The Envoy

At Hunter, student government elections are experiencing minimal voter engagement and competitiveness.

In 2023, a little over 10% of the student body voted in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) elections, said Miesha Smith, the director of student life at Hunter. Even fewer ran for office.

Nevertheless, candidates wanting to serve on Hunter’s student government should ideally possess a sense of ambition and resourcefulness. They need time to put together campaigning materials, communicate with strangers, and think about how they can address issues that resonate with most of their peers. 

Bashir Juwara, the current USG president, pointed out that working on the student government helps individuals to grow as a leader and as a person. He feels the best way to increase the level of engagement is to “introduce policies that directly impact” students, such as free MetroCards. 

“If you campaign on the platform of free transportation for students,” said Juwara. “They will vote because it is something that directly impacts them as they cannot afford to pay for transportation to their classes.”

Running for office is not for everyone. Guillermo Fuentes, a film production major, said that people who commute have an entirely different lifestyle from those living by campus.

 “We have a lot of things going on at home, and it’s just very hard to balance so many things at once,” Fuentes said.

Senior Nusrat Sharmin similarly attributed a demanding workload to be a deterring factor against USG involvement. She said she considered running for office her freshman year, but her “focus on academics became too serious” and her interest in student government eventually faded away.

Under the Hunter constitution, student government leaders have the chance to make their voices heard. In addition to having the final say on what clubs get what money, the USG can pass resolutions supporting a particular presidential candidate or take sides in political conflicts, but Smith says that the current USG government does not do that as it risks excluding students on campus.

“They’re here to be advocates for students about what they need from Hunter and from CUNY,” said Smith. “And so lots of times they pass resolutions that are specifically based on that.” 

A curious feature of Hunter elections is the slate, an arrangement where a group of students band together as a team and field a representative for each of the elected positions. 

In the 2023 election, a slate of 35 students ran under the banner “A United Hunter.” The only competitive election that year was for the office of presidency. The head of the slate, Asia Akperov, competed against independent candidate Juwara, the latter who would become the next president. 

Some argue that forming slates discourage more contested elections. Perhaps, but a slate is for those students who want to become involved in student government, yet do not know how to go about doing it. By joining a slate, they will work with other students they may not know and together put forth a united platform.

Smith said that Hunter College does not necessarily encourage slates, but added that “lots of students ask us how to get involved. And the fastest way to get involved in elections is you can contact the campaign manager for a slate that exists.” The alternative is for a student to read the entire election packet and decide which position to run for.

Charles Tien, a professor of political science at Hunter, said that slates provide student voters with some information to make a decision. If you know one person on the slate, said Tien, then “you know information about other people in the slate as well.” 

“Student elections are real elections with real consequences,” said Tien. “Participating in student elections helps students develop the sense that their voices matter. And that is important for developing a lifelong habit of participating in our democracy.” 

Students wanting to run for office must have all their paperwork in by Mar. 25. USG elections will be held from May 6 to May 9.