Stern junior and Black Student Union president Christian Howze will take on the role of student government chair for the next academic year, after winning the student vote by 20 percentage points.
Howze will represent over 60,000 NYU students in meetings with university administrators and implement student government resolutions, which draw from the organization’s $500,000 annual budget. He will officially step into the position on May 14, replacing incumbent chair and SPS graduate student Ashlie Oxford.
This year was the second in which all students could vote — with previous elections only open to student senators. Howze carried 59% of the vote, while his opponent, CAS sophomore Adrian Pica-Borjas, won 39%, SGA election organizer and Tandon graduate student Takshil Sanghvi announced at a Thursday meeting. The remaining 2% of voters indicated “no confidence.” SGA did not respond to an inquiry regarding the number of students who voted.
“The election was stressful — it was a long process, but I think it went really well,” Howze told WSN. “It was really respectful. I’m so thankful to Adrian and other people in SGA for how they handled it.”
Currently serving as senator-at-large for Black students and students of color, Howze said his top priority as chair will be to collaborate with student-led organizations by holding private discussions with club leaders and inviting them to monthly SGA meetings. He added that he wants other students to join his discussions with administrators.
Howze and Pica-Borjas campaigned for two weeks following spring break until voting closed last Friday. They faced off in a debate on March 31, where Howze promised to improve students’ access to university leadership and Pica-Borjas emphasized ensuring safety at NYU’s degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
In September, Howze wrote a letter on behalf of the student government criticizing Campus Safety’s response to a hoax shooting threat that targeted Black students and faculty. After it garnered over 300 signatures from students, alumni and faculty, NYU President Linda Mills apologized, calling the incident “insult to injury.”
As senator-at-large for LGBTQ+ students of color, Pica-Borjas co-sponsored a resolution to restore affinity graduation ceremonies after administrators briefly canceled them in February. Following Contract Faculty United’s two-day strike, Pica-Borjas proposed the creation of a student government group in support of on-campus unions.
Last year, Oxford won the chair election after the other candidate was disqualified for making personal remarks about their opponent. She told WSN that she is most proud of her efforts to develop “a more engaged governing body” and advocate for students in conversations with administrators.
“I have the utmost confidence in Christian’s ability to serve the student body as the next SGA chair,” Oxford wrote in a statement to WSN. “He has demonstrated remarkable advocacy, a strong commitment to the student body and a high level of professionalism. I look forward to seeing how he continues to build bridges across campus.”
Contact Zachary Karp at [email protected].