elections

Correction 4/12/16: On the printed version of the Elections Guide, it is stated that Alissa Espiritu is part of the [YOUR]Side party. This is incorrect. She is part of the Orange Party.

All candidates were asked the following questions in order to understand the specifics of their campaigns!:

  1. What issues would you like to tackle via legislation or projects during your tenure at ASUCR?

  2. What is/are your previous experience with student body government or leadership positions?

  3. If any, what changes would you like to bring to the structure of ASUCR or overall to ASUCR?

EXECUTIVE CABINET

Presidential Candidates

[toggle title=”Arturo Gomez” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — INDEPENDENT

ArturoGomez
1. As ASUCR President, I will deal with many issues related to the well-being of the campus. My office will push for more efficient sprinklers and better lighting on campus. I will communicate with UCR’s Transportation and Parking Services to restore and expand the Point to Point Shuttle Service. I will also seek to expand affordable, ethical apperal within our campus book store. I will oppose any construction projects on Bannockburn and family housing if they raise the rent and if they displace others. I will expand funding of the R’Pantry program and find a more central and accesible location. Finally, I will combat the 5% tuition hikes beginning school year 2017-2018.

2. Last year I served under the Office of External Affairs, where I served as liaison to the United States Student Association (USSA). I collaborated in organizing protests against tuition hikes as well as collaborated in the establishment of USSA’s first summit for students of color. I have also been arrested for protesting cuts to the Pell Grant in Washington, D.C.. As a member of the pro-labor org Local 19, I have supported better contracts for our campus workers by phonebanking and protesting at rallies. On my neighborhood council in Northeast Los Angeles, I have been an outspoken opponent of gentrification, because I believe that forcing out individuals from their communities is morally reprehensible. In short, I have extensive leadership experience.

3. ASUCR is an organization in need of comprehensive reform. I would like to tackle the elections code with respect to campaigning restrictions. Campaigning during elections week is a practice I hope to ban, along with laptopping. I also believe that transparency should be implemented by opening executive cabinet meetings to the public and that the Brown Act should apply to all ASUCR meetings. Overall, ASUCR needs reform, now
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Shafi Karim” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — INDEPENDENT

yourside
1. One of the legislation I want to propose as President is to recognize the Cahuilla Tribal Land that UCR is on. Moreover, I will also update our bylaws to bring more efficiency, transparency and accountability within ASUCR. As Vice President, I am proposed amendments to the constitution like creating a new position: GCAP director.

2. As ASUCR Vice-President, I have worked to raise campus pride by empowering students with symbolic UCR regalia (FREE R’Gear hoodies) we all can identify with, while reducing R’Gear’s cost by $21,000. I have empowered the student body by communicating directly with you, getting your feedback and amplifying your voice on matters such as the HEAT Musical Festival. I have successfully advocated for Free Finals Parking and will work to make the process even better!

Previously, I’ve also served as the ASUCR Vice-Chair of Finance and Vice-President of my fraternity, which campaigned for California Proposition 30 to help stop another tuition hike.

3.I’m currently serving as your student body Vice-President of Finance, where I have already made substantial progress to the way ASUCR serves the student body by eliminating $15,000 of wasteful spending and channeling ASUCR resources towards initiatives that brings direct value to students. As President, I will ensure ASUCR serves to provide more students with greater value.

So if elected as your Student Body President, I will fight to ensure that the HEAT Musical Festival does NOT get PERMANENTLY CANCELED. I will bring more progress to UCR by properly implementing the free Solar Powered Bike Share program on campus. I’ll work to create a Free subsidized UBER program for our students. I’ll also create a program to provide free exam materials to all students.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Carl Keiser” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — INDEPENDENT

CarlIrineo

1. ASUCR needs to be about making UCR great. We’ve been a good school but not known as a great school. Under my administration, the proposed legislation would cut the potential for the organization to be abused as a way for an establishment to decorate their resumes and network all on the student body’s dime. My administration would focus on making students proud of going to UCR. We are going to make things simple; legislation will focus primarily on UCR and the students. The legislation of the establishment party will be repealed and they won’t be able to rig anymore. The students need to know that we are going to eliminate the corruption.

2. From high school to the present, I am undefeated in every election that I have run for. Simply put, I am a winner. No one can claim to be more ready to lead UCR into an era of greatness than myself. At over 1,000 days of service, I am the most serving Executive Cabinet Treasurer in my high school’s history. I was the founder, president and vice president of a number of very successful clubs in high school. I was the first and most efficient Student Services Commissioner of my high school. And, I served in the office of the ASUCR Vice President of Finance. I have nothing to gain or lose from this election, but the students are lucky to have such an experienced and willing candidate like myself as an option.

3. We need to refocus the organization. At least in the time that I have attended UCR, the organization has become about its member and their resumes more than the student body. When I was Treasurer, every event that I personally managed, we never lost money. We are going to be fiscally responsible and focus on making UCR great.[/toggle]

Executive Vice President Candidates

[toggle title=”Wen-Yu Chou” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

WenYuChou
1. During my tenure at ASUCR, I have already began advocating for Student Health and Wellness. Health encompasses social health, spiritual health, physical health, and mental health. Especially at UCR, a first generation demographic campus, the resources provided should be directly targeting the students at large. However, compared to other campuses we lack in specialized resources and most students are unaware of the benefits they have with their insurance. Therefore, I will be working on a legislation to further educate students of the resources on campus while asking administrators to provide more that will overall benefit student’s health and wellness.

2. I was a First-Year Fellow under the Office of the President and this year I currently serve as a CNAS senator. These positions have really provided me a better knowledge of the structure of ASUCR, but more importantly has allowed me to outreach to students and learn more about the issues occurring on campus. My goal is to assist others in achieving their own success by providing them with opportunities.

3. Having worked in the Office of the Executive Vice President since the summer, I have seen the vast responsibilities that the Executive Vice President holds; therefore, I want to expand the bylaws of the duties listed for the Executive Vice President. Another change is senate outreach, not only is the job of an Executive Vice President to keep the senators accountable, but make sure that their utilization of office hours is spent effectively. Therefore, I would like to implement office hours outside where senators will be proactively tabling and reaching directly out to students.[/toggle]

Vice President of Internal Affairs Candidates

[toggle title=”Dalshawn Boson” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

yourside
1) Issues addressed via legislations: the implementation of a spiritual/religious center; institutionalized resources to ensure food security for students; better health/mental health services; the saving of the HEAT music festival; accessible, gender-inclusive restrooms; mandatory cultural-competence workshop series for faculty and professors; and, an increase in E-Reserve textbooks to mitigate additional expenses placed upon students.

2) My freshman year, I was a Freshman Fellow in the office of Internal Affairs. I currently serve as CHASS Senator in ASUCR from which I serve on the Finance Committee, the Legislative Review Committee, and the Diversity Council. I’ve also written legislation and brought forth innovative projects such as the Beyond R’Margins Conference, which will take place this April 30th.

3) My platform includes:

1. Transforming the internal apparatus of ASUCR from an alienated entity which often operates on its own agenda into an organization that has its voice to those in power and its ears to those who matter — the students.
2. Being an ally to the various communities on our campus that are adversely affected through the negligence of the University. A couple examples, advocating for and standing in solidarity with the Black Community here at UCR in its struggle for increased enrollment and retention as well as increased Black faculty. And, advocating for and standing in solidarity with the undocumented students on our campus by providing pro bono legal services to them through ASUCR’s free legal clinic.
3. Institutionalizing the Beyond R’Margins conference in an effort to create a more culturally competent environment here at UCR, so that students do not have to suffer the psychological attrition induced by racism and microagressions.
4. Advocating against the systematic erasure of indigenous culture; that is, bringing UCR back to its true roots, which are not Orange citrus groves, but Cahuilla Land.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Shigufa Saleheen” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTYShigufaSalaheen

1) I would like to start by improving our educational environment and creating a streamlined system to report and fix broken desks/classrooms, making more of the parking lots accessible and affordable for students, and creating a commuter friendly on-campus resource fair to showcase the diverse opportunities our university offers. However, I would also like to improve the connection between Riverside students and the greater Riverside community by starting a project to make downtown more accessible, and working with local businesses to have college nights so students explore attractions and events beyond just our campus. I would also like to encourage the sale of ethically made apparel in our campus store, and foster collaboration between between all of our campus organizations, including Costo Hall, through a inter-organizational initiative for new ideas and diverse programs.

2) I started off as a first year fellow under the Internal Affairs, and then briefly became the ASUCR Chief of Staff. Currently, I’m a member of the ASUCR Vote Committee member, a committee in Pi Beta Phi, and a board member for the South Asian Federation.

3) I would like to increase ASUCR tabling, hold outreach hours with regular office hours, and publicize committee meetings & times to encourage students give their input, and actively participate in their student government. Through an ASUCR bulletin board and collaborating with the Highlander, we can publicize events, available grants, funding opportunities, committee projects, and more so these opportunities can be taken advantage of. I would also like to see that committees are being used to their full potential and that each committee has one major project per quarter.
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Vice President of External Affairs Candidates

[toggle title=”Arman Azedi” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE

ArmanAzedi

1. I believe the ridiculously high level of tuition and fees for students is an exponentially growing issue that remains unaddressed with the urgency it deserves. Not only did UC attendance used to be free, but the UC Master Plan itself claims that education should essentially be free of charge! Furthermore, students often go without the basic human rights of food or housing, and I want to build on efforts to make these rights universal to all students. Last, I believe mental health counseling in the UC system needs to be made more accessible and relatable to students to be effective. This includes lower wait times, greater diversity among counselor staff, and more complete training for counselors.

2. I served in the Office of the Vice President of External Affairs last year in an appointed position, and I believe that having a years worth of direct exposure to the tasks and environment of the office will be very valuable if I were to hold the VPEA position myself. During my term I took leadership roles in developing resolutions presented at state and national student associations and in organizing several protests and political actions. In my time at UCR, I’ve also held leadership positions in unions and student organizations such as United Students Against Sweatshops and Students for Justice in Palestine. I’m also currently the Chair of the Referendum Student Advisory Committee, which collaborates with UCR’s ethnic and gender centers and administration to ensure student fees are being spent in the best interests of students. I also serve as a Co-Chief of Staff to the Office of the Student Regent-Designate, shadowing one of the most influential student figures in developing UC policy.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Oscar Loera” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

OscarLoeraGonalez
1. Students currently don’t have a student voice in Washington DC. ASUCR was once a part of a weak organization called the United States Student Association which used to be our voice in the capital however due to the inefficiency of that organization, ASUCR pulled out and I wouldn’t seek to renter it as Vice President of External Affairs. I would push for legislation through senate to guarantee there will be a consistent form of funding toward federal advocacy efforts. If not through senate, I would work to address this issue through alternative methods such as reaching out to our federal relations folks, restructuring the external budget, or advocate in the capital with UCSA.

2. I’ve served in the capacity of Vice President of External Affairs(VPEA) when I became the interim VPEA in the beginning of Winter quarter. I currently serve as the Legislative Affairs Director in the office of External Affairs. I was Chief of Staff for the Office of the President my second year. I am a current board member for a club on campus focused on diversity called “LEAD”. I was a former board member of an activist organization on campus called ANSWER. I’ve also been involved with many leadership positions in my fraternity.

3. Specifically I’d like like to change the structure of the Office of External Affairs. After serving in two positions within the Office of External, I understand the issues within the structure of the office. First, there is no need for two Legislative Directors and two Campus Organizing Directors. It’s actually very inefficient to have two and a waste of 1,800 dollars in stipends. I would propose a change where there will be two campaign coordinators that will focus on the two campaigns for UCSA.[/toggle]

DIRECTORS

Marketing And Promotions Director

[toggle title=”Joshua Lopez” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

yourside
No answers were provided by the candidate.[/toggle]

Outreach Director

[toggle title=”Zena Hallak” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

ZenaHallak

1. One issue I would like to address is the lack of women’s resources. Most bathrooms on campus do not have working pad and tampon dispensers and the ones in the campus stores are overpriced. Free pads and tampons should be available in the Women’s Resource Center and The Well. It’s definitely feasible and with 52% of students being female, it would be a helpful and important change to our campus. I would also like to use legislation to institute cultural competency training, increase commuter resources, get more lights on campus, and increase outreach to minority communities.
2. In ASUCR I have vice-chaired the GCAP Committee and the Highlander Vote Committee, sat on the Highlander Lobby Corps Committee, and served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President.
3. I would like to improve the accessibility and accountability of ASUCR committees and more heavily publicize the resources ASUCR has available to students, such as GCAP funds, Outreach funds, discounted tickets, and free legal help. An overall change I’d like to see is people actually showing up and being excited about their position and going above and beyond what the bylaws require of them.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Angelica Tan” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

AngelicaTan
1. The issues I would like to tackle via legislation if chosen to become Outreach Director have to do with prioritizing three groups: minority communities, transfer students, and K-12 students.

My platforms are as follows:
1) Collaborate with Costo hall to bolster our diversity outreach programs for high school students.
2) Continue workshops every quarter for outreach directors in student organizations to help them create connections and develop their programs to their maximum capacity.
3) Ensure transfer student orientations are receiving the same outreach opportunities and benefits that incoming freshmen students have.

2. In my freshman year, I was on the Katipunan KE Outreach Committee, as well as ASUCR’s very own Outreach Committee. Currently I am a Student Coordinator at APSP and Chair of Academic Affairs at ASUCR. At APSP, I am an advocate for social justice and help plan events for the API community on campus. At ASUCR, I managed a committee and budget that implemented projects such as the Textbook Exchange website, Finals Snack Events at the UCR libraries, and promoting the Affordable Textbook Costs Initiative (a collaboration with UCR faculty).

3. Currently ASUCR’s foundation and principles are modeled after the U.S.’s three-branch checks and balances system and representative democracy. On top of that, there is a huge administrative system that underlies the foundation of ASUCR such as the internal/external committees and lobby corps that lay groundwork for legislation and decision-making at the Horseshoe. However, just like any other governmental system, there is always the problem of teamwork and overcoming bureaucratic obstacles. In order to ensure solutions to these issues as Outreach Director, I would make sure that I am an active listener in activities happening at the Horseshoe, and submit legislation that ensures the accountability of people in the committees and representative leadership that make up student government.
[/toggle]

Personnel Director

[toggle title=”Alan Alcantara” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

AlanAlcantara
1.Some of the issues I would like to tackle via legislation would be increasing our athletics awareness by helping our Athletics department with marketing, exposure and overall to instill campus pride by having all departments of UCR supporting our Athletics. I would also continue on my previous work on Nutritional labeling at UCR dining and restaurant locations.

2. Currently I am a CHASS senator in ASUCR. Managing senate-interns to create their own projects and legislation, working on things that I am passionate about that helps out the campus in general such as athletics, nutrition and finance workshops. It has also gave me experience in being accountable, many students look up to those in ASUCR to be student leaders and advocates, and I have made it my duty to do just that by aiding my fellow peers by getting involved in ASUCR and to start to make a positive impact on campus. I am also the Vice-President of Internal affairs of my fraternity which put me into a leadership position where I am in charge of new membership, social events and internal matters. This leadership role taught me how to lead and motivate individuals to make themselves better and the fraternity better which helped me with ASUCR as well by motivating others to do the same.

3. One change I would like to bring to ASUCR is increased marketing. There are many great things that those in ASUCR such as senators, committee members and ecab members do that the student body does not know of that impacts everyone I want to help create more awareness and have students more involved in ASUCR so these great projects that benefit the campus are well known.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Arjan Sindhu” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

orange

No answers were provided by the candidate.
[/toggle]

Transfer and Non-Traditional Students Director

[toggle title=”Duane Kim ” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — INDEPENDENT

DuaneKim
1. As a candidate for the Director of Transfer and Non-Traditional Students position, I would aim to implement new policies that would allow transfer and non-traditional students to more easily acclimate to UCR’s culture, educational system, and various organizations/clubs. Future goals include the implementation of a highlander orientation more catered to the transfer and non-traditional students, additional events that allow for unity of transfer and non-traditional students, and the unification of support services for transfer and non-traditional students.

2. I previously worked as a college campus employee for many years, so I have experience planning and implementing new ideas/policies that can help the student population. During my time as a college employee, I reached out to the students and assisted them so that they could have a successful college experience. Furthermore, I voiced the concerns of the many students I worked with and brought these concerns to directors and deans of the college in order to help tackle these issues. My current position as the Vice Chair for the Transfer and Non-Traditional Student Committee also has given me a lot of experience towards the goals and expectations of the director position. Through these meetings, I have been able to plan for events that would benefit the target student population, along with tackle issues that these students face. Overall, by becoming the next Director of Transfer and Non-Traditional Students, I hope to bring a sense of unity and on campus involvement to this student group so that they can leave as competitive, well-rounded, and proud students of UCR.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Robert Kotonya” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

RobertKotonya
No answers were provided by the candidate.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Aleric Krenz” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

AlericKrenz

1. The main thing that I want to change is the Transfer and Non-Traditional student orientation. The Orientation for freshman students is a great transition into the community that we have here at UCR and I want to make sure that Transfer and Non-Traditional students get the same treatment.
2. Previous leadership experience that I can bring to Transfer and Non-Traditional students Director is a recruitment background from several organizations, as well as founding an organization from the ground up. I understand how to take a new position and be creative with it to make it successful.
3. In ASUCR I would like to see a greater exposer of transfer and non-traditional student resources on campus and an effective committees for Transfer and Non-Traditional students. ASUCR needs to be more apparent for these students so they know who to come to if they need help.
[/toggle]

SENATE

CHASS Senators

[toggle title=”David Awolowo” load=”hide”]
Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

DavidAwolowo
1. What I prioritize first for the student body is Safety, then success. I want to make sure that their will never be a possibility that sexual assault can occur on our campus, by securing more brighter lights and having more people that would escort others around campus at any time. My second revolution would attack the success portion, I would want more availability time for the student’s academic advisers and mental health advisers to meet with the students as convenient as possible according to their schedule. Because I believe we need to be guided academically and in the mental health standpoint in order for them to be successful.
2. I am a board member of UCR’s most prestigious African-American organization (B.L.A.A.C.K) Brother Leading African-American Consciousnesses and Knowledge. I search to pursue the advancement of the African-American community through uplifting cultures and dispersing knowledge. I am also a first year member of the Rotary club where I pride myself in interacting with people while bettering the community by providing opportunities to people with unfortunate circumstances.
3. Many of the current UCR students have no clue what impact ASUCR is doing on campus. I want to accommodate a strong relationship with the student body, by getting the community more interactive by giving them the opportunities to have direct and letting them know that we are always there for them.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Aram Ayrapetham” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

AramAyrapetyan
1. A major issue that needs to be addressed on UCR campus is dining student safety. There is currently over 900 students that work in Dining Services, and many of them have shifts that span the late evening hours. Due to financial reasons, some of these students are not able to afford parking permits and as such are stuck walking or biking home, sometimes as late as 2:30in the morning. This is an issue I’m currently working on independently, but when elected, I will utilize ASUCR resources to hasten the process and find a solution that works both for the students and the university.
2. Throughout my two years at UCR, I have spent a lot of time within different organizations on campus. I am currently leading a project to increase safety for dining students that work late-night shifts and in meetings with administration to solve that issue. I am also an active member of Katipunan PSO and the co-founder of the Highlanders for Bernie Sanders club. As the Vice President of the Highlanders for Bernie Sanders, I have had a lot of experience managing large groups of people, organizing events, and working with tight deadlines. These combined experiences have prepared me for the challenges and obstacles that ASUCR elected members often face.
3. I believe there needs to be an increase in accessibility for students to be able to talk to ASUCR members. The YOURSIDE party is running on a platform of transparency and accessibility, and planning on holding open office hours near the Belltower, as a way to centralize and encourage conversation with the Student Body at large.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Semi Cole” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

SemiCole

1. In my time within ASUCR, I hope to build support for the diverse cultural communities at UC Riverside. Though our diversity is a hallmark of pride within our university, we still see injustices like that of the rise of islamophobia, the decreasing retention rate of people of color, and lack of cultural competency with that of our administrative staff. As a representative of a minority community, I hope to set resolutions and legislative policies that make our university more culturally sensitive to the needs of our diverse groups.

2. My previous experience with leadership, constitutes involvement as the Vice Chair within the public interest group CalPirg, ASUCR Intern under Office the Executive Vice President, Program Coordinator with Housing, and Chancellor’s Ambassador. With strong sentiments of student activism, I have acted as the Vice Chair and worked to inspire other students about the potential of student power to achieve social change. As an ASUCR intern, I have worked alongside current AS leadership with resolutions and initiatives to engage UCR students with the advancement of mental health, increased campus safety, and student involvement. As a housing representative, I have led educational programs on environmental sustainability, racial inequalities and privilege, and self care. Acting as a bridge, I have connected residents to importance of these issues on a personal level. For University Advancement, I have reflected the student experience with donors.

3. The overall structure of ASUCR would benefit from an increase in student engagement as well as a push for more transparency. With the two being closely related, I feel as if collective understanding of issues on campus will become more clear as more students become involved in the process and participation of ASUCR. Using grassroots techniques, I believe we can inspire students to take claim of their political voice and ignite the passion of the community.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Ariel Chen” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

ArielChen

1. One of the primary issues I would like to see improvement on would be the CHASS advising system. Students should be able to see their advisor during their available times rather than a restricted schedule set by the office. Additionally, the advisors should have more time slots rather than cutting off the amount of students they can see per day. I would like to work closely with the advisors and office staff to create a new system to increase efficiency in advising. Another issue I would like to tackle would be further unifying the student body. I would suggest to have new programs implemented to bridge the gap between different organizations and individual students.

2. For the past two quarters, I have held the position of Vice President of Marketing in the American Marketing Association. My primary duties entail managing all social media accounts for the club, coming up with ideas for weekly meetings, and creating new marketing methods to better entice students to join. I personally believe my position in AMA has helped me work more efficiently within a team environment. Furthermore, my board and I were able to successfully charter the UCR chapter of American Marketing Association. We are now officially nationally recognized by headquarters as of November 2015.
I now hold the position of VP of Finance within the club and am looking forward to gaining all the new experience and insight it has to offer.

3. I believe communication is extremely important between students and the senate. Although office hours are held by senators for students to attend, I believe it would be more efficient if senators had tabling sessions. The senators would be actively reaching out to students, rather than staying inside the office, thus allowing more room for open communication.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Alissa Espiritu” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

1. As a CHASS senator, some of the main issues that I want to address and improve upon are campus safety, student hunger, social injustice (regarding sex and race, among other things), and environmental sustainability.

2. I was the captain of my high school dance team and a leader for Link Crew.

3. Regarding ASUCR as a whole, I would publicize itself and its goals to us students even more than it is because a majority of students are either not informed about ASUCR or they do not care. I would also like to ensure that students know about the services that are available to them from ASUCR and what they can do to become involved. We all pay a fee for ASUCR and therefore, we all deserve to know what that goes towards.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Winston Fadeff” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

WinstonFadeff
1. Issues I would like to tackle through legislation are ASUCR autonomy, LGBTQ rights, the lack of vegan options, and the need for extended mental health services at UCR. I would make sure that ASUCR is declared an independent unit from administration, and put this into legislation. I will work on collecting LGBTQ statistics, investing in vegan products in Scotty’s and the Dining halls, and incorporate UCSA’s #howareyou campaign into legislation.

2. Currently in ASUCR I am a First-Year Fellow under the Vice President of External Affairs Office and sit on multiple committees such as the Highlander Action Committee, the Voter Coalition, and the Highlander Lobby Core. I managed to get involved with ASUCR by the work I did for planning the Million Student March during fall quarter. During my time in high school, I was ASB Vice President my senior year and represented high school students at county conferences such as KASL. I’m also the Co-President of Highlanders for Sanders and the Chapter Historian for CALPIRG where I have done publicity for both organizations.

3. Changes I would like to see to the structure of ASUCR is the introduction of a SOBA Senator, a system of checks and balances, and for ASUCR to start working with the United States Student Association again. SOBA is a college which needs representation on the slate when it comes to economics and policy dealing with finance. A system of checks and balances and the introduction of an ethics committee would help keep elected officers accountable, and check on administration if they try to interfere. The United States Student Association is most inclusive and largest student association in the United States and UCR needs representation within USSA.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Connie Fan” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — YOUR[SIDE]

ConnieFan
1) UCR is usually associated with the citrus experiment and highlander origins. However, it is also important to acknowledge that our campus is located on indigenous land, specifically of the Cahuilla tribe. If elected CHASS Senator, I intend to officially recognize this through legislation. UCR is a school of “underdogs” which is constantly recognized for its diversity. Therefore, it is crucial that we properly honor all aspects of the origins of our campus.
2) After joining the community service organization Circle K International, I soon became its Public Relations Chair. Being on the Appointed Board and working with a team taught me the importance of getting feedback and having a diversity of ideas. From the position, I became a more assertive and determined student. The following year, I joined ASUCR’s Marketing Committee, and was soon promoted to Vice of Marketing and Promotions due to my impressive work ethic. As the Vice, I worked to promote events, create designs, and improve on ASUCR’s brand image. After working with ASUCR, I developed more of a passion to utilize ASUCR’s resources to help students and improve our campus pride.
3) Most students I have talked to are completely unaware of ASUCR’s programs. As a result, ASUCR needs to create more programs that bring more direct value to the students. [YOUR]SIDE has already worked towards this by providing free hoodies through R’Gear and offering free parking during finals week. As a CHASS Senator I would work to provide even more services by implementing free bike-share and Uber programs. Furthermore, I intend to improve ASUCR’s brand association. ASUCR offers so many underappreciated resources, such as providing legal services for undocumented students. To improve ASUCR’s reputation, I want to improve on its communication processes so that ASUCR is able to publicize events more effectively and efficiently.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Danielle Flores” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

DanielleFlores
1.As CHASS Senator, I will take [ACTION] and battle food insecurity on campus through working with Housing and Dining Services to create “meal swipe” options for freshmen at the Hub and meal plan options for upperclassmen and commuters. After freshmen year, food accessibility for most students becomes harder and more expensive. Even for students technically living in on-campus housing only Glen Mor apartments offers a meal plan to students. I find this to be extremely problematic that our administration does not provide meal plans past freshman year to the majority of students and plan to create legislation to change that.

2.A leader is a great communicator. Prior to going to UC Riverside, I developed communicative skills as a Freshman Peer Mentor at my high school. Chosen as a mentor I was held responsible to guide the freshmen class through facilitating small group discussions on a weekly basis with lesson plans formulated with faculty. I also was required to evaluate these students’ needs and refer the students to campus resources. Through this interactive position, I gained experience in representing both the student body and administration as I interacted with both to make sure my students’ needs were accounted for and met.

3.I have concluded that the vast majority of UCR students have not felt a strong enough presence from their ASUCR representatives. Many do not know about the open-door policy our student government has let alone where the office is. With the Orange Party, I will work tirelessly to fill the gap between ASUCR and the student body. All student government officials should be required to work collaboratively with their fellow peers and table at a weekly basis to hear students’ issues. With my position as senator, I ultimately want to be viewed as a public servant to my fellow peers.

[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Jose Cortez Hernandez” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

JoseCortezHernandez
1.Food insecurity is a problem that plagues many of students at UCR and an issue that I will tackle via legislation. The R’ Pantry was established to combat this problem; however, the R’ Pantry only has guaranteed for one year. The R’ Pantry is pivotal in combating food insecurity here at UCR and if elected I will ensure that the R’ Pantry will not only continue to receive funding, but also expand to cater to a larger portion of the student population. I will accomplish through proposing legislation which will allocate additional funds from the ASUCR budget to the pantry, and finding third party donors.

2.Currently I am a ASUCR senate intern for College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) senator Alan Alcantara and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) Chair of Publicity for Aberdeen-Inverness. As a senate intern, I assist my senator in writing legislation, with carrying out events, and finding issues that we students face and ways to address them. As the RHA Chair of Publicity, I make advertisements for the programs carried out by the association, I advertise the association, and formulate new marketing strategies in attempt to further reach out to the students that reside in our residence halls.

3. I want to bring change to the structure of ASUCR by making it more transparent and conscience of student issues. I will bring about this change by having all of ASUCR’s affairs, in terms of expenses, proposed legislation, and senate agenda posted on a frequent basis on our website. This will make ASUCR much more transparent. I would make ASUCR more conscious of student issues, by having senators hold their office hours at the HUB and belltower, so they will be more accessible and available to the hear the students and voice their concerns.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Jonathan Javier” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

JonathanJavier

1.One of the main concerns that I would like to take on is ensuring that CNAS students specifically have a peer mentor program. Through this program CNAS students will be creating a stronger CNAS [COMMUNITY] and successfully continuing on after graduating from UCR. Another concern I would like to address is club funding. I would like to write legislation to increase the amount of money given to clubs and organizations, as well as creating a program to inform these organizations on how and when to properly apply for these grants to increase the amount [OPPORTUNITIES] for clubs and organizations.
2. I was honored to serve as Sigma Kappa’s Public Relations Chairman. I was the liaison between Sigma Kappa Headquarters and the UCR chapter. I was able to improve my abilities as a student advocate by working with organizations and various types of students to improve the relationship between Sigma Kappa and the UCR [COMMUNITY]. I serve as an ASUCR senate intern. I have been able to work on several projections concerning mental wellness. I have been able to better understand how to be a senator and how to implement different programs and legislation by working with ASUCR and the community.
3. The first aspect that I would like to change is student involvement in ASUCR. I would like to see more students involved in the everyday proceedings of ASUCR through more committee involvement creating a more inviting [COMMUNITY] on campus for different types of students. The second aspect I want to change in the structure of ASUCR concerns outreach. I feel that ASUCR as a whole should be seeking out different student issues on campus by holding longer office hours and actively tabling on Wednesdays. These changes will give UCR students more [OPPORTUNITIES] to reach out to their student representatives.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Diana Jekki” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

DianaJekki

1. I would like to create a health/wellness fair that brings together many organizations on campus to expose students to forms of self care that would benefit them as they go through college and life. I am also interested in continuing to find ways to renovate our buildings on campus so that students are comfortable in their classrooms, as they already should be. This includes maintaining our air conditioning systems and fixing broken desks in every room and lecture hall.
2. I currently serve as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President in ASUCR, I have served as the interim Chief of Staff for the Office of External Affairs over the summer, and I was previously the Secretary of the Court for our Judicial branch. I am also a founder and member of my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, and was our chapter Historian until this year.
3. I would like to increase ASUCR’s transparency to the student body and focus on meeting the needs of all of our students, starting with those who don’t have a voice or feel like their voice isn’t being heard. We need to publicize Senate meetings more and encourage student involvement so that we hear what individuals are worried about and actively work on fixing those immediate needs, but we shouldn’t limit ourselves on just sitting in our offices. We should encourage each other to go out and ask the student body questions about the day to day issues they see that they believe must be changed. Nothing is more important than giving people opportunities to state their opinions and feelings without feeling like they are being put on the spot.
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[toggle title=”Annette Jimenez” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

AnnetteJimenez
1. My legislator would be focus on targeting advisors in CHASS. I will pressure CHASS advisors or advisors overall to be more student orientated by focusing on the student needs and accommodating to the students. The set advising hours conflict with students schedules. Many students have work right after or in between classes so, they’re not able to attend the available times. As advisors, they are there to talk to students advise them about what the students should do in order to stay on track to graduate.
2. Recently, I had the opportunity to become a shift leader at my job. Being a shift leader means you’re the manager for the hours required to work that day. The duty of a shift leader means you have to set the perfect example for the rest of the co-workers, must assign duties and make sure they are doing what they are suppose to do. This position has taught me so much and has made me grow as an individual. I have learned more about my abilities of communication. For example, if anything wrong happens at the restaurant then as a shift leader you must find an answers that best suits everyone. I’ve learned to run the store so everything turns out smoothly.
3. The changes I would like to bring to improve ASUCR would be to expand on senate outreach. I feel like it is important for senators to reach out to the student body because it is them who we are representing. A form of this would be tabling during nooners where there is a lot of students on campus. As representatives we should go up to students and ask them what it is that might be preventing them from feeling comfortable on campus or preventing them from achieving their desired goals.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Dinah Muhammad” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

DinahMuhammad
1. I want to tackle free speech on campus and the ability for students to voice their opinions and make it something that can’t be encroached upon. I want to deal with unethical financial investments and sponsorships on the Regents end. I want to tackle the financial allocation of resources in terms of student orgs and academic support for CHASS students. I want to expand halal options on campus. I also want to create opportunities for Syrian refugees and refugees in general to get scholarships to UCR. I also want to tackle student hunger and homelessness by increasing Food Pantry resources and through awareness. I also want to expand library hours and mental health awareness and stigma and create a committee of Racial Equality to tackle diverse representation and issues.

2. I served as the President of CALPIRG for this past year as well as a statewide executive board member for the past 2 quarters. I am the diversity officer in Highlander Action Committee and I sit on 2 other ASUCR committees, Lobby Corps and Diversity Council. I’m the secretary for Students for Justice in Palestine and a general member for Muslim Student Assocation. I worked to help organize the Million Student March this year. Last year, I ran a few campaigns with CALPIRG and was a senator for Resident Housing Association.

3. I want to work on ASUCR transparency by publishing and publicizing ASUCR’s initiatives and senate meetings. I also want to make the outlet of communication with ASUCR much easier. I want a SOBA and international student representative serving. I want more communication and facilitation to orgs as well as more org representation required on ASUCR’s end. I want to expand ASUCR’s outreach in terms of tabling and active org representatives that serve the orgs they represent.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Jennifer Nkosi” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

JenniferNkosi
1. I am proud to be a Highlander. I believe it is the responsibility of every Highlander to address the problems we bare witness to. One problem that requires immediate action is food insecurity at UCR. My goal is to work with administrators, students, and food vendors to expand our food recovery efforts. I believe that when we are united we can tackle any problem. I would love for every student in COSTO Hall to connect and work together. I am committed to creating programs that would help break down barriers and strengthen our community. This will help ensure that every student feels safe, connected, and EMPOWERED, which will lead to greater campus PRIDE and PROGRESS.

2. I began developing my leadership skills when I was elected student body President by my peers in sixth grade. Since then, I have been active on and off campus serving my peers and the broader community. By 12th grade, I was serving as president of the media and leadership clubs at my school, and off campus as a youth leader with the El Dorado Boys and Girls Club and Faith in Community helping to organize rallies to raise awareness and take action around issues of social and economic justice, including, addressing issues around food and housing insecurity. As your CHASS Senate representative, I will work to ensure that every student has a voice at the table.

3.I plan to work with all stakeholders to reform the “R Gear” and concert ticket distribution process, such as the way we distribute tickets for Spring Splash for transfer/graduate students. Many students expressed feeling disconnected with our campus, which impacts campus pride. Establishing a more just distribution process would allow every student to feel equally valued and rewarded. [/toggle]
[toggle title=”Valerie Nunez” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

ValerieNunez
1.I want to reach out to different diverse groups and hear what they have to say so I can help them voice their concerns. I would like to be the bridge between the students and ASUCR. It would be a team effort to tackle the issues via legislations. By doing so we can improve the campus together.
2. Previously, I have served as administrative assistant and Chief of Staff for the office of the President of ASUCR where I helped launch out R’Gear project which aimed to enhance school pride by giving the students free sweaters. Since then we have done it 2 consecutive years and I am proud to say that I played a big role in this process.
3. I would like to increase the transparency of ASUCR by bettering the relationship along with the communication between the student body and the people of ASUCR. If the students are better informed about the issues that ASUCR is tackling at the moment and the solutions that they are implementing then the students begin to trust their student body government and there are better outcomes. The students play a key role in ASUCR, it is important that their voices are heard and their opinions are taken into consideration.
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[toggle title=”Shaun Nzeribe” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

ShaunNzeribe
1. The issues I would like to tackle via legislation are student wellness in addition to improving the methods in which students are informed about campus activities and the many resources available to them at UC Riverside. I believe that there are more effective methods to informing students outside of sending mass emails.

2. My experience in government dates back to high school; I spent time in student government. During my time in government, I learned to identify the needs of students and collaborate with others to fix those issues.

3. Before I can speak on the internal changes that need to be made regarding ASUCR, I would have to be fully active so that I can learn/understand all of the internal processes. Without the proper understanding, I cannot plan to change a system. After properly understanding, only then can I begin working towards bettering the system to better benefit students. [/toggle]
[toggle title=”Shlok Punjabi” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

orange
No answers were provided by the candidate.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Agoth Ring” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

orange
1. One issue I want to tackle as a CHASS Senator is campus safety. I believe that through taking steps like increasing the amount of street lights we can curtail crime in and around our campus and create a safer environment for students to live in. Another issue I want want to tackle is the current academic advisor system here at UCR. I find that many CHASS students can’t always access the help they may need because of limited walk in hours available to see students, and find it difficult to schedule and make appointments. Academic advisors are important to a student’s success here on campus, and often help guide students career paths, so it’s vital we make sure they’re able to reach as much of us as possible. Advocating for students will be one of the main goals as my tenure as a senator. Issues such as lowering rising textbook costs at the student store, expensive parking permits, and rising tuition costs will be central to my tenure.

2. As well as being the recruitment chair for BSLA, I represent my building as a Senator in the Pentland RHA. being in leadership positions has taught me how leadership is much more about serving than commanding. Being able to lead with others in mind and consider everyone’s opinions and thoughts was an invaluable experience from these positions, one I hope to carry into my tenure as a senator.

3. I would like to see more active involvement among the student body. Too many students are unaware of what it is exactly ASUCR is doing for them. By getting students involved in the process, we can not only generate interest and greater pressure to achieve our goals, but also better represent them in office.
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[toggle title=”Sarah Shahatto” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

SarahShahatto
1. As CHASS Senator, my goal is to create an atmosphere on campus where students feel acknowledged, appreciated, and accommodated. Some initiatives I would like to put into action are making female sanitary items such as pads and tampons free of charge, expanding halal and vegan food options, establishing a multi-faith prayer room, and advocating for acknowledgment of various religious and cultural holidays.

2. In my time at UC Riverside, I have been involved in numerous organizations on campus. I was the Public Relations Specialist for Students in Justice for Palestine, a Student Assistant at the Middle Eastern Student Center, and sat on the ASUCR Diversity Council. In addition, I was a Group Mentor leader at College Day hosted by the Muslim Student Association these past two years. I am also a founder and the President of the Middle Eastern Student Assembly.

3. I want students to realize that ASUCR’s purpose is to serve students and not the other way around. In order for ASUCR to actually represent students, I will implement a mandatory open door policy for meetings within the ASUCR offices. I will make sure students are updated on what ASUCR is actually doing and what they have accomplished. ASUCR must reach out to student organizations to hear their concerns and work on empowering communities. Lastly, ASUCR must cohost events with student orgs to increase student involvement within the association.[/toggle]

CNAS Senators

[toggle title=”Haya Barakat” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

orange
No answers were given by the candidate.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Mojan Deriss” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

MojanDeriss
1. During my tenure at ASUCR if elected, I hope to break down the overbearing sense of competition in the CNAS college. One of my plans to tackle this will be to ban assigned seating by rank in the class. Often times, professors will assign seating during midterms and finals that have the highest ranked students at the top and the lowest ranked students at the bottom which discourages those students who are struggling. Additionally, I plan to create a CNAS specific involvement fair to create a greater sense of community. Not related to CNAS, I plan to work towards creating some form of commuter meal plan with an emphasis towards transfer students and those living in the off-campus apartments such as Bannockburn, Oban, etc.

2. Currently, I am the programming chair for my pre-medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon, Vice President of The Literacy Initiative, a past and current Highlander Orientation leader, and I am a Kaplan Student Brand Ambassador. Because of my experience with leadership, I believe I am qualified for CNAS Senator.

3. An emphasis on senator roles. Also to educate our Highlanders on how important it is to be involved in the political process.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Breanna Javier” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

BreannaJavier

1.One of the main concerns that I would like to take on is ensuring that CNAS students specifically have a peer mentor program. Through this program CNAS students will be creating a stronger CNAS [COMMUNITY] and successfully continuing on after graduating from UCR. Another concern I would like to address is club funding. I would like to write legislation to increase the amount of money given to clubs and organizations, as well as creating a program to inform these organizations on how and when to properly apply for these grants to increase the amount [OPPORTUNITIES] for clubs and organizations.

2. I was honored to serve as Sigma Kappa’s Public Relations Chairman. I was the liaison between Sigma Kappa Headquarters and the UCR chapter. I was able to improve my abilities as a student advocate by working with organizations and various types of students to improve the relationship between Sigma Kappa and the UCR [COMMUNITY]. I serve as an ASUCR senate intern. I have been able to work on several projections concerning mental wellness. I have been able to better understand how to be a senator and how to implement different programs and legislation by working with ASUCR and the community.

3. The first aspect that I would like to change is student involvement in ASUCR. I would like to see more students involved in the everyday proceedings of ASUCR through more committee involvement creating a more inviting [COMMUNITY] on campus for different types of students. The second aspect I want to change in the structure of ASUCR concerns outreach. I feel that ASUCR as a whole should be seeking out different student issues on campus by holding longer office hours and actively tabling on Wednesdays. These changes will give UCR students more [OPPORTUNITIES] to reach out to their student representatives[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Jasper Kuo” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

JasperKuo
1. Several issues I would like to tackle as a CNAS senator are the issues of having to switch multiple advisors throughout the years, more service/Wi-Fi on specific areas on campus, and more lights around campus. Having only one advisor allows for a strong relationship to be built when it comes time for recommendation letters, rather than a letter that is copy and pasted for each of their students. Secondly, the addition of service and lights will create a safer environment for all students, which is important when week after week I receive emails and texts about all the crime happening around our campus.

2. I was a part of the Internal Communications Committee, where we worked with all the organizations on campus and pushed forward a new app to create more of a community on campus. During my first year, I was also a part of RHA, where we dealt with bringing change that would benefit the students living inside the Residence Halls. In addition, I have been an officer of my fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, for the past two quarters and will now be a part of the Executive Cabinet.

3. The biggest change I would want to bring to ASUCR is the ideology of integrity. Especially after talking to many students who were involved directly or indirectly with ASUCR, there is a definitive problem of corruption and intransigent people within student government. Another aspect I would like to change is student involvement. With more student involvement, we can keep the people we vote into student government accountable and responsible. In addition, more involvement allows the popular opinion to be heard, rather than a small vocal minority. With the students’ involvement, we can allow a renascent ASUCR to bring about the change we want to see on campus.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Johnathan Li” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

 

JohnathanLi
1. There are multiple issues that I would like to personally tackle during my tenure at ASUCR. These issues include lowering education cost, increasing campus pride, and increasing student government transparency. For lowering education cost, I will write a resolution on implementing or expanding a campus-wide clicker rental program, where students are able to rent clickers out in the HUB for free throughout the quarter. A clicker is approximately fifty-dollars in the bookstore. Some students need a clicker for a quarter while some students need a clicker for the entire four years. Students should not purchase expensive clickers, in addition to expensive textbooks.

2. As an incoming student, I was a first year fellow under the Office of Campus Internal Affairs. For the first two quarters, I learned the daily operations of ASUCR and have assisted many executive officers and senators with their projects and legislation. Being apart of ASUCR and Office of Campus Internal Affairs allowed me to understand and to assist in resolving student issues on campus. For the remaining academic year, I will serve as the ASUCR Senate Secretary, where I will inform the student body by taking accurate notes of meeting and issue documents to the student body and to inform them what senators are accomplishing.

3. One of my issues is to increase student government transparency, where updated bylaws and organized governing documents are crucial to the process. Updated bylaws will keep elected and appoint representatives accountable for their work and ensuring the student government is effective and accountable when serving for the students. Throughout the year, I have worked with several bylaws, which includes Vice President of Campus Internal Affairs, Freshman Fellowship Program, The Act of Censure and Override, and more.
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[toggle title=”Ali Malik” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — INDEPENDENT
1. In terms of legislation, I want students interested in the sciences to be given every opportunity to have a successful academic career in CNAS. A serious concern is the issue of class sizing. Many of my peers have difficulty getting the classes they need on time. With that, I want to introduce a system in which prerequisite courses, such as general chemistry and biology, can be more seamlessly enrolled, and I will be interested in working with the academic committee in order to achieve this. I aspire to make CNAS student involvement within ASUCR increase, this will allow us to allocate more campus and student resources.

2. My interest in student government developed since junior high. I have been in leadership positions for numerous clubs, namely for international service organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis. I also involved myself with the Riverside County mock trial competition, playing the role of defense attorney. This was what has bridged my interests for policy, leadership, and law.

3. I bring the concept of autonomy and objectivism, which is seldom seen by students who vote and see representation along party lines. Essentially, this is an opportunity to share my outlook with ASUCR and the university populace as a whole. I want CNAS students to have the most bipartisan representative, free of party constraints, that will uphold their needs above all else. I hope that this neutral platform gives rise to future unbiased collaboration in the structure of ASUCR.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Carisha Moore” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

CarishaMoore
1. One of the issues I am extremely passionate about is home insecurity. This is an issue that has not yet been faced here at UCR which I would like to tackle. My family members have personally been affected by homelessness that it has become a sensitive concern I will address at UCR. You never know if your friend or classmate could be living in their car or on someone’s couch. The last thing a student should worry about is where they’re going to live tomorrow. As a senator, I will face housing insecurity so our students can feel empowered!

2. Throughout high school I had been involved with student government as class president my freshman, sophomore, and junior year. I continued by getting elected ASB President my senior year. My tenure in high school consisted of allocating school funds, making decisions for school events, and representing my institution at leadership conferences. Now I serve as a first year fellow in ASUCR to continue my experience in student government and learn the duties of each office.

3. I would push for an easier, more transparent way of communication between ASUCR and administration. Senators and ECAB members are devoted to make a change on campus which requires the cooperation of admin. Every position should be able to call up an administrator and say, “this is something we need to change at UCR and here’s how we’re going to do it.”
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Thienkim Nguyen” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

ThienKimNguyen
1. Part of [YOUR]SIDE’s platform promises to increase pride on campus in order to better the experience of UCR students. One way to encourage pride on campus is to provide more outlets for students to showcase the diversity and unique aspects of our campus. Therefore, I plan to work on a project that allows students to display their creativity and artwork in forms of murals on campus. Although my vision may seem out of reach, ultimately I’m determined to give students more opportunities to express themselves.

2. I have experience working as a part of student government during my years in high school. As a junior class representative, I planned large-scale events such as prom and focused on promoting pride within the school. During my second year in college, I became an Americorps member and mentored young students in Riverside who were struggling in school. Being a mentor for young children required me to lead by example in academics, morals, and action. It has been one of the most rewarding opportunities I’ve had simply due to the fact that I was able to make a positive impact on others.

3. Essentially, my goal is to increase transparency between the study body and the student government. I will focus on the large portion of the student body that is involved in student organizations. According to the bylaws, all student organizations are assigned to an organization cluster, and each cluster is assigned an ASUCR representative. In order to improve transparency, I would update the bylaws to make sure that each representative is held accountable for communicating and addressing any issues concerned within their assigned organization. I understand that it will not only be important to acknowledge the bylaws, but to also carry out the actions they entail. [/toggle]
[toggle title=”Beau Young” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDEBeauYoung

1. A primary goal for my time at UCR is to help streamline and improve the academic experience of my fellow CNAS students. Together with my team from [YOUR]Side, I want to break down the barriers to success that too many of my peers face in the classroom and in the lab. This includes a better support system for freshmen students, effective laboratory support for time and learning efficiency, and better career services for CNAS students.

2. As a student leader, I feel my experience is one of my greatest assets. I have founded the Camping Club on campus, lead my fraternity Phi Kappa Psi as president, worked on the Student Services Fee Advisory Committee (which gives recommendations on the dispersion of over a million dollars in student fees), and started two campus wide initiatives for Sober Driving and clean disposal of laboratory chemicals. My experience in leadership will help us make real change at UCR and improve the lives of UCR students.

3. As an action-based leader, my reasons for running for CNAS senator are largely disconnected from ASUCR politics. I’m microbiology pre-med; I have no interest in getting myself stuck in the rut of pointless politics. I want to be a CNAS senator because it will give me the resources we need to solve real problems. Beyond that, my aspirations at ASUCR are solely focused on finding ways to make the CNAS experience as pain-free as possible. I’m a problem-solver and not any sort of politician, so I do not plan on changing the structure of ASUCR unless it would directly improve the lives of the people I represent. I ultimately believe our resources are best spent on the students, not on ourselves as a political government.
[/toggle]

CNAS Senators

[toggle title=”Kyle Dansby” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

KyleDansby
1. BCOE currently maintains a poor retention rate in students due to the rigorous course loads and lack of available resources for academic support and mental health. As BCOE senator I will take [ACTION] by advocating for more programs like Si sessions, Peer Mentorship and professional development to better prepare engineers for their upper division classes and their technical careers. Far too often students in BCOE become overwhelmed by the difficulty of their classes and feel unprepared to be successful. The university has an obligation to prepare their students and by increasing the amount of SI sessions and establishing a peer network when students need them most it will be a step in the right direction.
2. I currently serve as Delta Chi President, a positon that fosters [COMMUNITY] within my organization through communication, delegation, and conflict resolution. In addition, I frequently serve as the face of the fraternity in our outreach to other organizations on and off campus.
3. In changing the structure of ASUCR, The Orange Party and I plan to bring about greater transparency in student government so that students are aware of the issues and are given the [OPPORTUNITY] to have their voices heard. ASUCR is a conduit of student rights, opportunity and unity and they should be doing more outreach and getting more involved with students to ensure that they are doing all that they can to elevate the student experience at UCR. With my position as Senator I would like to ensure that all organizations know my office hours and understand that I am here to help solve their issues.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Ana Paola Laveraga” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — ORANGE PARTY

AnaPaolaLaveaga
1. The issues I would like to tackle as BCOE senator are providing the college with more academic resources, such as SI sessions for the engineering courses of more difficulty, tutors who cater to engineering courses in the ARC center, etc. I’d like to work on connecting BCOE students with ASUCR and the student body in general. As well as, during my term, I plan to create a woman’s conference where women who have become successful in their field of work can connect with students here at UCR and inspire other women to pursue careers in the STEM fields.

2. My previous experience with a leadership role was within the Panhellenic organization that I am a part of, Alpha Delta Pi. I served as a founding member in the executive committee as our chapter’s first Recruitment and Marketing VP, where I led 100+ women through our first formal recruitment.

3. I would like to bring transparency to ASUCR, as well as a climate of inclusion where students feel welcome to come and bring any concerns to their representatives and involve themselves in their student government. This would mean opening up more office hours and making that availability known to the students.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Arneil Liban” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

ArneilLiban
1. Some issues that I would like to be addressed through legislations during my tenure in ASUCR are the lack of communication between BCOE and the other colleges on campus and the communication between BCOE and ASUCR. BCOE is the smallest of the undergraduate colleges on campus, and because of it, we generally have fewer interactions with students outside our college. Similarly, since we have the smallest college, we have the fewest amount of senate representatives in ASUCR. BCOE has 2, CNAS has 4, and CHASS has 10. Although it only takes one person to open a conversation, it helps to have multiple voices supporting you so that you can be heard.

2. My experience in student government reaches back into high school where I was involved in my class cabinet for three years and was Vice President of my class for one of those years. Here at UCR, I am a delegate for the Professional Fraternity Council and a Peer Leader for the Engineering mentoring program Ensure. With my past positions, I am no stranger to communicating with others. Also, I have been in charge of representing students for various purposes.

3. Something that I would like to improve with the structure of ASUCR is the turnaround time it takes for ASUCR to reimburse student orgs on campus for outreach grants. I think that it is a great idea to fund organizations that benefit the campus life. However, I heard from students that it takes too long for them to process information and to receive the money. In some instances, the money comes in months after the event has passed. This causes organizations to be unable to hold other events until the money comes in because of a lack of funds.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Nicole Kato” load=”hide”]

Party Affiliation — [YOUR]SIDE

yourside
1. I would like to make the A+ planning system that BCOE uses university wide. I think that the system would be useful to all our students and would alleviate pressure off our of academic advisors.

2. I was the president of Girl Up club which was a club that fundraised for women in third world. I organized bake sales and other events throughout the community to help spread awareness and raise money. I was also the captain of the Varsity girl’s basketball team at my high school. I helped to mediate any problems between the coaches and players.

3. I think the main change I would like to focus on is that I would like to improve the outreach in the BCOE community. The BCOE students need to know they can reach out to ASUCR senators and give us feedback so we can improve as a whole. [/toggle]