With less than two weeks until the Student Association Congress meets for the first time this semester, a group of leftist and multicultural student groups continues to push for progressive change at Binghamton University.

The Student Power Coalition, now composed of 13 organizations, was formed last year out of collaborative activist work done by several organizations protesting Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip after Oct. 7, 2023. Led by BU’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, the coalition was founded on four major principles — campus democracy, anti-Zionism, antimilitarism and antiracism.

“Defending and expanding student democracy” is the coalition’s chief objective for the new academic year, the group’s chairperson wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream.

“Democracy is under attack by the American government, by our University administration, and by our previous Student Congress,” the statement read. “To this end, Student Power will fight for the will of students, inside and outside of the Student Association: divestment from genocide, the military-industrial complex, and Sodexo; expansion of DEI programs; and protection for protestors and international students.”

Many of the coalition’s members, including Binghamton’s Students for Justice in Palestine, the Latin American Student Union, the Abortion Advocacy Coalition, the Disabled Student Union, the Muslim Student Association, the Yiddish Bund of Binghamton, the Henna Club and the Feminist Collective, also joined together [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/campus-news/divest-from-death-coalition-backs-pro-bds-resolution/152013/] last year urging the SA to adopt a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions resolution calling on the University to end partnerships with and divest funding from Israel and defense companies.

After a tense, nearly five-hour long meeting [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/bds-resolution-passes/152111/] in April 2024, the SA Congress passed the resolution with 14 representatives voting in favor, 11 voting against, two abstaining and one vote deemed invalid. The resolution also directed the SA to deem Israel’s military actions in Gaza as a genocide and Israel as an apartheid state.

Two weeks later, the SA Judicial Board struck down parts of the resolution because it determined that three clauses violated the SA Constitution.

In October, the SA Congress reversed course and repealed the BDS resolution. At the same meeting, the body also passed two other notable resolutions — the first prohibits SA chartered organizations from working with Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine, BinghamtonBDS and SUNY BDS, while the second expressed support for passing a state law to “prohibit the use of hoods, masks, and other facial coverings to conceal identity during lawful and unlawful assemblies or riots.”

The SA E-Board vetoed both measures the following week.

That same day, YDSA, LASU, SJP and the Disabled Student Union joined SHADES Binghamton in posting a statement on Instagram commending the SA E-Board for vetoing the resolutions, writing that “our pressure on administration made a difference” and that student outcry against the measures “made it untenable for the Student Association to continue with these unpopular policies.”

The Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society and the Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate also released statements opposing the resolutions. Both organizations are part of the Student Power Coalition.

During last year’s tumultuous SA elections cycle, the coalition made endorsements in two races. The coalition backed incumbent McKenzie Skrastins for SA president, now a senior majoring in mathematics, for reelection against opponent Joseph Kornblum, a senior majoring in business administration. In the race for BU Council Representative, the coalition endorsed Irene Cui, now a junior majoring in economics, to unseat Mackenzie Cooper, the incumbent and a first-year graduate student studying public administration.

“Exercising student voices is vital because each time they are heard, our campus community grows stronger,” Skrastins wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “As SA President, my goal is to be a resource for all student groups, meeting their needs in whatever capacity possible. I am here to listen and assist any student or organization that reaches out to me.”

Cui won her race against Cooper by just 36 votes out of 2,686 total ballots cast, while Skrastins defeated Kornblum by a larger 520 vote margin.

“In today’s climate, strengthening student democracy is more important than ever,” Cui wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “I value the role that student organizations play in fostering dialogue, advocacy, and community on campus. I’m committed to working with all groups of students at BU to ensure their voices are heard and represented.”

Last week, Student Power began encouraging students interested in running for SA Congress to fill out a Google Form to get connected. On Instagram, the coalition criticized last year’s body for “trying to ban masks at protests, attempting to overturn a student election, and upholding support for Israel’s genocide.”

The coalition plans on endorsing student candidates running for SA Congress this year.

Student Power hosted a general interest meeting last Thursday for students interested in joining one of the organizations. Attendees also met and greeted each other while decorating cupcakes.

“The strength of students lies in their numbers,” wrote the chair of Student Power. “The university can expel one student or ban one group.”

“When our disparate organizations act separately towards singular concessions, we achieve nothing,” they continued. “Only when students act together can our goals be realized.”