AS election debates: Candidates talk student life and administration

Voting for UC San Diego’s Associated Students election opened last Monday and closed on Friday at 4 p.m. Later that day, A.S. election manager Aries Cole announced the election results.

This year’s election followed the Senate’s ratification of a new A.S. constitution in February. The new constitution created two elected positions: executive vice president for student life and executive vice president for essential needs.

The constitution also renamed the existing vice president for external affairs position title to include “executive.” The A.S. executive branch no longer includes the previously elected positions “executive vice president” and “vice president of academic affairs.” The A.S. Senate also no longer includes the five campus-wide senator positions.

Election debates took place throughout last week at The Loft in Price Center. Presidential candidates debated on April 1, followed by executive vice president candidates on April 2. Candidates discussed issues ranging from student organization engagement, relations between A.S. and the administration, student advocacy, and free speech policies.

AS president

The A.S. president is responsible for presiding over A.S. Senate meetings, meeting with campus administration, and overseeing the executive branch, which includes the other elected executive officers as well as appointed officers for operations, finance, and communications and marketing. Third-year students William Simpson, who was the incumbent, and Mina Nguyen, current executive vice president, shared their approaches to representing students on campus and to the administration.

William Simpson

Simpson emphasized his platform’s focus on specific, measurable agenda items. If reelected, he promised to create a committee focused on increasing collaboration with student organizations, asserting that this could streamline financial support. Simpson also proposed increasing funding to student organizations for outreach and cultural events to encourage broader participation from the student body. For students not part of organizations, Simpson said he would work with college councils to develop and promote other pathways for involvement on campus, citing a recent collaboration with Revelle College.
Simpson referenced his experience interacting with university administrators in his current term. Next year, he planned to take a more assertive approach, particularly on issues such as student fees and university policy decisions. Simpson said he would raise issues directly with university leadership and pursue systemwide action across the University of California in response to student questions on free speech and expression policies. He cited his past efforts, which included passing A.S. resolutions expanding the Contemplation Lounge last October and establishing the Disability Resource Hub this January. Simpson said he would maintain transparency by issuing updates through A.S.’s social media.

Mina Nguyen

Nguyen centered her platform on energizing disconnected students. She expressed a desire to bring A.S. directly to all students — especially those in residential communities, classrooms, and transfer and commuter spaces — to remove the burden on students to seek out support for themselves. Nguyen said she would increase direct engagement campaigns, such as working with professors to incorporate information into course syllabi. Nguyen also mentioned increasing funding for and collaborating with student organizations, particularly for cultural events, as her platform’s focus.
Nguyen claimed her approach to speaking with administration would emphasize negotiation and involve more students. She would bring student representatives into meetings with university officials and organize collaboration across student organizations to advance collective advocacy goals. Regarding student safety concerns about potential immigration enforcement presence on campus, Nguyen said she would support academic accommodations for students who feel uncomfortable attending class. Nguyen also committed to using multiple platforms — including social media, residential networks, and student organization channels — to consistently communicate A.S. updates to students.
Candidates were asked to comment on what makes their platforms unique from one another. Nguyen said that her lived experiences in the communities she represents, reflected in her push for greater diversity within A.S., sets her platform apart from Simpson’s. Simpson acknowledged that he and Nguyen share many of the same positions, but he commented that he prioritizes direct engagement with students by meeting with student leaders and attending organizations’ events, for example.

Executive vice president for student life

The EVP for student life is one of the two new elected executive officer positions, responsible for ensuring access to and quality of student-life driven campus services and events. This includes overseeing student conduct affairs, encouraging student engagement with attention to organizations and greek life, and coordinating collaboration with the campus’s cultural centers. Third-year students Moazzma Chaudhary and Isey Guzman discussed their plans to address student concerns about transportation and UCSD’s social scene.

Moazzma Chaudhary

Chaudhary’s platform centered on improving transportation for commuter students and supporting students with disabilities on campus. Currently serving in A.S. as one of five campus-wide senators, she said her experience in student government and as a commuter herself would inform her office’s decision-making. Chaudhary proposed advocacy to increase the amount of S and SR parking spots and to allocate more spots to student carpools. She claimed she would oversee the soon-to-open Disability Resource Hub and bring attention to existing campus resource centers to ensure that all students are aware of what they offer. Chaudhary named collaboration with student organizations such as the Students’ Civil Liberties Union and the Blind Snakes Co-operative as ways to meet her policy goals.

Isey Guzman

Guzman aimed to shed the “UC Socially Dead” moniker. If elected, Guzman said she would prioritize student connection and socialization outside of classes by hosting on-campus events with consideration of locations near parking areas and at times convenient for students who do not live on campus. She intended to encourage greater attendance from the student body, especially from commuter and transfer students like herself. Guzman emphasized the importance of addressing the high costs of housing, food, and commuting for UCSD students. She said she would advocate for reduced parking fees, better access to EBT, and more food pantries on campus.

Executive vice president for essential needs

The EVP for essential needs is the second of the two new elected executive officer positions, responsible for ensuring that all students can access affordable food and housing. This role oversees the department of essential needs, communicates with relevant campus services and administration, and organizes advocacy efforts. Three candidates ran for the position: first-year Rehya Arora, third-year Camila Gutierrez, and second-year Arya Patel.

Rehya Arora

Arora’s policy platform focused on housing, protecting students from immigration enforcement, and addressing the high cost of transportation. An organizer with the SCLU, Arora proposed either extending UCSD’s housing guarantee to four years or shifting the on-campus housing allocation system to prioritize upperclassmen housing for those who need it most. She outlined sanctuary agreements that she would push the University to enact if elected, saying that these agreements would make students feel safer and more comfortable on campus. Arora planned to address commuting difficulties by establishing new bus routes and converting unused A parking spots to S spots.

Camila Gutierrez

Gutierrez’s biggest priority was food accessibility and affordability. She criticized how difficult it was for students to access EBT benefits, proposing resources to enroll in EBT and setting up shuttles so students can easily reach the EBT office. On campus, she planned to reform the dining halls, especially regarding how Housing Dining Hospitality handles dietary and allergy restrictions. Gutierrez also stated her plans to work directly with student councils to host pop-ups at each college to share resources and give away health supplies. She emphasized her desire to ensure students know what’s available to them on campus.

Arya Patel

Patel emphasized her previous experience working with essential needs organizations in her current role as associate vice president of the A.S. Office of Food and Housing Resources. Her platform focused on the need to further improve current aid programs, rather than pushing for new ones. Patel proposed increasing social media outreach to students with information about essential needs support. She planned to establish a centralized database that includes resources on leasing rights, housing opportunities, and essential needs organizations on campus. For commuter support, Patel would provide gas subsidies to incentivize student carpools and monetary grants to those in need.

Executive vice president for external affairs

The EVP for external affairs is responsible for representing A.S. at the city, state, and national level, including advocacy and lobbying efforts. The individual in the role is also the A.S. delegate to the UC Student Association and serves as, or appoints, the United States Student Association delegate. Incumbent and third-year Ricardo Miranda faced two challengers, second-year Kaleb Truchan and third-year Aydin Yelkovan.

Ricardo Miranda

Miranda’s lobbying platform focused on regaining research funding lost or withheld by the federal government. If reelected, he claimed he would continue to advocate for students through his participation in UCSA meetings, trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C., and lobby days — when students travel together to lobby local and state legislators. Miranda emphasized his existing connections with local and state government, as well as with on-campus organizations.

Kaleb Truchan

A current campus-wide senator, Truchan cited years of experience in policy and advocacy as informing his platform; he aimed to address food insecurity on campus through the markets and student food programs. Truchan would push for longer market operating hours and lower prices, if elected. He also proposed increasing funding to food access organizations to support education initiatives about programs they offer.

Aydin Yelkovan

Yelkovan aimed to address the rising cost of housing and commuting. Yelkovan, an organizer with the SCLU, argued that UCSD’s investments in corporations that control housing costs like Blackstone are improper allocations of funding. He claimed he would push the University to divest, reallocating that funding to address other costs of living, especially parking. Aydin also proposed changes to the University’s time, place, and manner policies.