Aysha Seedat and Jane Hong both know what it’s like to struggle with identity.

As the first two women of color to ever run on the same ticket for Syracuse University SA president and vice president, Seedat and Hong said their campaign has made them each more aware of their identity, in both bad and good ways.

“After we announced our candidacy, people were saying such terrible things about having two women in leadership,” Seedat said. “I’m Pakistani so a lot of people will say racial slurs about my ethnicity. I identify as being Muslim and I’ve been called a terrorist before.”

Hong said she has faced similar attacks for her identity. As a freshman, Hong was walking on the Quad with a group of her friends, when a man walked by them and said “too much yellow.”

“I had never heard that sort of comment before. I’d never had someone hold my identity against me like that,” Hong said. “That struggle has unfortunately been a huge part of my experience at SU.”

Seedat and Hong said these shared experiences have allowed them to identify how much further they want to push SU as an institution. Hong said they want students to appreciate how diverse the SU student body is, and how that diversity makes the university a better place. In addition, the two have drawn on their experiences to form the second pillar of their campaign, which is based on improving safety.

“We both have experiences with walking home late at night and having to deal with that fear of walking on campus as a woman,” Hong said. “No one should have to call (a campus escort service) with fear or that doubt that they would actually come through.”

Though they’ve discovered many similar experiences and shared passions which now drive their campaign, Seedat and Hong had never met before the campaign brought them together.

Hong said she had consistently heard about Seedat and her success as the chair of the Student Life Committee. She said Seedat’s committee was completing initiatives, such as one to bring heat lamps to campus bus stops, which had been shot down in the past.

“Aysha got it done because she doesn’t take no for an answer,” Hong said. “I know that I’m standing behind a president who would truly get things done.”

But when Seedat first walked in to the Student Association office as an assembly member her sophomore year, she said she was scared and felt unwelcome. Boris Gresely had appointed her to a cabinet position along with several other members who were not currently in SA. At the time, many SA members didn’t want people outside of SA being appointed, Seedat said.

Seedat, the chair of the Student Life Committee for the past three semesters, has changed that.

“She helped prove the ability of members to excel in their jobs without prior SA experience,” said Daniela Lopez, SA vice president. “She worked exceptionally well with administration to establish trust between them, SA and students.”

Hong has also worked to further eliminate the stigma of exclusivity that often surrounds SA. As a member of the board of elections and membership, Hong aimed to create a more welcoming atmosphere for those outside of SA. She was also involved in the mentor program within SA to encourage new members and help them grow.

“A lot of the write-in candidates talk about exclusivity and needing voices from outside SA,” Hong said. “But we’re the only candidates who have actually battled through it and made it better.”

Seedat said it’s been exciting to see so many write-in candidates express interest in SA and want to bring change to campus, but familiarity with SA is crucial for a presidential candidate.

“I’m intrigued as to what’s drawing them to want to become the president or vice president of an organization that they’ve never been to a meeting for,” Seedat said.

Kyle Coleman, Seedat’s campaign manager and an SU graduate student, said he believes Seedat and Hong have a history of professionalism and achievements within SA that sets them apart from other candidates. Through his experiences with both Seedat and Hong in SA, he identified them as energetic, involved and ambitious.

“When I got the chance to help both of them on this campaign, it seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Coleman said. “They are incorruptible. They will always choose the high road. They don’t align with people who take short cuts and cut corners.”

Coleman said an important part of Seedat and Hong’s campaign has been engaging with “all corners of campus” and meeting with other communities such as the SUNY-ESF Undergraduate Student Association, which no other candidates have even reached out to.

Sydney Hammer, president of Sigma Delta Tau of which Seedat is a member, said Seedat is a positive presence and powerful member of any organization she chooses to be a part of.

“She’s already a great leader within SA and Sigma Delta Tau,” Hammer said. “She’s always contributing and pitching ideas. When it comes down to decision making, she knows what’s best for the campus.”

Hammer said, as president of an organization whose purpose is empowering women, she believes Seedat and Hong are the best candidates to do just that.

Said Hammer: “Aysha and Jane are showing women on this campus that they belong in government and that they can and should be in positions of power.”

Published on April 14, 2015 at 12:22 am

Contact Lydia: lawilson@syr.edu