The University of Rhode Island student body elected their new president and vice president: third-years Argha Goswami and Sanah Feroz.
Goswami and Feroz topped the field in what the student senate called one of the most contested elections in recent years on their Instagram. Despite going through a difficult election process, Goswami and Feroz said they are excited for their future administration.
Goswami acted as a senator for two years, 2021-2023 and Feroz serves as the current director of communications on the executive board. Goswami and Feroz will be sworn in to begin their term on April 6.
The president and vice president elects ran platforms including free Rhode Island Public Transit Authority passes, better pay for Resident Assistants, diversity training and better accommodations in dining halls, which were taken from student feedback.
“I feel like one of the biggest reasons our campaign was successful was because we were really listening to students and what they had to say,” Goswami said.
Free RIPTA passes were a large platform on their campaign, which has also been implemented by the student senate this semester.
“It was a huge success when we did give out the bus passes we had,” Feroz said. “Student senate has observed that there’s a growing need for these bus passes and that students are actually using them.”
While Goswami and Feroz plan on making their own strides, they also want to continue efforts made by the current President Ramez Rizk and Vice President Jonah Steinweh-Adler. Steinweh-Adler’s passion project over the past year has been sustainability on campus, implementing sustainability attendants in the dining hall this semester, and Rizk’s was a student syllabus bank.
“I love Ramez’s idea of a syllabus bank,” Goswami said. “I think that’s very helpful for the student community.”
Goswami inspired Feroz to run for a larger leadership position after Feroz’s challenging experiences in the senate this year, Feroz said. Feroz has been the only woman on the executive board this year as well as the only newcomer to the student senate besides Steinweh-Adler.
“When you are in a space that’s been so challenging and you’ve experienced that, it does take someone external to come and say ‘It doesn’t matter,’” Feroz said. “You are still someone who has potential. And that’s what it means to have a good community.”
Goswami can’t take all the credit for their decision to run, she said. Watching Feroz struggle as a first-year senator inspired her to take action.
“I think it made me want to change that space and make it more welcoming,” Goswami said.
Feroz agreed with the initiative.
“The student body wants a change in leadership,” Feroz said. “They’re looking to have people who make you want to walk into the senate, into a general assembly and not feel like they’re on the outside.”
The new elects are putting inclusion and diversity at the forefront of their administration. Diversity training for student employees and URI 101 classes was a part of their election platform, but it doesn’t end there.
“Overall, we’re trying to make it more diverse,” Feroz said. “It’s not a people of color thing, it’s more I want to see different perspectives.”
The next student senate meeting will be held in Memorial Union room 300 on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. For more information on Goswami and Feroz’s platform, visit their Instagram: @voteforarsan.