Two of four races contested in USG committee chair elections

Two of the four races for the upcoming Undergraduate Student Government committee chairs election are contested.

There are two candidates for Social Committee chair, two for University Student Life Committee chair and one candidate for Academics Committee chair. Nobody is running for Campus and Community Affairs Committee chair.

Three of the four positions were contested last year with the exception of USLC chair, which had one person running unopposed.

Philip Adams ’17 and Simon Wu ’17 are the contenders in the election for social chair.

Adams is a member of the Princeton BEE Team, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and Princeton Evangelical Fellowship. Adams also hosts a fashion advice column on WPRB radio. He said that his motivation for running for social chair is to make everyone’s experience at the University happier and to foster greater unity on campus.

“The position of social chair assures a chance to confront the campus’ ubiquitous social segregation, and I hope to use this opportunity to facilitate more friendships across Princeton’s persistent divides,” Adams said.

Adams said that he applauded the diversity awareness initiatives launched by current social chair Logan Roth ’15, but he said that he sees potential in gaining broader appeal and greater attendance.

Adams does not list any previous USG experience in his campaign statement.

Wu was the chief designer of USG’sPrinceton Public Works Project initiative, is a Bhangra dancer, was part of the Princeton Arts Weekend Planning Committee and recently led a Breakout trip to New York to investigate the socioeconomic effects of gentrification.

“I am running for social chair because I love the people of Princeton,” Wu said. “I want to work to help connect as many of these in ways that will establish lasting relationships.”

Wu said that his platform includes increasing the accessibility of the eating clubs and promoting student art on campus. Wu also said that he plans to improve the audiovisual components of Lawnparties and to encourage programming that doesn’t involve alcohol.

“I hope to make Princeton comfortable for all of its wonderful people, and that means catering to a variety of tastes and social styles,” Wu said.

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Wu said that past events hosted by the USG Social Committee have acted as a “grab-n-go system,” in which students quickly leave the event after receiving their door prizes. Wu said that he hopes to address this concern by designing more interactive events and consequently engender meaningful dialogue.

Kathy Chow ’17 and Carly Jackson ’16 are running to be the next USLC chair.

Chow is currently the USG website manager and the Whig deputy speaker of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society. She has also served as the social chair of the Princeton Debate Panel and has interned at the Fields Center and the Bobst Center for Peace and Justice. She said that she is running for USLC chair because she believes in the potential of USG to effect tangible change on campus.

“I see the University Student Life Committee as where we can start to change the student perception of USG. Students have the power to improve their experience here at Princeton,” Chow said.

Chow said that she plans to increase the committee’s transparency by launching a website allowing students to learn about USLC projects at a glance. She also said that she will introduce student voices into USLC by creating an online forum where students can propose and evaluate project ideas.

“USLC is currently working on 21 projects, but it would be rare to find someone who knows about more than two of them,” Chow said. “This is extremely problematic because we can’t get feedback or suggestions, and it’s difficult to discern which projects should be prioritized.”

Chow said that she commends the works of current USLC chair Ella Cheng ’16, but added that she believes that the student body should be empowered to direct the committee’s focus.

Cheng is also a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

Jackson is a member of the USLC, the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students and Innovation: Princeton Journal of Science and Technology. She said that the talent of the students around her has inspired her to be a contender.

“It’s exciting to me to imagine what could be achieved if the University Student Life Committee were to reach out more to student groups about campus issues, because we work directly with the University’s vice president of campus life,” she said.

Jackson said that she has four initiatives in mind for her term, including an online survey to assess the importance of campus life projects to students, a convention with leaders from a wide array of student interest groups,a Volunteer Week with one-time community service opportunities and a video production for admitted students on diversity at the University.

While she said that she approves of Cheng’s work, Jackson said she hopes to expand outreach to students by acquiring a better understanding of the most pressing issues.

Ramie Fathy ’16 is the sole candidate for Academics Committee chair.

A residential college adviser in Forbes College, Fathy has served on the Academics Committee and the Social Committee. He is also involved in WPRB and co-founded the Forbes Tea Club. Fathy said that, in addition to continuing existing projects, he hopes to increase student involvement in academic policy decisions with polls and surveys, and to explore the possibility of lecture-recording as an additional resource for students.