Agha Haider (25B) defeated Aidan Baris (25B) to secure the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Council presidential seat in a runoff election, according to results released by the Elections Board Tuesday evening. Of the 140 votes cast, Haider received 88 (62.85%), while Baris garnered 52 (37.14%).
Haider wrote in an email to The Emory Wheel that he is excited to work with BBA students, administration, other student government organizations and BBA Council to ensure that all “students feel that their voices are heard” and have the resources they need to succeed.
Agha Haider (25B) defeated Aidan Baris (25B) to secure the BBA Council presidency. (Courtesy of Agha Haider)
“Emory is a university with such unique perspectives considering the diverse backgrounds people come from and I can’t wait to continue fostering a culture that embraces everyone’s uniqueness,” Haider wrote. “Though I may not know all that’s to come in the coming year, I’m hopeful we can come together to further improve Goizueta programming and spirit.”
The BBA election was the only student government race to advance to a runoff on March 1 due to neither candidate receiving over 50% of the vote during the initial election. Similar to last night’s results, Haider finished first in the original race, securing 208 (46.22%) of the 450 votes cast. Baris garnered 136 (30.22%) votes, while 106 students selected “no confidence.”
Haider’s campaign, “Agha ‘MAKES’ It Happen,” stands for mentorship, advising, KEGS, entrepreneurship and spirit. He hopes to approach Emory University’s Goizueta Business School through a more holistic lens to ensure all students can access resources that suit their interests through BBA Council, administration and clubs. He is also focused on mental health, noting during the Wheel Debates on Feb. 23 that he worked on a collaborative event between Counseling and Psychological Services, BBA Council, College Council and the Residence Hall Association to increase mental health resources on campus.
To lay the foundation for new relationships within Goizueta, Haider aims to start a mentorship program between incoming and current BBA students. He also wants to establish a vice president of engagement position to bolster the Student-Alumni Mentor Program, which matches students with a Goizueta graduate to help them as they embark on their careers. Both the student and alumni programs would match participants based on factors like their career goals and ethnicity, which Haider believes would help students feel more comfortable discussing their experiences.
Haider wants to further support community building by establishing a BBA Council vice president of belonging position and establishing a new tradition titled the “Cohort Cup” that encourages students to attend community events with a point system. He also noted that he hopes to expand Goizueta’s weekly “Kegs in the Courtyard” tradition with help from the proposed vice president of engagement, to include more events between BBA students, Master of Business Administration students and alumni.
Lastly, Haider plans to develop a five-year plan to improve Goizueta’s BBA entrepreneurship program with the help of University administration, students and Atlanta-area startup businesses.
Haider will join the newly-elected student government leaders who won their respective races on March 1. Abigail Dubinski (25B) defeated Jayden Davis (25B) and Unique “Jaytrice” Mackey (22Ox, 25C) in the SGA presidential election, while Pranay Mamileti (25B) won the uncontested vice presidential seat. Jannat Khan (25C) won the College Council presidential election and Finn Johnston (25C) won the vice presidential election after both ran unopposed. In the Oxford College SGA elections, Kenan Bajraktarevic (25Ox) and Kieran Rafferty (25Ox) secured the presidential and vice presidential seats, respectively.
Update (3/6/24 at 12:46 a.m.): This article was updated to include comments from Agha Haider (25B) .
Madi Olivier is from Highland Village, Texas, and is majoring in psychology and minoring in rhetoric, writing and information design. Outside of the Wheel, she is involved in psychology research and works for the Trevor Project. In her free time, you can find her trying not to fall while bouldering and watching Criminal Minds with her cat.
