Christian Guma and Kevork Atinizian took over as Undergraduate Government of Boston College president and vice president Wednesday, replacing Michael Osaghae and Tiffany Brooks. Guma and Atinizian won a four-way race in February by 18 votes.
UGBC posted a video to social media with a goodbye message from Osaghae, MCAS ’20, and Brooks, MCAS ’21. They announced that they were joining with Guma, CSOM ’21, and Atinizian, CSOM ’22, to donate $5,000 to the Eagles for Eagles fund on behalf of UGBC.
The money comes from unspent funds left in the UGBC budget, Guma told The Heights, and the donation is meant as a show of unity during the transition.
“I hope you and your loved ones are doing okay at this time and everyone is staying healthy,” Osaghae said in the video. “We miss you all. Today, Tiffany and I’s time as your UGBC president and vice president is coming to a close, and we wanted to leave you all with one last message.”
“As we officially pass the torch, we are honored to join forces with Christian and Kevork to donate $5,000 to the Eagles for Eagles fund on behalf of UGBC,” Brooks then added.
The Eagles for Eagles fund is a crowdsourced fund BC established to address the needs of students and other members of the BC community during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of publication, the fund has raised over $340,000 through 401 donations, according to its webpage.
“This [donation] will go directly to supporting fellow BC students who need financial assistance and aid during the coronavirus crisis,” Guma said. “And while this donation is on a small scale, we are proud to contribute and do our part to help our fellow students.”
Guma has selected three out of four presidential nominees for the executive council. The UGBC Senate must confirm the nominees after their nomination by the UGBC president before they take office. Guma told The Heights that he plans to nominate Arianna Fisher, CSOM ’21, as director of Financial Affairs; Jessica Paszko, MCAS ’22, as director of communications; and David Barry, MCAS ’21, as director of Student Initiatives. Guma has not yet selected a nominee for the Undergraduate Leadership Academy director.
The AHANA+ Leadership Council, the GLBTQ+ Leadership Council, and the Council for Students with Disabilities elected Conor McCormick, MCAS ’22, as the nominee for director of Diversity and Inclusion. McCormick will also require UGBC Senate approval before taking office.
Rejecting the stipends traditionally allotted to the executive board was a central tenet of Guma and Atinizian’s campaign. The two noted early on that they were the only team campaigning on the not accepting the entirety of the executive stipends, and reallocating the money that would go toward the executive council back into the UGBC budget for student services.
The president typically receives a stipend of $4,000, while the vice president is allotted $3,500. Other qualifying executive council members are traditionally given a $2,000 stipend.
Guma and Atinizian are still planning on rejecting the stipends traditionally allocated to the UGBC president and vice president, said Jack Lewis, incoming UGBC chief of staff and MCAS ’21, in an email to The Heights. None of the nominees for the executive positions responded to emails asking if they plan on rejecting the stipends.
The election for the 2020-2021 UGBC Senate is scheduled to be held on Sept. 15.
