Kristina Vukaj

My name is Kristina Vukaj and I write to you with hopes of becoming your 2014-2015 President. I am 5.8, Albanian, and hard working. I do not want to waste your time, so I will make my points quickly and effectively. I believe that I ended up at Pace for a reason. Most people will tell you I’m am on campus way too much for a commuter and there’s not a day that the library janitor walks by me and I don’t greet him. I am a person who lives for others, who believes in hard work, and who wants a more integral role in helping this university reach its potential. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way, one whose courage to fulfill a vision comes from passion, and one who empowers others. I can be this leader for you.

My freshman year I saw a need to recognize high achieving students who were transitioning from high school, so I founded Alpha Lambda Delta, the National Honor Society for First Year Students. I believe in working towards excellence since part of why we are here is to learn and develop into professionals. Throughout my time at Pace I have maintained a 3.9 GPA, while juggling multiple responsibilities. I am a 5 time Delegate on the University’s Winning Model United Nations team, and a member of the Setters Leadership Program.

This past semester, my senior team and I founded Pace Mart, a convenience store/ café coming to Mortola Library this April! Pace Mart will create more internship opportunities for business students, more student jobs, and enable community development by keeping more students on campus. We will also be there when you want a cup of coffee while studying, or a roll of toilet paper for your dorm room.

You might ask what I plan to do, but the purpose of SGA is to be a body that serves the students; that means you call the shots around here! How many times have you been promised something that you never got? Many of you voice issues with parking, or the fact that there are still mounds of snow separating the rows of the Miller lot. We all recognize the gaps between the NYC, Pleasantville, and Briarcliff campuses, the gaps between commuters and dormers, issues being faced by student orgs, or the possibility that our current needs are being compromised to fulfill the future master plan. I have been listening, and I am still listening. I want to make a difference, even if it is only in the world that we live in. Help me make that difference and vote for Kristina Vukaj as President.

John Wrench

Coming out of high school, I never thought I would attend Pace University, I fell in love when I came for orientation, and since then I have seen myself and my campus grow. As a freshman I became involved with student organizations through the founding of Philosophy Club, my initiation in a Greek organization, and later as a Senator. I believe that I have a well-rounded view of Pace and my investment in the student body forces me to seek ways to make the student life on this campus better. I take Student Government very seriously as it is one of the best settings to make the campus life on Pleasantville even better, I also am interested in tackling projects at Pace that would benefit all students as well as making their voices heard.

If I were to be elected as President of the Student Government Association, I have several goals that I think I would be responsible for:

1. To install standing committees or working groups, made up of senators, to tackle student problems at Pace University.
2. I would like to shift the function of the Student Government over to a more proactive system. Student Government was started on this campus to primarily aid the administrative offices with registration and the management of student organizations. While these are important tasks, I believe that the Student Government should be focusing on student advocacy and problem solving more than act as a second, student-run SDCA office.
3. Regarding several specific projects, I would personally push for the installment of 24-hour library hours in Mortola Library; there is a large student push for this and it would make sense that if Pace University supports academic success, it would make sense to make the library of more viable option.
4. I would like to start a student driven advocacy program which would go out into the student population and interview them concerning changes they want at Pace, instead of sending out automated surveys to Pace email. The best way to reach students is to sit down with them and ask them what they need from the university. I would then request that these students come to Student Government as see their concern discussed, hopefully this would encourage new student leaders to emerge from the Pace population.
5. I would fight to keep financial aid options for students considering the cuts to Federal Work Study, we need to make it possible for students to stay here and by working with administration, I hope that we may be able to give new options to students who are struggling to stay at Pace.

Thank you for your support,

John G. Wrench