Class president candidate profiles

The Polytechnic asked students running for class president to discuss the issues they plan to address if elected. Here are the responses we received.

[Editor’s note: The following was edited for clarity and for The Poly's grammatical and mechanical style.]

If elected, what issues would you address, and how will this affect the campus or members of your class?

Class of 2021 president candidates

Lisa Sulmasy: As the class of 2021 president, I will focus on making the 2021 Class Council efficient and accessible. Having been a member of the council for three years and serving as President for one, I have the experience and resources to be able to lead the council to success. In my eyes, success for the council consists of three distinct parts: planning and executing enjoyable and well-attended senior year events, such as 200 Days, 100 Days, and senior week; providing a constructive outlet across multiple platforms for peers to communicate questions or concerns; and fostering an environment where classmates can develop bonds and forming lasting memories. With my experience, motivation, and guidance, I can lead the 2021 council to this success as president.

Class of 2023 president candidates

Harshil Patel: There is a well-defined mindset among every student at RPI. Everybody wants to get a degree, and everybody wants to keep a “steer clear of danger” mentality. And that’s the bottom line. We need to keep communication between the school administration and the students at a maximum, and I believe class council is the interface; I’ve sat down and spoke with my friends in the Student Senate, and it’s pretty clear, students are under-informed when it comes to bureaucracy. The peace officer bill. What does this mean to people? No COVID-19 pun-intended, there is a huge social distance between school administrators, whose responsibility is to address the needs of students, and the average day-to-day student. As class president and not a figure in an ivory tower, it is my responsibility to bridge this gap. Political activism, student rights, social networking, and internship outreach, therefore, are the goals of my campaign.

Scott Schwartz: My name is Scott Schwartz. I am a freshman physics major and I am running for class president. I am currently the class vice president. My experiences in my first two semesters at RPI have driven me to immerse myself in student government. I attended meetings about New York State Senate Bill S7645, which would allow RPI to designate ‘Peace Officers’ of the state, the Arch, and planning events for our class. If elected for class president I will focus on responsibly spending our budget to improve the quality and size of class events, establish an infrastructure for communicating to the members of our cohort and building a sense of community that will encourage students to build friendships and memories that they can hold on to. I am also concerned about making up for the time we missed at RPI during this semester, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.