Candidate for Senator
United Slate
I would like to first express that this election this year is a decisive moment for change in our community, for our community. I, Devin Dong, would be honored to ask for your vote to serve in the 2025-2026 academic year as your Senator. I believe that our Student Government Association (SGA) should be a true voice for every student, and it is imperative that we, the students, are heard, supported, and empowered to utilize the resources that BMCC offers to the fullest. My top priority is to make sure that every student’s voice is heard by making the Student Government Association (SGA) more transparent, accessible, and accountable. This means being proactive in seeking your concerns via frequent town halls and surveys, and making resources available to make it easier to know how the SGA can work for the student body, not its own agenda. Likewise, SGA should also be reporting on initiatives they are doing for students and going out of their way to interact with students, whether introducing themselves or utilizing the student representations. But listening alone is not enough, we need to show it through action too. Improving the student experience requires that we have to carry about essential improvements first, such as: the availability of more napkins outside MBJ, more charging outlets, and replacements of outdated equipment like broken monitors and keyboards. Additionally, it is crucial to fight for underrepresented communities by improving accommodations for students with disabilities, ensuring that they have the required assistance in their time at BMCC. In addition, international students face unique challenges in finding paid opportunities and gaining representation on campus; I believe that the SGA will be a perfect avenue for their concerns to be heard and valued.
Access to resources is a big obstacle for us. The BMCC website is filled with complicated forms, syllabi for classes are missing, and the portal itself appears outdated and uncared for. Adding on to this, students are also asked to navigate a multitude of platforms: Handshake, Brightspace, Navigate360, and CUNYfirst, which in my own experience as a first-semester student was particularly daunting. Furthermore, the process for securing dorm rooms or emergency housing for students experiencing homelessness needs to be more accessible and straightforward.SGA can play a key role in orienting students to the resources available to them and how to maximize their BMCC experience, by informing them or working with a student newspaper/newsletter ran by our BMCC Journalism/Media students.
I believe in collaboration. My goal is to bring together students, faculty, departments, clubs, and alumni to create more opportunities for everyone involved. This project includes art galleries, music fairs, student research projects/initiatives, a student newspaper, alumni/speaker forums, and more availability of CPR/First Aid training for all. Working with faculty to support their projects and provide students with more opportunities to express their talents and academic growth. This will benefit both faculty and students, as it promotes individual academic departments and provides faculty or students extra credit. I also want to represent our clubs and organizations by simplifying registration processes, disbursement forms, budget changes, and improving communication. Clubs form a vital part of student life, and the Student Government Association (SGA) should work with them to see that their needs are properly catered to, by being the intermediary between clubs and OSA/BMCCA.
I am running for Senator because I have faith in the community, as people who are returning to education regardless of background. I wish to be part of a movement to transform BMCC into a community where every individual has the opportunity to succeed and a student government that is responsible, reliable and representing the communities best interest. We can start here and create a way forward, so that each one of us can go anywhere. I once again humbly ask for your support and your vote to lead the path forward. Thank you.
