ASWC’s Executive Council elections take place Monday, April 9. The Pioneer asked President, Vice President, Finance Chair and Nominations Chair candidates to answer questions about their qualifications and what they would do if elected. The election polls will be open from 12:01 a.m until 9 p.m.
President:
Ryan Gilkey:
For three years now I have been representing you on ASWC, holding positions on various committees, as well as spending one year on the Executive Council. This unmatched experience will provide me with the foundation needed to lead ASWC through our current challenges and beyond. As President, I will:
1) Work to increase student input in matters such as the curriculum and tenure process,
2) Work with the student engagement center on creating a virtual network to easily connect current students to alumni for internship, career and graduate school advising/opportunities,
3) Improve ASWC communication with the student body, because your representatives work for you, and you deserve to know what we are doing to improve your Whitman experience. Students’ voices need to be heard, and together we will make it happen. Students deserve to have more resources available when learning about careers and searching for job possibilities, together we will create these resources. Students also need to know what is going on, and if you select me to be your President I assure you that you will.
Vote Gilkey!
What is your year & major?
2013, economics with a minor in math
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
Experience is the thing that pops most to my mind. I have been a part of ASWC for three years now which therefore gives me a better foundation when making the major decisions that I will be making as President. I’ve also benefited from serving on a wide range of committees including the Oversight Committee, Student Affairs Committee and Executive Council. I know where ASWC has been in the past, and I will use this knowledge to better lead ASWC into the future.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
Internally, I would like to improve communication. My current position in ASWC has taught me that to be as effective as possible for the students, we have to run as effectively as possible ourselves. This means that everyone needs to be on the same page and working together. This in no way requires that everyone has to agree on everything, but we must all be consistently moving forward as a group. Improving internal communication will help everyone because it allows for more trouble-shooting along the way.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to effect change in, and if so, how?
Career services is what I am really passionate about. Whitman provides us with a great foundation of learning, but then seems to fall short in helping us transition from inside the Whitman bubble to the real world. We have the ability to make proactive changes by working with the SEC to offer students better connections with alumni. We can do this by using a virtual network where alumni and students are automatically connected. This will give them the means to contact each other and communicate effectively about career information and possible opportunities. There are already schools who have built this platform, and we would be smart to join them.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
What we are doing for them day to day. Everyone knows what ASWC is, but very few students really know what ASWC is working on at any given moment and what we have accomplished. ASWC representatives have a job to do, and that job is to represent the students in the best way we can. The students therefore deserve to know what we are doing for them. This will ideally spur more student involvement as well. As we improve our communication with the student body, they will become more aware of events, clubs and other opportunities that they can contribute to and take advantage of.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
It depends on the subject. Usually I will go to the main academic building of whatever subject I am studying in at the time. I have found that this gives me a better opportunity of running into other students studying the same subject, providing me with more available help when I need it, as well as giving me an opportunity to help others.
Kayvon Behroozian:
I am a driven leader that will confidently represent you as your President. My personable personality makes it easy to approach me, while simultaneously allowing me to effectively represent the student body to the decision makers of the college. Finally, I get things done. Like, actually.
The ASWC President serves as a liaison between the Board of Trustees, the Administration and ASWC. This takes a confident, devoted, knowledgeable and energetic individual––qualities that I’m well experienced with.
Further, the ASWC President is responsible for maintaining strong relationships with the student body at large. I feel the President has not effectively fulfilled this to the degree the office demands. This means not just being personally plugged into the community at Whitman, but continually working to connect students more to their student government as well––something I plan to significantly improve when I take office.
I am currently working with the administration to develop a campus safety app for smart phones to essentially allow a blue light pole to call for help to be in the palm of your hand. This app will give even more benefits than simply calling campus security and will push Whitman in the direction it needs to go to continue making our campus a safer place to be. And this focus on safety is something I will continue to pursue as President next year.
I want to focus on creating more experiential learning opportunities for our students, both inside the classroom and outside. I’ll be advocating to each department and working with them to find new innovative ways to develop experiential curriculum. Further, I will be working to improve ASWC’s contribution to bringing experiential learning to campus through student groups who attend conferences, do work on the ground for non-profits or even work to open a student run café/store for real world business experience.
I aim to make ASWC more transparent and accessible to the students; to continue building ASWC into a formidable voice regarding student matters with the college; to make positive steps forward with campus safety; and to increase ASWC’s hand in developing “real-world” experience opportunities on campus. I’m one to get things done. Thank you for your support.
What is your year & major?
2014, politics
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
I offer a different perspective in two ways:
1) I will be a junior if elected. I wont have my thesis, graduation or looking for a job/applying to graduate school to distract me from performing the duties of the President. While traditionally it has been a senior who holds this office in the past, I believe that their job can be performed even better by an individual who can devote all their time and attention to ASWC.
2) I haven’t sat on the Executive board of ASWC yet, like my opponents have. However, this certainly doesn’t strike me as a disadvantage, because I have served as a senator my entire time at Whitman and currently serve on the Executive Board for not only Model UN as its President, but also for Phi Delta Theta as its Treasurer. Rather than coming feeling compelled to fit a mold created by my predecessor for how to run an Executive Board, I will come in with multiple perspectives on how Execs should be run, and I will be free to run it in a way that I know to be more effective for my leadership style.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
I hope to change how the Executive Board of ASWC runs; I also want ASWC to be something every student feels connected to.
Connecting every student to ASWC is a big deal for me. Most students know ASWC for the funding it provides for trips, initiatives, clubs and events. However, students don’t realize that ASWC does more than that, and that ASWC affects their life at Whitman in so many other ways. This is why I want to build on and continue improving the GoASWC.org website, so that students frequent that website for updates, news, how to get help on things, etc.––just as much as they frequent People Search. I also want to push ASWC to become even more accessible and plugged in with students through a smart phone app. I want up-to-the-minute news about events, legislation, nominations––etc. to be accessible at the click of a button to our students. These are just a few things I’m hoping to push to achieve the overall greater goal of increasing connection between ASWC and the student body.
Further, I will bring a different approach to how I would run ASWC’s Executive Board. As a senator I’ve been troubled by the unique secrecy that ASWC’s Exec sometimes holds. There have been times during my career serving on ASWC, where senate as a whole wasn’t made aware by Exec of important happenings, events, developments in ASWC initiatives,etc. until days, even weeks after they had happened. I am a firm believer that when you are in the business of serving others through your work that it is also your responsibility to inform them of your work when it happens––not when it is convenient. So when even senate isn’t being completely filled in on important information till later––obviously the student body isn’t being filled in either. I want to change that. I want ASWC to be more transparent not only to the students––but with itself too. This is going to be the only way to continue to increase effectiveness and efficiency, as well as legitimacy among ourselves as a governing body.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to effect change in, and if so, how?
Whitman offers a premier liberal arts education––but something students constantly complain and joke about is the significant lack of real world experience they receive during their time here. Whitman needs to begin offering opportunities for real world experience both in and outside of the classroom.
ASWC can help bolster real world experience outside of the classroom, and I will push for such action––and have been since freshman year. In high school, we had a “student store” that was run entirely by students. Accounting was done by students, inventory was taken by students, marketing was done by students––everything, the success of that store hinged on the students themselves. This is real world experience, even if it’s on a small scale. Likewise, many colleges and universities around the country have something similar: a student run bar, café , convenience store . . . but not Whitman. It will take persistence, it will take time, and it will take effort to work with the college and Bon Appétit to find a way to implement something like this at Whitman––but it will be worth it. It will demonstrate ASWC’s commitment to responding to student needs about getting more real world experience on campus, it will also fill a much needed convenience that students have also long wanted. Further, it will demonstrate the college’s commitment to improving experiential learning, and move the school one step closer towards offering more experience for post-graduation success and preparedness; something I know ASWC will be proud in having a significant hand in.
The college has also made steps towards in-classroom real world experience, too. Some classes offer significant hands-on learning now––but when a professor says in class “I know it’s Whitman and I’m not supposed to teach you anything practical but . . . ” in class, you know there is still room for improvement. That is something that my ability to communicate effectively is going to help me work with the college on.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
I would LOVE IT, if students knew that KWCW, The Pioneer and WEB are funded either entirely, or in large part by ASWC as a service, experience and opportunity for students! I’ve heard, on more than one occasion, students say that they think the college funds WEB. This is in fact not true, and this is partially why it is necessary for students to be aware of everything ASWC funds, advocates and does for them. The amazing experiences and opportunities ASWC offers to students are part of our service to the students. In the end, if the students don’t know what their student government does for them, it is very likely that their student government isn’t talking to them enough, and subsequently ASWC could benefit the students even more should that line of communication be opened even more.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
As lonely and solitary as it sounds, the best place for me to study is at an individual study table in the library basement.
My favorite place to study, however, is at the second or third floor group study tables by the windows.
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Vice President:
Allison Burns
ASWC has been an integral part of my career at Whitman. I would like to serve as the head of the Student Affairs Committee, a committee I was a part of as a senator. While working with this committee, I helped facilitate a number of projects, including writing the Pre-Registration Survey, founding the Coalition of Student Governments Whitman compares itself with and meeting with student advisers to help encourage students to speak to professors about enrolling in specific classes. As the club clerk, I have maintained communication with over 60 clubs, and helped 20 of those clubs write constitutions passed through senate. I have also spent a good deal of time working to completely re-structure the club clerk position for future years, so that clubs get even more of a say in their representation on ASWC. If I were elected Vice President, I would continue working on projects we started this year, and would also like to begin a number of other ideas I have been developing, such as creating networks for students within the same major (or the same abroad programs, etc.) in order to spread communication, community and awareness about various aspects of Whitman that affect the students.
What is your year & major?
2013, English with a minor in religion
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
I have been involved as both a senator and a member of the Executive Council on ASWC, therefore acquiring a unique perspective of the organization. I have been very involved for the last two years, and have come to gain a solid handle on where ASWC stands and where it can be taken. As the only woman running for the position, I have experiences and views that differ from the other candidates.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
The main issue that I have dealt with first hand has to do with the role of the ASWC club clerk. According to our current bylaws, this position is not elected, which means that this person does not receive a vote in ASWC matters. The problem here is that the club clerk is a direct representative of all ASWC recognized clubs on campus, and as such, those clubs deserve a say in who that person is. My goal is to amend the current bylaws so that the club clerk works more directly with all of the clubs, gets elected by the student body, and gets to vote as a representative of the student body at senate meetings.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to effect change in, and if so, how?
I believe that Whitman is the type of school that fosters a strong sense of community, and the best way to do so is by keeping all members of the student body informed and aware. As the Vice President, I hope to work with campus media organizations, clubs and college administrators to promote transparency with regards to both administrative and student government actions.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
ASWC is an incredibly open and welcoming organization, that students don’t utilize nearly enough. Before I got involved with ASWC, I was unaware of the many resources––especially financial––that ASWC has to offer to the students. I encourage all Whitties to speak to an ASWC representative about the numerous possible ways in which ASWC can help them.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
My favorite place to study is Coffee Perk.
Fernando Medina Corey
Greetings Whitman. My name is Fernando Medina Corey and I am running for ASWC Vice President. I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the Student Affairs Committee working on initiatives for the student body. In my most recent work, I solicited faculty syllabi and helped institute a way to view them through CLEo. Through this, I had an opportunity to navigate situations with varying faculty perspectives. This skill would be useful as Vice President for the ample amount of needed communication with faculty. In addition, I have had a full year on student affairs and am familiar enough with the committee that I feel comfortable enough to keep it working for your best interests. Among other initiatives this year, I have helped organize first-year ASWC informational sessions, instituted student taught yoga classes, researched perceptions of ASWC from the student body as a whole and have helped in the continued design of an Academic Major Informational Packet.
I have many goals for next year, among them are discovering if ASWC elections are limiting for people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, researching and advocating for service learning opportunities in different academic disciplines, and continuing to educate incoming classes about the functions of ASWC as well as open leadership positions within it. I hope to have your support in the upcoming election, and please feel free to email me with any questions.
What is your year & major?
2014, philosophy and politics
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
I would like to be sure that all students are aware that senate and most committee meetings are open to the public. I would encourage them to attend senate meetings and present their ideas and needs during open forums.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
Also, I would imagine my favorite place to study would be curled up against a Siberian Tiger with a sandwich from The Garden. I can’t say I’ve tried that yet, but it can be a life goal.
Marcial DÃaz MejÃa
My name is Marcial DÃaz MejÃa and I am running for ASWC Vice-President/Student Affairs Chair. I was born in the year of the dragon, and I am a pisces who enjoys dancing, cooking and getting lost in big cities.
During my time at Whitman, I have worked in constructing Whitman as an institution that provides different learning opportunities to enhance the student experience. I have served as a senator during my sophomore and junior years, in the student affairs, nominations and communications committee. This has led me to understand ASWC’s strengths and weaknesses from different perspectives. I have seen the organization grow and evolve, and more effectively advocate for students. I want to continue this path and work towards a stronger institution that leads the way in the evolution of Whitman as a community in which students play an important role.
As Student Affairs Chair, I want to:
- Work towards having more experiential learning opportunities available for all students in every department. This includes having more opportunities with local, national and international organizations through classes, learning and service trips, internships and Semester in the West-type programs.
- Re-establish Unaccompanied International Student Travel that will allow ASWC to fund learning and professional opportunities for students outside the United States.
- Develop a long-term institutional vision to help develop ASWC as a more accessible organization to all students, which provides leadership opportunities for a diverse student body.
- Make Whitman a model for sustainable living in the region, by working closely with the different green groups and the sustainability coordinators.
- Find mechanisms for students to be part of the process of the constant transformation that Whitman undergoes by having a more transparent communication between the administration and the student body.
Finally, my number one priority is to listen to student voices, their ideas and concerns, and to work together. I want to communicate with you about the issues that you care most about, and for ASWC to represent your interests as thoroughly as possible. I am passionate about what I do, as I believe in the impact youth can have in the world and the impact we can have as Whitman students. I want to continue to put my energy to work for you!
What’s your year and major:
2013, sociology-environmental studies
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
I am involved with various groups on campus, which I believe gives the advantage of knowing the diversity of opinions and students’ interests. I have also worked in the Student Affairs, Nominations and Communications committees within ASWC, which gives me a wider understanding of the institution as a whole.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
I believe that ASWC has evolved in a very positive way and I want to continue this change. I want to develop an institutional vision to guide this change for future years. I’d like to see ASWC be a less intimidating institution, with a more representative body, and become a powerful voice for student advocacy, and a leader in shaping the Whitman experience students seek.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to affect change in, and if so, how?
I believe that students should have more experiential learning as part of the education in which they interact with the outside world. I’d like to see more opportunities for students in all the majors as well as interdisciplinary approaches. This requires the collaboration of different parties on campus, and I’d like ASWC to coordinate efforts by talking to the administration and faculty, and coming up with possible solutions together.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
ASWC wants to hear what they think about their Whitman experience, and how ASWC can help enhance it. ASWC is for and by the students.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
Third floor of the library, tables closest to the stairs. I work better with people and noise around me than in places like the quiet room.
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Finance Chair:
Sam Sadeghi
I have decided to run for ASWC Finance Chair because I truly care about your student experience. When elected as Finance Chair I will have three primary goals. One, I will actively push to increase the total amount of money going to student development projects. Two, I want to increase funding for clubs sports. And three, I want to help each and every one of you reach your goals and discover new passions. After having served on the Finance Committee and as the CEO of the Whitman Investment Company, I have learned a great deal about what it means to be responsible for the students’ money. Likewise, in my position as Finance Chair, I will make it my priority that your money goes to projects that will ultimately make Whitman College an even better place to go to school. I want to work to represent the most important aspect of Whitman, the student body; your voices and concerns. It would be my honor to serve you as the Finance Chair for the 2012-2013 school years.
What is your year & major?
2013, economics
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
I believe I am very well qualified for the position. After having served on the Finance Committee and as the CEO of the Whitman Investment Company, I have learned a great deal about what it means to be responsible for other people’s money.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
As Finance Chair I will do everything in my power to make the decisions that my committee makes more available to the general student population. Essentially, I want there to be more communication between ASWC and the student population.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to effect change in, and if so, how?
Two big things! One, I will actively push to increase the total amount of money going to student development projects. Two, I want to increase funding for clubs sports. I would do this not through raising the student fee but through alumni donations.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
I feel students don’t always realize how many student projects and events are funded through ASWC.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
Library or my dining room table.
Xiaojiao (Margaret) Yang
I’m Xiaojiao (Margaret) Yang, and I want to be your ASWC Finance Chair for the upcoming school year. Giving students access to their funds requires a unique blend of political savvy and financial understanding. Given my background, I think I’m especially well-suited to do that. As an international student from China currently studying economics, I have first-hand knowledge of how valuable it is to be exposed to people of different backgrounds and cultures.
In my two years serving on ASWC’s Oversight Committee (including working as Oversight Chair last year), I have gained exhaustive knowledge of how ASWC works. As Finance Chair, I would use that knowledge to fund the best ideas possible.
Every year, you pay a fee so ASWC can fund programs, clubs and trips that benefit you. As Finance Chair, I’d make sure it’s easy for you to get your money’s worth from the resources you’ve helped create. Were I elected, I’d hold an information session every semester to explain how you can get your ideas funded by ASWC, and also hold monthly conferences explaining where your money is going and why.
So vote for me, and I’ll help maintain your access to the great opportunities ASWC has to offer.
I’m currently studying abroad, so if you have ANY questions, please contact me: [email protected]
Thanks!
If you need a study break, check out my campaign ads on my YouTube channel, it only takes 30 seconds and it’ll be worth it 🙂
www.youtube.com/voteformargaret
What is your year & major?
2013, economics with a minor in French
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
- Leadership experience within ASWC: I have over two years of experience working in ASWC, and one semester serving as the Oversight Chair. The Oversight Chair ensures that ASWC operates in accordance with its constitution and conducts elections fairly. As the Oversight Chair, I had the opportunity to sit on the Executive Council, see ASWC as a whole, and work with each individual committee. Because of this, I am very familiar with how each committee functions and how to best coordinate them.
- Knowledge about the complex business office system: The Finance Chair position requires the understanding of the business office system here at Whitman. I was the student intern there last year, so I am very familiar with how it functions in relation to ASWC, and it’s easier and more effective for me to communicate with the business office staff. I also possess knowledge of economics not only from the United States, but also from China and Europe.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
Increase awareness: Most students do not apply for funding from ASWC because they do not know how to do so. I want to make ASWC funding available to more students by holding a “Finance 101” intro session at the beginning of next semester as well as spring semester, to explain to students how to apply for ASWC funding.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to effect change in, and if so, how?
Whitman is an academically rigorous college, but our occupational training isn’t enough. I would like to work closely with the SEC to increase internship/student job opportunities, and establish graduate school liaisons for students. This would provide a new source of information about graduate school and summer internship opportunities. I am planning on bringing in recent Whitman graduates to talk to students about their job search experiences and GRE preparation.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
Getting funds from ASWC can seem like a stressful task, but I want the students of Whitman College to know that in reality, it is not as difficult as they may imagine.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
Lackum Duckum.
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Nominations Chair:
Zac Parker
My name is Zac Parker, and I’m a first-year running for Nominations Chair of ASWC. As Chair, I will be tasked with organizing the nominations process for each of the campus media organization heads, non-senator members of the Nominations Committee, as well as College Committee positions. This entails not only conducting the application and interview processes, but also all advertising for each position. Given my experience as a member of both the Nominations and Communications Committees of ASWC over the past year, I feel that I am extremely qualified to manage the Nominations branch of ASWC and fulfill these duties. As Nominations Chair, I would focus on substantially raising the extent to which each position Nominations handles is advertised for, as I feel this is the best way to increase student involvement on campus. I see this position as a unique opportunity to use my skills and abilities to get more people across campus involved in ASWC, and in doing so, ensure that every student feels like they are represented fairly by their government.
What is your year & major?
2015, undeclared and interested in politics, philosophy and rhetoric
What do you think you offer to your position that’s unique from other candidates?
I think my background in advertising as a member of ASWC’s Communications committee will be instrumental for the Nominations Chair position. Nominations committee has been plagued in recent years with low numbers of applicants for positions, and I feel an increased focus on physical advertising in addition to email will be extremely effective.
What do you hope to change with ASWC if elected?
As it stands, I think that ASWC gives the impression of exclusivity––only a few people make it on senate or executive council, applying for positions is intimidating and involving oneself in ASWC without holding a position is awkward. As Nominations Chair, I feel I would have a unique opportunity to change that atmosphere substantially, and look forward to doing so.
What is an issue or problem on campus for students that you would like to effect change in, and if so, how?
I think that homogeneity is a pretty huge issue at Whitman. While I love most of the ‘Whittie’ reputation, I don’t like that that reputation necessitates a sort of sameness amongst all the students here. I think my focus on raising the inclusivity and accessibility of ASWC is the most genuine plan I can offer for redressing this problem from the position of Nominations Chair, because by changing the way student representation and involvement functions at Whitman, I can create a path for all students, regardless of what they are, to feel assured that Whitman is a place where they can be who they are.
What would you like students to know about ASWC that you feel they don’t?
That they don’t have to run for senate or executive council to be involved in a meaningful manner. There are multiple college committees that students can apply for where they can work together with faculty and fellow students to make Whitman a better place.
What is the best/your favorite place to study?
Two-West.
