Student Government Elections

• February 10: Intent to Run Forms go live on VictorsLink @ 10:00 AM
• February 15: Interest Meeting @ 1:00 PM via Zoom
• February 22: Interest Meeting @ 9:00 AM via Zoom
• February 24: Interest Meeting @ 1:00 PM via Zoom
• March 3: Intent to Run Forms due by 5:00 PM via VictorsLink
• March 6: RSO Endorsement Forms Open
• March 22: Online Campaigning begins @ 12:01 AM
• March 22: In-Person Campaigning begins @ 8:00 AM
• March 27: Presidential Candidate Debate @ 1:00 PM
• March 29: Voting opens @ 9:00 AM
• March 30: Voting closes @ 9:00 PM
• TBD: Complaint/Violation Form Submission Deadline

*All times in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

My name is Darena Matti (she/her/hers) and I’m going into my senior year studying Behavioral and Biological Sciences. Throughout my time as President this last winter semester, I have worked tirelessly to address the concerns and complaints of students on campus. I have spent over 30 hours per week collaborating with administrators, faculty, and staff to ensure that the voices of students are heard and that their needs are being met. As your Student Government President, I plan to continue this work and expand upon the change I have already started on campus. My goal is to create a community that is inclusive, equitable, and forward-thinking, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to our campus. When our community had undergone a tragedy where we lost three scholars to the MSU shooting, I spent all week working with Ann Arbor and Flint in producing a joint statement in where we received support from 15 colleges. I spent countless hours with students to help them during these rough times. I have worked with Chancellor Grasso and Chief Gorski to ensure that our safety is in good hands. I believe that as a leader, it is essential to listen to the needs of the community and take action to address them. Throughout my time as President, I have worked tirelessly to ensure that our campus is a safe and welcoming environment for all students. I have fought for campus safety measures, bringing exam baggies on campus for when students need them, and have worked with organizations throughout campus to ensure that their needs are being met. As your Student Government President, I am committed to ensuring that our campus changes with the times and meets the needs of students throughout their academic career. I am here to help you blossom in your years on campus and to ensure that you have the resources and support you need to succeed. Overall, my goal as a leader is to inspire positive change and to empower others to do the same. I am here for you and I will ensure that I will do whatever it takes to highlight your needs. I believe that with my Vice President, we can create a vibrant and inclusive community that fosters growth, learning, and success for all students where Wolverines continue to fight for change.

My name is Jana Rida (she/her/hers) and I’m going into my senior year studying biomedical engineering with a minor in women’s and gender studies. My intent to run is to bring power and a voice to our UMD students. As a first generation Arab American woman entering a male-dominated field, I understand the struggles of not being heard in a room. From hosting events to town halls, I am committed to hearing what students would like to see amplified on campus and being a voice for my peers. We spend four or more years practically living on this campus - I would like to make it a home where people can collaborate with one another and make meaningful change, all while doing the best they can in their education. These past few years have been filled with many unexpected and tough times for our students. The COVID-19 Pandemic turned our world upside down. As we transition back to almost fully in-person learning, our campus life needs to bounce back as well. I have held many leadership positions across campus, one of which is being a member of the Society of Women Engineers’ POWER planning committee where I helped host the 5th Annual SWE POWER Conference. I am a Laboratory Instructor for the ENGR 100 course where I help engineering students expand their knowledge on many engineering topics and guide them through their projects. Outside of school, I work for the Executive Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer where I have the pleasure of training new interns, creating messages that were sent out to tens of millions of Michiganders and helping connect thousands of constituents to resources. As the previous Director of Inclusion, I have hosted dozens of collaborations between Student Government and other campus organizations to promote Inclusion Week which is a week dedicated to our diverse student body. For the two years that I was in Student Government, I have made incredible relationships with these organizations, campus departments, and our wonderful faculty who help us carry out these events. Student Government has the power to enact real change across our campus. I will do my part to take Student Government to the next level and accomplish all the change that we hope to see on campus. I remain committed to empowering UMD by being a voice for our students, as us Wolverines continue to fight for change.

My name is Maria Tarakhovsky (she/her) and I’m a junior at the College of Business for Digital Marketing. I joined Student Government my first week of freshman year and decided that this organization was the one I would give 100% to. My experiences in college along with my passions paved a way for me to understand that my #1 priority for this campus is safety. I’ve been helping host safety workshops and events for a few years and being President of the student body will allow me to expand on these events and this vision more. Expansion of safety events would look like more hands-on training, more frequent events, more experts called in to present, and different variations of events such as demonstrations, discussion panels, presentations, and in depth topic exploration. Run, hide, and fight training, self-defense techniques, and emergency safety protocols are a few examples. The theme of safety is not only physical, but emotional. Plans to pursue this angle would include specific mental health education regarding emotional intelligence and safety, neurodivergence awareness, realistic goal setting and achieving, interpersonal relationships in school + the workplace and beyond (including boundary setting workshops), and early development education to understand self-development. Our university and its networks have great resources for these topics and their education, and the student body deserves the opportunity to learn them. Volunteerism and community service initiatives will be encouraged more as part of UMD’s known values. Our students do an outstanding job, and along with involvement events on campus, volunteerism will be added as of equal importance with these events. Examples would include partnering with food drives and community service initiatives for the Dearborn community. I truly have a passion for helping others, and I believe that my experience in leadership, connecting and building with others, and commitment can make a difference in the campus and community.

As a junior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, I have always been passionate about community service and volunteerism. From my very first semester at the university, I immersed myself in student organizations and volunteer work, and I quickly realized that this was something I was truly passionate about. Outside of the university, I am currently the president of a nonprofit organization, and I am proud to say that I am the youngest person to ever hold this position. This experience has given me a unique set of skills in leadership and organization, which I believe make me an ideal candidate for bringing about positive change on campus. There are several key issues that I believe we can tackle as a community, including increasing volunteerism and mental health awareness. These are both issues that are close to my heart, and I believe that by working together, we can make a real difference in the lives of students on campus. One of my main goals is to encourage more students to get involved in volunteer work and service projects. There are so many opportunities to give back to the community, and I believe that by working together, we can make a positive impact on those around us. I also believe that by increasing mental health awareness on campus, we can help to create a more supportive and caring community for everyone. Another important area that I believe we can improve is safety training. By working with the university administration and partnering with local businesses and community organizations, I believe that we can create a safer and more secure campus for all students. Overall, I am committed to making a positive difference in the lives of those around me, and I believe that by working together, we can achieve great things. I am excited to continue my journey of service and leadership, and I look forward to working with all members of the campus community to bring about positive change.

I would like to run for senate as I think I can offer perspective to the student government from a veteran point of view. I also would be representing a CASL student perspective.

Alfarezdeq Nassir (He/Him) Biological Science, Junior To whom this may concern, I am looking to run for a position in the senate. I believe that the best trait for someone in this position is honesty. Knowing that I possess this characteristic, I am forthcoming in stating that this position will allow me to be more active on campus. I am a member of other organizations on campus. However, none of these organizations serve the whole U of M-Dearborn community. My time in college has been filled with an array of experiences, but they all link back to serving underrepresented communities, such as middle school students, college students, and foster youth, but I would love to expand on my experiences and serve the university as a whole. The second reason is due to my belief that some issues on campus have not been addressed properly and need a light shone onto them. Many of these issues include diversity on campus and the representation of different ethnic groups, an example of which is the categorization of Arabs in the university’s diversity claims and the effect that this has on Arab student opportunities. Some lighthearted issues include increasing student engagement on campus. I do recognize that the largest challenge that the university faces is that U of M-Dearborn is a commuting campus. Therefore, our main objective is to figure out ways to not only attract the students to come to campus but keep students who are already on campus to stay. These two reasons are the major issues that I see but there are many more. This doesn’t mean that our campus is solely composed of issues, and it would also be a disservice if we do not highlight the good that is done on this campus. I do believe that I would be a valuable addition to the senate and that I could help spearhead change on this campus. My closing statement is this: a combination of my past experiences, resilience, leadership and many more skills that I possess would work remarkably in conjunction with the tremendous board that I believe we would be able to elect to Student Government allowing for the massive changes that, I do not doubt, we will be able to achieve in our time in office and, in turn, will achieve our objective to be wolverines for change. Best Regards, Alfarezdeq G Nassir.

My name is Rupinder Singh and I am a freshmen majoring in Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing Engineering. I am excited to announce my candidacy for the senator position at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I am running for this position because I am passionate about making a difference and representing the student body. As a senator, I believe that I can use my skills and experience to bring positive change to our campus. If elected, I plan to work diligently with my fellow senators to implement policies that will benefit the students of our campus. I want to work towards providing more resources for students and making them more accessible. One of my primary goals is to increase transparency in student government by creating a communication channel between the student body and the senators. This will allow for better understanding of the issues that are important to students, and allow us to work together to make necessary changes. As a Mechanical Engineering major, I have a strong background in problem solving and critical thinking, which I plan to use to identify and solve issues that students face on campus. I believe that students should have a voice in decision-making, and as a senator, I plan to advocate for the interests of all students. Furthermore, I plan to work with other organizations on campus to create more opportunities for student involvement. I believe that student engagement is essential for the growth and development of our campus. Through collaboration, we can create a stronger, more inclusive community. In conclusion, I am eager to bring fresh ideas to the role of senator, and I believe that I am well-equipped to make a positive impact on the campus. I want to create a campus culture that is inclusive, transparent, and focused on the well-being of our students. Thank you for your consideration and I hope to have your vote.

Hello! I have been apart of Student Government from Fall 2022. I have learned so much during this time about our campus. I would like to be apart of the student government team to be the voice of the other students that are afraid or unable to speak up about their worries, concerns and more.

I am Muhammad Dakhlallah, a freshman psychology major who hopes to run for the Senate. I would like to run for this position as I am currently on the E-board of Student Government. During my time as the current Corresponding Secretary for Student Government I have helped with booking, setting up, and participating in events with other E-board members under President Houghtby and current President Matti. A few examples of events that I have participated in are planting the trees with Student Government at Lapeer park, the Friendsgiving, Constitution day, Microaggressions lecture, etc. Currently I am working on setting up Student Government to meet with all three of the Dearborn Public School high school leadership groups as well as Divine Child in order to talk to them about preparing for college, becoming active participants in their schools, and the transition from high school to college. I also send out the weekly emails regarding meeting times, dates, changes in plans and more. I hope to be re-elected for this position as I have been trained on the role of my current position , have become comfortable with my responsibilities, and am eager to work on more events in the foreseeable future.

My name is Aamina Rehman, and I am a sophomore majoring in psychology at the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters. I use she/her pronouns. I am running for the senator position in order to continue my work with Open Education Committee. Due to my passion for education, I was selected in 2021 by UM-D’s Student Government (SG) President to serve as the student representative for UM-D’s Open Education Committee, which consists of faculty and staff. We work to address issues such as textbook affordability and accessibility, available resources, and more, particularly geared towards low- income and marginalized students who are faced with difficulty with textbook charges. To raise awareness regarding automatic textbook billing programs, I organized a presentation with a speaker from InclusiveAccess.org, who spoke with our Student Government. Additionally, as a committee, we recently co-authored a Zine article regarding automatic textbook billing programs. We also gave a presentation at the Digital Education Days 2023 Virtual Conference for the faculty and staff at University of Michigan-Dearborn, Henry Ford College, Mott Community College, and University of Michigan-Flint regarding automatic textbook billing, including from the student perspective which I presented about; open educational resources; and creative commons licensing. Through educating faculty and staff through this presentation, and the wider campus public through our article, we hope to achieve the overall goal of reducing textbook costs especially for students of low-income backgrounds, by raising awareness about such issues. This term, I hope to continue to raise awareness around issues regarding textbook costs, such as by working with Student Government’s Student and Academic Affairs Committee and the Public Relations Committee to interview students about their perspective on textbook costs, while simultaneously using this as an opportunity to educate campus about open educational resources. To remain advocating for education, I hope to continue my engagement with Student Government this term! Note: In this photo from the Go Blue Bash, I am in the center.

My name is Nimah Azam (she/hers) and I’m currently a sophomore pursuing a major in psychology here at UMD. Moreover, I’m a pre-health student on the pre-dental track. I’d like to run for senate as I’ve been an active senator for four semesters since my freshman year, and I love it. I’ve been in various positions such as senate clerk, environmental committee chair, and I am currently serving as the student academic affairs committee chair. For the future, I plan to stay just as committed in my senate role and wish to contribute just as heavily. I have several new ideas that I wish to implement in the new school year, such as Senator and student government recruiting events and “meet your student government” social events. I’d like student government to be a more prominent force on campus that students feel comfortable coming to for anything they may need.

My name is Muhammad Shah, and I am a Junior studying Biological Sciences. I desire to run for Senator because I have been one since last year. Making a good change is a notion that I desire, and running for Senator is one way to start the process of betterment among the campus of the esteemed University of Michigan Dearborn. Before conveying information about what could be done on campus to make it a better place for everyone, I will speak on a few topics that I helped the campus through Student Government. I was the Public Relations Chair for two consecutive semesters, meaning I have a familiarity with the organization as well as the intricate details that dwell inside it. I aided with social media as well as events with SAA. An event that I helped with that I am also particularly proud of is the Ramadan dates for students that were fasting. During the 2021-2022 year, another student and I brought up the concern of Picasso closing during fasting opening, so we started a fire among the students to think of ways to aid this negative. With the help of many minds and approval from admins, we made goodie bags for students to break their fasts. As much as I am proud of the idea we completed, much more is left on the table to satisfy. One notion for the future that I want to go over is gaining a clear status of when Picasso opens and closes because many students have labs, and by the time they end, Picasso has been closed. I feel that it is unfair for students that have a lab at four or five to stay hungry after and not have the choice to eat since the one and only food supplier on the campus is closed, and clearly, this is an issue that must be resolved or remedied. Overall, I look forward to working with students in the organization and out of it. With our efforts, we can make the campus a better place, be it baby steps, but we can and will.

My name is Zahra Patni, she/her, and I am a sophomore at UM-Dearborn. I am running to be a Senator for the 2023-2024 term. I have been an active member of Student Government since my freshman year. As a Senator in my first year, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Students and Academic Affairs Committee, as well as the Public Relations Committee. In my time with those committees, I was able to do my part to bring change to the campus. For example, in the PR Committee, we completely revamped the Student Government Instagram; with lots of hard work of current committee members, the social media presence of SG is more than it has ever been! Along with being a previous Senator, I have had the privilege to serve as both the Corresponding and Recording Secretary on the Executive Board of Student Government. As Corresponding Secretary, I kept track of the attendance and sent out weekly emails to SG members. I was also a part of the task force that modified SG's Governing Documents. As the current Recording Secretary, I record meeting minutes and create the agenda for every meeting. With my several roles and experience in Student Government, I have really gotten to know what Student Government stands for and how hard we have worked as a team, both e-board and senate, to better the University of Michigan- Dearborn on a community, social, and academic level. I am running to be a Senator to continue to be a part of this hard working and passionate community that has, and continues to make a positive impact on campus. One idea I have to accomplish as a Senator is to have more events for freshman. They are new to the campus and having events that welcome them and help them meet other freshman will help them settle in. Another thing I would like to accomplish this semester is increasing turnouts to school wide events. SG hosts so many beneficial events for students, and I want to ensure that the entirety of the student body is aware of the opportunities that go on so that they can gain the most out of their time as a student. Student Government is meant to bring change on campus and is a voice for the students at UM-Dearborn. With this, my biggest idea for this year is to form a bridge between student/students organizations and Student Government. Many students and student orgs have concerns and ideas that they would like to implement on campus. However, a lot of the time they do not know where to reach out to discuss this. I want Student Government to be able to host round tables that would invite students and organizations to come and discuss their concerns and how their experience on campus can be made better. This will do a service to the entirety of the student body and will bring us all together as a UM-Dearborn community.