Age: 20
Year: Junior
Major: Political science
Hometown: Woodbridge, Conn.
Embarrassing freshman year moment: Getting EMeRGed at the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Next song University President Steven Knapp should dance to: “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5
Platform: transparency; sending SA senators to student org meetings; making the SA more representative of the student body
Josh Benjamin wants to be Student Association president for the simple reason that he is “just a student” who understands the general sentiments of the student body.
“I have always thought that people who choose to run for SA president are not really representative of the student body,” Benjamin said. “I am just a normal student and I want to actually create a better working environment for student orgs, the SA and the student body as a whole.”
Benjamin – co-executive of the student theater company 14th Grade Players – said a bad experience with the SA prompted his desire to run.
“That’s what kicked it off, I was fed up with what I thought was favoritism towards fraternities and political organizations,” he said.
In addition to ending what he said he sees as SA favoritism toward certain student organizations, Benjamin said he plans to make the organization’s proceedings more transparent through regular e-mails to the student body about meetings and decisions.
“I have no clue what the SA does on a week-to-week basis. I can’t find their constitution or their minutes online,” Benjamin said, adding he intends to revamp the SA website to aid in communication with students.
If elected, Benjamin said he wants to give student organizations more credit for their work. He intends to get rid of the requirement that organizations put the SA’s logo on posters for events with an SA co-sponsorship.
“The SA does not need credit,” Benjamin said. “They are here to help.”
Benjamin said his lack of past SA experience is not a disadvantage for his campaign.
“I think that if I was looking to be a politician and get things done politically in the SA, then yeah, that would hurt me. But that is not what I am looking to do,” Benjamin said. “I am looking to just be a student trying to help other students and I think that that is a pretty simple job. It’s a lot to do, but I think any student can do it.”
