By By Jesse Cataldo
Newly elected Student Government Association (SGA) president, Ben Solis, is poised to a make a series of changes in an attempt to increase student involvement.
Although the youth of America seems more in tune with politics than they have been in years, involvement in student government remains low. According to civicyouth.org, voter turnout in the 18 to 24 age group reached 42 percent in the 2004 election, the highest point in 12 years. Despite the fact that student government affects people of this age group much more directly, the amount of students involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) at the University is far less.
Solis was elected on April 28, after a run-off election. In the first vote, only 990 votes were cast out of over 8,000 eligible students. Solis and Vice President Olin Grant Parker, missed the necessary 50 percent majority in the race by only 29 votes. With 868 votes cast in the runoff, Solis and Parker edged out Dave Leveille and Kathleen Hunker, with 485 votes to 383. Heather Gibbons, former president, officially passed the position to Solis at a May 3 turnover meeting.
“I didn’t expect a clear victory,” Solis said. “I knew it would be a hard fight.”
Although excited about his victory, Solis admitted he was unsatisfied with student participation.
“If only 10 percent of University students are having their voices heard,” Solis said. “Then we’re failing at our job of representation.”
Originally from Albany, N.Y., Solis will be starting his junior year at the University in the fall. As a double major in political science and philosophy, Solis also has three minors. Solis has been interested in politics since he was a child, something he picked up from his father. It was not until his freshman year at the University that Solis decided to become involved in school politics.
Solis first became aware of the SGA when member, Matt Anderson, asked him to sign a petition as part of his presidential campaign. Soon after, Solis joined the association, becoming a senator at the year-end turnover meeting. During his sophomore year he sat on the Appropriations Committee, before becoming Comptroller, a position he held until his election as student government president.
“[The main job of the president is to act as the] voice of the students with the administration,” Solis said.
The SGA president serves as an intermediary between students and University administration, as well as sitting on University Senate as an ex officio, voting member. The president also serves as the executive branch of the SGA Senate, which deals with issues relating to student organizations and clubs, as well as dealing with Lackmann food service and Public Safety.
The cause of the low level of student involvement could be traced back to the fact many are not familiar with how SGA works. The organization is comprised of two bodies. The first is the Senate, which meets every Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Greenhouse. The Senate discusses the week’s businesses, including matters that have been discussed by its sub-committees, which meet at varying times during the week.
As it is set up, Solis believes the SGA is conducive to getting things done, at least if it were running as the constitution dictated. Unfortunately many meetings are bogged down in internal conflict and bureaucracy. For next year, Solis plans to update the rules to make the organization more applicable to the present.
As he attempts to make SGA more appealing to students, Solis is also excited about some of the movements students have put in motion. In reference to the Coca-Cola controversy, in which a resolution drafted by students challenged the University’s exclusive contract with the company, Solis said, “I was really proud to see what started as a grass-roots student campaign turn into a full referendum.”
The reform began with a coalition of concerned students who complained about the company’s unethical practices and unfair treatment of workers. The resolution eventually worked its way to the Faculty Senate and then on to the University Senate where it was passed. The University Senate also passed a resolution that urged President Stuart Rabinowitz to submit his recommendation about the situation to the University community before any decision on signing a new contract with Coke is finalized.
In order to achieve his goal of greater student involvement, Solis plans to create executive commissions made up of senators, non-senators and faculty members. He hopes these groups will be able to deal with issues that affect the entire University. Solis also hopes to bring the University’s Greek community, its commuter students and many of its clubs into the SGA fold, encouraging strong partnerships between these groups. To further this, he plans to co-sponsor barbecues and other campus events.
One of Solis’ most immediate goals is the completion of the new SGA Web site, which he is currently working on. The Web site aims to inform students on what the organization does; allowing students to see who is representing them and to read public documentation of group meetings. He also hopes by next year, electronic voting will be available, allowing students to cast their votes without even leaving their rooms. To attract students, the site will be linked from a billboard in the Hofstra Portal.
Through these new initiatives, Solis hopes SGA will be able to ensure that next year will be an exciting and eventful one for student government at the University.
To fulfill his job as the voice of the student body, Solis hopes for far greater interaction between himself and those he represents in the upcoming year. He invites questions, concerns or issues, which can be directed to the temporary SGA email account: [email protected]. Solis can also be reached in the SGA office in room 207 in the Student Center, or through his office phone number, (516) 463-4963.


Ben Solis, as SGA President during the 2005-2006 school year, will push students to become involved with the organization.