.
Fatemi Ardestani is a sophomore with a double major in biology and political science, and a minor in Chinese. Castaldi is a junior majoring in management, while Ford is a junior with a political science major.
