Incoming GPSA president to focus on inclusivity, sustainability

With nearly half the votes secured to his name, University of New Mexico student Shaikh Ahmad won the 2022-23 Graduate and Professional Student Association presidential election, for which voting ended on April 1. The results are still unofficial until certified by the Elections Committee.

Ahmad, a dual-degree student pursuing a Master of Science in information systems and assurance and a Master of Public Administration, is in his third year with GPSA. He plans to prioritize inclusivity of minority groups, holistic sustainability and communication in his term.

A whopping seven candidates were vying for the role, although Paul Tice was found to be ineligible when voting started. Ahmad got 144 votes (43%), runner-up Inusah Mohammed got 80 votes (24%) and the other eligible four candidates got anywhere from 4% to 11% of the votes. Only 338 students of the 4,619 graduate students registered for the spring 2022 semester voted, equating to approximately 7% of the population. An additional 123 votes were cast but determined ineligible in addition to six unsubmitted opened ballots, therefore not counted.

One of Ahmad’s significant priorities is supporting students of color and marginalized groups, such as Indian students, Hispanic students, African American students and other minority groups. Ahmad brought up the various resources UNM has available for these students, including El Centro de la Raza, American Indian Student Services, African American Student Services and the LGBTQ Resource Center.

“Instead of coming up with new things, I think it would be better if we could strengthen them, see where we can support them with our events, with funding and with just being there if they need me to be,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad is a project lead for the Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color, a student-led program that aims to retain graduate students of color at UNM, which Ahmad said has taught him a lot.

Ahmad is also a founding member of UNM’s Association of Sustainability, another topic that remains one of his priorities as president-elect.

“I’m really interested and passionate about sustainability … I would also love to see if there are different places where we can do more. It’s not like UNM isn’t already doing a lot. You see all the green initiatives and things like that but I was hoping we could approach it in a holistic way as an institution,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad said he wants to advocate for a better benefits package for graduate students. This has been something that the United Grad Workers of UNM has been pursuing as well, an organization that Ahmad said he would try to support.

“This is, at the end of the day, for all graduate students, all graduate workers … So I would love to see and explore different areas and see if I can help them,” Ahmad said.

One of the topics touched on at the presidential forum prior to the election was the historic lack of communication between GPSA and the Associated Students of UNM, the undergraduate student body government, which current GPSA president David Saavedra echoed, saying UNM is the only institution in the state that has two student governments.

“We’re the only institution in the state that has two: one specifically for undergraduates, and one for the graduate and professional students. So really capitalizing on that, that is a really important thing for UNM,” Saavedra said.

Ahmad said he’s already been in touch with the ASUNM president and vice president-elects Ian May and Krystah Pacheco, respectively, and plans to continue that communication. He brought up the idea of lobbying with ASUNM in the state legislature rather than separately as the government bodies have done in the past.

“What I was hoping is we could come up with a project that is good for all students instead of just graduate or undergraduate, or you know, that serves both graduate and undergraduate student body and try to lobby and put all our weight behind one,” Ahmad said.

With an extremely low voter turnout and participation with GPSA in general, Ahmad said there needs to be more participation in GPSA events, and he said more in-person events have been helping. He brought up Club 89, an event series for students 21 and older, and mused about a collaboration with the fine arts department to host a music or art festival.

“I think the first thing we need to do is increase engagement into GPSA activities because that's kind of like the stage where you set up things,” Ahmad said.

The GPSA president holds the position for approximately one year, and Saavedra said that although that’s not a lot of time, the president can get a lot done by prioritizing.

“I will say that, you know, with priorities and things like that, I think, thinking through what is feasible for our organization is important. And really, the sky's the limit,” Saavedra said.

Saavedra, who invited Ahmad to be on the Student Fee Review Board in the past year himself, is preparing to help Ahmad transition smoothly and has been inviting Ahmad to various meetings or events to help him gain perspective on the current administration and its workings. An essential aspect of a successful year is having a good team, according to Saavedra.

“The role brings tremendous opportunity to really hone in on, you know, your leadership ability and ... truly be able to accomplish things,” Saavedra said.

Ahmad encouraged students to visit him in the GPSA office, whether it’s for questions or concerns or even just chatting.

“I'm really grateful to UNM and the student community in general for this opportunity, because I think it's, at the end of the day, it's a privilege to serve the student body,” Ahmad said.

Once election results are certified, Ahmad’s term will start on May 13 and run for approximately one year.

Megan Gleason is the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @fabflutist2716