Service, flexibility, and efficiency. These three core tenets comprise Hannah Syed’s platform as USGA’s 2022-2023 presidential candidate. A junior and biology major, Syed is also one of 10 College of Arts and Sciences senators.
Syed said she has personally experienced the redundancy of USGA’s internal structure and seeks to decrease the bureaucracy and facilitate students to voice their concerns directly.
“I remember working on this one project about a mentoring program for the College of Arts and Sciences during Covid, but there was such a disconnect between the senators of different schools and the branches,” said Syed, “I realized just how much potential USGA has, because of how interconnected it is with the administration.”
Syed said she understands that the undergraduate student body has ambivalent impressions about how USGA can help them in situations where they need to connect to faculty. She sees USGA as more of a resource and connection to students rather than a governing body.
“I would also like to make sure that there’s more education implemented for students in leadership positions such as senator or the cabinet, so they are not overwhelmed by their lack of knowledge. Instead of flailing, I want them to hit the ground running,” asserted Syed.
Other than at joint USGA meetings, each branch functions independently, leaving less room for effective partnerships. In addition to the joint meetings, Syed said a real-time communication strategy is necessary to promote unity and efficiency.
Syed’s platform also addresses issues in campus life including improving the meal options at dining locations to be more inclusive of diet restrictions and creating Registered Student Organizations centered sexual assault curriculum. The curriculum will include various methods to contact sexual assault counseling, filing a complaint, confidentiality responsibility and behavioral training should a student need help but not want to file a complaint.
“I want to institute CARE Coordinators for campus life to make sure mental health services or dining services are of good quality from a student’s perspective,” Syed said. “And by taking out non-school committees and replacing them with student focused committees, USGA can become closer to the student body. For example, the social justice committee can be transformed into a diversity coalition that assists with all social justice organizations on campus to be more purposeful and active.”
The final pillar of Syed’s platform is directing attention to academic affairs. By allocating more funding to tutoring services such as VMASC on campus and extending the add/drop period, Syed hopes to ease students’ concern for their education while they address other changes in their lives.
“I would describe myself as an open and energetic person, and I greatly value sharing different perspectives,” Syed said. “I know that my typical yet diversified experience at UAB will help me utilize the most of our potential.”
In the future, Syed plans to apply to medical school and aspires to be a physician with a focus on protecting community health.
Read about the other presidential candidate Ritika Samant here.
