Assemblies Elections

Candidates for College of Engineering Representative

Dale Barbaria (dkb78)

Hello Cornell Engineers. My name is Dale Barbaria, and I am a freshman in the College of Engineering. Currently, I serve on the Student Assembly’s Academic Policy Committee, so I have a general idea of how the Assembly functions and how to make the most of a representative position. If elected, I hope to use my knowledge and experiences to allow me to integrate seamlessly into the already active Student Assembly structure. I also plan to use the remainder of this semester to listen closely to Engineers and all Cornellians to identify what work can and should be done in order to make our community function both efficiently as well as in a way that benefits the well-being of all students. Cornell University and the College of Engineering have created a new home for me, and I would consider it in honor to provide a voice for and serve the greatest group on campus. If you have any questions, comments, or would just like to talk, please feel welcome to send a message to dkb78@cornell.edu. Lastly, remember to vote Dale for Engineering Representative.

Candidates for School of Hotel Administration Representative

Nelson Billington (ntb43)

l am excited for the opportunity to represent you before the Student Assembly. Strolling through the halls of Statler Hall puts a smile on my face. Bubbly personalities, bright minds, and brilliant leaders make up the fabric of the school we love. In just six short months, I’ve formed relationships with many of you and am so grateful for all you’ve done for me.

As we transition into the College of Business, I want to channel your feedback so SHA maintains its sense of community and identity, while equipping the school to meet future challenges. As a member of the Student Advisory Board, I’ve worked closely with my peers to provide a better link between Dean Johnson and students. Through my work with the rooms division of HEC, I’ve watched countless students plan and flawlessly execute the conference. My background lies primarily in restaurant operations, but I am continually enthused by classmates who start their own companies. I want to be an advocate for you as we are all #hotelies4life!

Andrea Quartner (alq9)

It is with great pleasure and honor that I announce my intention to run for the Hotel School Representative for the Student Assembly. As I reflect on the tremendous role the Hotel School has played in defining my Cornell career, I am excited by the potential opportunity to give back as a representative and fill the shoes of the former leaders who have shaped the Hotel School and Cornell community. I feel qualified to fulfill this role due to my leadership roles in the Hotel School, including serving on the executive board for the Hotel School Ambassadors and performing in multiple teaching assistant roles. I hope to take advantage of the pride felt by Hotelies and utilize the feeling of enthusiasm to forge a strong presence in the Student Assembly. With this, I believe it is important to maintain the integrity of the Hotel School as it is adopted by the College of Business. To ensure that students of SHA fully support the endeavors of the Student Assembly, it is my goal to strengthen the dialogue between students and Student Assembly through a monthly SA report to Hotel School students. I would enthusiastically welcome the challenges of Student Assembly to further the ideals of the School of Hotel Administration.

Kristina Tagliente (krt42)

My name is Kristina Tagliente and I am running for the position of your School of Hotel Administration Representative. As your elected representative my promises to the SHA community are to: 1. Streamline communication between the student body, the university and Student Assembly, 2. Serve as an effective advocate allowing for the voice of the Hotelie community to be heard by top level administrators, and 3. Continue building a strong network between students and alumni whom are leaders in the hospitality industry. Since my freshman year, I have been a devoted member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board which has provided me with vast experience at being a first hand communicator between the student body and the administration to address and resolve students’ issues. I believe that currently the SHA faces a leadership deficit in in this position and with my involvement on the Board, passion for the student body, the school, and the concerns revolving the College of Business will position me to be the strongest possible candidate. I want to grow the SHA student-alumni network to help students build relationships. As your SHA rep, I will relay your concerns and needs to the SA and university ensuring your voice is heard.

Colin Wellborn (caw342)

The Hotel School needs strong representation during this time of transition; someone who will honor and respect our motto of Life is Service while protecting our identity and standing as the university builds the College of Business. As a military veteran with four combat deployments serving as a member of Special Operations units and years of consulting for the U.S. government, I bring a unique perspective to the Hotel Administration Representative position, and the Student Assembly as a whole. The Hotel School’s position within the College of Business will be decided before next year’s full-term representative can be elected, meaning that we, as a united body of Hotelies, must ensure someone experienced and rational is representing our interests to the Student Assembly and Cornell’s leadership now.

I’ve represented U.S. interests abroad for years, working with our allies to counter terror networks and insurgent groups with global reach. I’ve served as Chief of Staff of a government relations firm focused on getting the best candidates into Congress and lobbying for security interests. With your vote, I will take those skills to the SA to serve current and future Hotelie interests, and I won’t back down.

Candidates for College of Arts and Sciences Representative

Thomas Ball (tb357)

I have an abundance of leadership experience, having served as Historian, Treasurer, and President for my class in high school. In addition, I have organized and managed several Model UN conferences as Secretary General, so I am used to reaching out to people in order to get them involved. I am a very empathetic person and easily relate to people, which means if I were to hold the position of Arts and Sciences Representative, my fellow students wouldn’t be afraid to open up to me about changes that ought to be made on campus through Student Assembly. Though I am a government major, I have a wide variety of academic interests, and would be able to clearly understand the perspectives of other Arts and Sciences students with totally different majors. If I were made A & S Representative, I would try and ensure that there is more done on campus to address, prevent, and inform about sexual assault and harassment on our campus. Though “Enough is Enough,” a New York state measure pertaining to stopping sexual assault, has brought some new measures on campus, I believe there is still more that needs to be done to make sure no student feels unsafe on the campus they call their home for 9 months out of the year.

Jeff Breuer (jmb753)

My name is Jeff Breuer and I want to go to work for you. This past spring, I announced my candidacy for President of the Student Assembly, seeking unity and partnership across our campus. Although I was defeated, I chose to stay engaged: amassing an attendance record that rivals some current Assembly members, speaking up when questions were not asked or answers were not given and holding members accountable by keeping a keen eye on how students are represented at Cornell. There was no glory in what I did, but it was the right thing to do. Now, given the opportunity to take a seat amongst my peers, I want to be an agent of real change. A vote for Jeff Breuer in this election means having a representative that will reach out and advocate for what I believe in, caring most about our constituency at all times, not just when it’s time for re-election. I will not seek another vote from you, but I would like to make Cornell a better place, one last time. Soon enough, it will be time for another election. At that time, I’d love nothing more than to stand behind you as you make a difference yourself, running a campaign to make the Student Assembly truly representative of our student population. Thank you for your consideration.

Jung Won Kim (jwk235)

Hey everyone! My name is Jung Won Kim and I am running to represent Arts and Sciences to bring about much needed changes that will help our college reach its full potential. First, I aim to compile an alumni database for Arts and Sciences modeled after the one in the Hotel School. This database of willing A&S alumni will allow students to ask for advice, internship opportunities, and jobs. As such, fellow A&S students will have more guidance and an easier time networking with alumni. I aim to achieve this by partnering with the Cornell Annual Fund and the Cornell Administration to contact alumni who are willing to participate. Second, I wish to make into reality open course evaluations. As part of the Academic Policy Committee, I am working with others to pass a resolution that will allow open course evaluations. This, among many things will make syllabi for all courses offered by Arts and Sciences open to the public. This entails students being able to see what the courses are like and what they are getting into before enrolling in them. I believe this will get rid of a lot of trouble for a lot of people. These are practical goals that I can certainly bring about with your votes. Thank you and vote Jung Won Kim!

Cole Stefan (cs834)

I’m running for the Student Assembly because I want to ensure that Arts and Sciences maintains its level of academic excellence. When it comes to my platform for Cornell as a whole, I’m passionate about increasing financial aid and preventing outrageous tuition increases. My first goal would be to create an itemized list of what percentage of your $49,116 tuition goes where. More specific to Arts and Sciences, open course evaluations are a key aspect of my platform. This is something that has been promised for years but has never happened. That will finally change because this is a crucial tool that will lead to more accountability for professors, leading to a better experience for students. In addition, I’ll use my position on the Student Assembly to advocate for making the Arts and Sciences requirements more intuitive and create more opportunities for students to fulfill those requirements (I’m honestly still not sure what KCM or SBA stands for). We’re going through tumultuous times at our fair Cornell. From the Student Health Fee to the College of Business, it’s clear that there is a lack of transparency. I will fight to keep students in the loop and I’ll always be an independent voice on the Student Assembly.

Candidates for LGTBQ+ Liaison at Large

Rachel Evarts (rde45)

My name is Rachel Evarts. I am a senior in the Urban and Regional Studies program in the Art, Architecture, and Planning department. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I understand first-hand the need for a regional cooperation between the LGBTQ community and the community at-large. The essence of my platform is to foster a close-knit community for LGBTQ people and incorporate a space for members to network and for all people to come and feel safe, while being able to network with one another and organize events.

Matthew Indimine (mi235)

Hello classmates! My name is Matthew Indimine, and I am running for LGBTQ+ Liaison At-Large of the Student Assembly.

You may be wondering why I’m running: First and foremost, I want to bridge the gap between the SA and the LGBTQ+ community. I want to improve issues for students of all identities.

How will I tangibly do this? I will be implementing a bystander intervention series, currently in the works, to educate around the issues of diversity & inclusion, how to respond to a peer in distress and how to respond to micro-aggressions. I’m also a member of the Queer Week Planning Committee, where I am planning events that target students who may not otherwise ‘be in the room.’ I’ve also worked with Haven, ALANA and Minds Matter to organize a “Dining with Diverse Minds” around LGBTQ+ issues and intersectionality.

As a member of the Greek community, I plan on fostering relationships with IFC, PHC and MGLC to improve inclusivity in every sense of the word. I’ve also organized Mental Health Awareness Week, which bridged 30+ student groups, and I’m still actively engaging with them to promote collaboration.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and PLEASE reach out to me with any concerns at mi235@cornell.edu, or on FB!

Robert Timby (rjt94)

Hello! My name is Robert Timby and I am running to be your LGBTQ+ Representative on the Student Assembly! Throughout my first year on the Student Assembly, I have worked on resolutions including ones dealing with heightened bias-incident accountability, trans*-inclusive university-wide forms, and better demographic information about LGBTQ+ people. If elected to be your next LGBTQ+ Representative, I have three main goals: �ADVOCATE for increased administrative transparency �ALLY with other prominent communities on campus �ACHIEVE more LGBTQ+ educative measures and improved access to queer resources on campus I believe that the queer community at Cornell has achieved a lot of progress in recent years, however, we still have a long way to go. In order for us to reach our goals, it is necessary that the queer community comes together to fight discrimination and prejudice based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Together, both queer and non-queer, we must ADVOCATE, ALLY, and ACHIEVE in order to progress the rights of the Cornell queer community forward! Thank you and remember to vote for Robert!

Nathan Weierich (ncw38)

My name is Nathan Weierich and I am a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Economics, Government, and Music.

I’m running for the LGBTQ Liaison because the SA is failing Cornell’s students. SA members are the students the administrators listen to, but are failing to represent student interest. When SA members slash EMS funding, then try to spend $15,000 of student funds on iPads for themselves, something is seriously wrong.

I haven’t chalked, quarter carded, or passed out flyers. Why? In order to get elected, Most SA candidates focus on superficial means rather than the issues at hand. The issues are my priority.

If elected, I will focus on the issues of mental health and sexual assault. Both are relevant to all students here at Cornell, but they also disproportionately affect members of the LGBTQ community. The University’s failure to sincerely address these two issues is a shame. I want to do something about it.

From lobbying to put $6 billion in education funding on my state ballot, to working to allow teenagers to register to vote at DMVs, I have always been an advocate for my peers. I hope to continue this at Cornell.