Bobby McAlpine and Justin Robinson Sworn in as USG President and Vice President

Grant Lieberman, Nathan Mader
Fri, 19 Apr 2024 01:59:19 +0000
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In a year filled with elections nationwide, the results of one closer to home have now come to fruition.

Ohio State’s Undergraduate Student Government kicked off the first meeting of the 57th General Assembly with the inauguration of USG President Bobby McAlpine and Vice President Justin Robinson on April 3.?

McAlpine, a fourth-year in regional planning and political science, and Robinson, a fourth-year in business, were elected to their positions after the 2024 USG elections concluded March 6. Robinson was chosen as McAlpine’s running mate as former USG Vice President Madison Mason chose not to rerun.?

This will be McAlpine’s second consecutive term as USG president, the first to serve in the role as an incumbent since the early 2000s, according to Matt Couch, associate dean of students and USG adviser. McAlpine ran uncontested.?

“I’m just so honored. I cannot believe that the student body has entrusted me with this [position] again,” McAlpine said. “This is one of the biggest honors of my life, and I think that the biggest thing for me is that I can keep doing and improving on what we’ve done in the past year.”

USG initiatives that came into effect under McAlpine’s first term included policies and projects such as integrating artificial intelligence into the university and giving money back directly to students, McAlpine and Robinson said.?

“Giving money back to the students meant more allocation to student organizations by making sure they know the funding that USG has set aside for student programs,” Robinson said. “Most organizations don’t even know what USG is or does, so it’s my job to make sure that we get our brand out there to the student body.”?

When McAlpine first ran for USG president with running-mate Mason, their platform was titled “bridging the gap,” as they had hopes that the student body could be better connected with USG and each other, according to their joint Instagram page.

Robinson said he hopes that the new administration will continue to fulfill this goal by working more with student organizations during the 2024-2025 school year.

“We want to collaborate with more student organizations to help spread more awareness about what USG does for the student body as well as what other student organizations do here on campus,” Robinson said. “We want students’ voices heard throughout administrative meetings. Most importantly, we just want to serve the students at The Ohio State University.”?

One of McAlpine and Robinson’s proposed initiatives is a commitment to providing Student Life Disability Services with the proper funding and resources to enable more students to reach out and receive academic accommodations more easily as opposed to the current “rigorous requirements” needed to qualify, according to Robinson.?

“SLDS requires all types of paperwork just to get accommodations when private testing should be an easier option to someone who reaches out for help,” Robinson said.?

Robinson said there are a lot of students who need SLDS, but the service doesn’t have the means to tend to all of them.?

“I can speak on this from personal experience, as I struggle with math a lot,” Robinson said. “There are over 67,000 students here, and the ones who say they need help with their disabilities are not afraid to reach out. This is about whether SLDS has the means to meet students where they are. Can they provide us with testing sites and give us the accommodations we need?”

In addition to discussing plans for this new legislation, McAlpine and Robinson acknowledged the importance of finishing the work from the previous administration. McAlpine specifically mentioned his work with Mason on artificial intelligence and working with university officials to implement AI in a way that will improve student life.

“I think the biggest message that I could send to the student body is that we love students,” McAlpine said. “Justin and I aren’t going to say that we can accurately represent the diverse voices of so many students, but what we can say is that we are going to uplift every single voice and every story that is within our power. Please email us, come to USG and make your voice heard. We are here to listen.”