Giana Abraham, UTD Student Body President-elect,
I want to first offer a somewhat belated congratulations. You ran an effective campaign that obviously motivated enough of the student body to vote for you alongside an impressive array of endorsements thanks to your many connections to student organizations. Winning this race is not something that happens by luck alone — it requires intensive politicking amidst a student body which, like the broader nation, often wishes to avoid and ignore politics when possible.
With that being said, your campaign is not over. Now, you don’t work to get support. You work to keep it. While sheer charisma is enough to win votes, I believe that the student body will look increasingly toward your actions instead of just your words alone. You will soon be paid a salary — over a thousand dollars a month — expressly to serve the student body, so I think it’s time we figure out what you’re actually going to do.
Let’s start with a reality check: you’re a kind person and have surrounded yourself with many kind people, but I don’t think you have fully internalized the criticism your detractors have raised, leading you to a frankly terrible spot to start next semester’s term. I, as you are already well aware, am sometimes painfully honest and might occasionally come off as a bit harsh. This is one of those times.
You are walking onto an open minefield without a clear plan. You haven’t even entered office yet but students are already terrified that they might be the next to be suddenly deported, faculty are scared into silence and things will only get more intense as you enter office: the Texas legislature is on the brink of passing sweeping regulations that would destroy our university system of shared governance and possibly defund every student organization at UTD, the federal government has threatened to cut vital funding and it seems increasingly possible that we as a nation are heading into a recession. All of this of course is accompanied by our own peers getting kidnapped because of their politically inconvenient speech. And yet, during your campaign, the only truly encompassing solution I saw you pointing at would be to just cooperate with these apathetic administrators even more.
This is a bad idea. Though being kind to administrators might yield some small concessions in the short-term, it generally will lead students to get steam-rolled by oppressive, new practices if you settle on it in the long-term. For example, it appears the administration is trying to revive the zombie corpse of The Mercury. If administration demands that copies of The Retrograde be removed from campus or that you grant The Mercury priority in interviews or, say, moderating a debate, how would you respond? Though possibly coincidental, it seems that every time I see you and those that would enact such rulings, you insist on overly high-energy kindness. This makes it uncomfortably easy to see a future where you peacefully “connect” students with administration at every impasse.
The deeper issue at play is that if a good connection with administration is your end goal then the considerations of the broader student body will be swiftly sacrificed on the altar of your aforementioned connections, kind attitude and unwillingness to fight. Your gut contingency plan cannot be to watch idlily as administrators roll the boulder of restrictions over the student body. At some point, the connections will have to be strained; at some point, you will have to push back against someone you might respect or have to deal with on a regular basis; at some point, you will have to ask yourself how far you are willing to stick your neck out to represent the student body lest you become a talking head administration can wheel out for ribbon cuttings.
I, and every other student on campus, whether they voted for you or not, wants you to take action in a manner that enriches the UTD experience. Unfortunately, I’m not entirely convinced you want to act at all.
Historically, you have a tendency to get involved in a healthy serving of student organizations. Each one a fancy bite to try for a while — a great addition to your resume and a chance to gain wonderful experiences. While it’s not impossible to work effectively on many separate projects, there are some legitimate concerns here. There’s only so much room on your ever full plate. You will be entering your senior year, a time many are tempted by the lure of senioritis, with several other leadership roles already lined up. When push comes to shove, where will Student Government, an organization that only works under proactive dedication, fall on the priorities list?
Once again, I want to stress that I am rooting for you. I just don’t believe that alone is enough to consistently hold you accountable for the next twelve months; so instead of just rooting from the sidelines, I’m going to remind you of some promises and some facts:
You have promised a great deal with your ConnectUTD platform — fourteen statements you have claimed you will deliver on. All of them are actionable enough that they can be actively tracked, with most expanding on existing systems or establishing new ones.
Now, I’ll make some promises. I will meet with you at least once a month to check up on how you are completing each of these projects and will keep a public account of your work on each goal. If there is a comparable figure to this past school year, like the number of “campus-wide events,” I’ll use that as the metric to evaluate the upcoming year. I intend to then publish a series of reports documenting how successful you have been and what you have accomplished. When people search for your legacy at UTD or find your work in public affairs, what would you want them to find?
Just as I told you following the debate, I look forward to working with you this next year. While I have some concerns about the state of campus politics, I also have a deep amount of faith in you. There are few people at UTD that are as happy and open as you are; that energy is something many could benefit from.
Additionally, we are both aware that many on this campus are not your biggest fans. In an election, that’s always par for the course. I don’t think there is any way to really change their minds except to prove them wrong with your actions. People will only call you out on a misstep after you trip. Walk the talk. There’s several months before the fall semester begins and similarly several months to prepare contingency plans after June 2, when the Texas Legislature ends its session.
I know that you have the capacity to do so much and I am excited to watch the wonderful reforms you bring to UTD. You are soon to be the most visible leader of UTD. You represent us all. Please make us proud to have you as our 2025-26 Student Body President.
Best Wooshes,
Tyler Crivella