This week, the Student Congress voted to approve the election of write-in Vice President for Multicultural Affairs (VPMA) candidate Ruslan Klafehn. We applaud Congress’ decision to not penalize Ruslan or voters simply because some found his name difficult to spell. But now that Klafehn has won the position, he inherits a campus environment rife with racial tensions and student grievances. His platform is optimistic, but to make the most of his VMPA seat, Klafehn must target the deeper injustices present on this campus. Frankly, he must be more than the “anti-Students for Change” candidate reputation that his candidacy has garnered.

In his platform, Klafehn proposes weekly town hall meetings to showcase cultural student groups. Weekly town hall meetings are ambitious, and we are not sure how helpful they’d be. Yet, opportunities for students to celebrate their culture and share it with others outside of their own groups are important. Klafehn also proposes partnerships with Sodexo and Wegmans to create ethnic culinary events. Offering free food is a viable means of exposing students to traditions different from their own.

Klafehn also advocates for a one-on-one mentorship program between international students and their American peers. He argues that interaction between these two demographics must go beyond language. The existing ESL program matches international students wishing to improve their English skills. Klafehn plans to go one step further in creating a program where friendships can form. It’s a good idea, and Klafehn cites his own experiences as an immigrant to this country and how beneficial it was to learn culture through friendships. This is an important perspective to bring to the VPMA position, and we’re optimistic about how he will use the position to empower and relate with international students.

His final project proposal, “Binghamton Cares,” is underdeveloped. He begins his argument for the program by stating his dissatisfaction with the police brutality against people of color in the city of Binghamton and racist comments on our campus Yik Yak. He then makes a logical jump that a weekly community service project will somehow help combat these problems. Students should always give back to the local community and choosing to focus on minority neighborhoods should also be encouraged. However, this plan doesn’t address well the concerns of students and community members faced with discrimination.

In the statement of his initiatives, Klafehn identifies his objective as VPMA to be ensuring that the campus’ minority students “feel safe, included in the community, but most importantly prideful in their unique origins and cultures.” Of course, this is idealistic, but it’s the proper type of idealism for the position. This should be the aim and purpose of the VPMA, and that Klafehn has articulated his goals in such lofty terms is appropriate given the rift on our campus. We like that he is really embracing the “multicultural” aspect of the VPMA position, but we caution him to remember that issues of race and discrimination on this campus cannot be ignored. The discussion has been started, and while he may be seen as the milder alternative to a candidate who was heavily involved with SFC, he cannot ignore the fact that Binghamton University is now engaged in debate about the state of discrimination on this campus. We hope that he will be an effective conduit between the administration and students with grievances.

So he has been written in, so it shall be done.