Diemand-Yauman '10 unopposed for USG president

Editor's note appended

Connor Diemand-Yauman ’10, a three-term incumbent class president, is running uncontested for USG president.

Diemand-Yauman said he was surprised that he is the only one running. “I’ve been anticipating this election for five months now, and I was anticipating fierce competition for the position,” he said.

For his campaign, Diemand-Yauman prepared a roster of issues to pursue as USG president, such as promoting sustainability and changing alcohol policy.

“The USG can push for real changes [on sustainability issues], such as evaluating the efficiency of the washers, implementing a program for printing lower amounts of paper or communicating with dining and making sure they are being as efficient as possible,” he said.

Diemand-Yauman added that he will “work with the police department and officials in the Borough to work on a system that truly promotes sensible drinking in a college atmosphere,” citing underage party registration and more honest discussion between the student body and the administration about underage drinking as possible solutions.

Diemand-Yauman said he wants to promote the USG’s presence on campus. “I think it’s important that USG positions itself as a proactive rather than a reactive body,” he said. “We could be enacting policy change at the source rather than reacting to policies that have been already established.”

The official list of candidates for the upcoming USG election was released Tuesday, and voting starts Dec. 7.

Nick DiBerardino ’11 and Michael Weinberg ’11 are running for vice president. Current USG vice president Mike Wang ’10 is not running for re-election, deciding instead to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa and to apply to be an RCA.

“I’ve discussed my plans to not seek re-election with my fellow USG officers as well as … Diemand-Yauman,” Wang said in an e-mail. “We’ve already begun taking the steps to ensure a smooth transition.”

Currently, DiBerardino is a Class of 2011 senator, and Weinberg is USG executive secretary.

DiBerardino, who said he is “addicted to the satisfaction of bettering the lives of my peers, as corny as it sounds,” said he has a clear understanding of the position he’s running for.

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“The vice presidency really is about making USG function well,” he said, dismissing his opponent’s platform as a collection of popular but tired issues. “I think the role of each office needs to be more clearly defined. I think, as it is right now, there is a lot of wasteful overlap; people aren’t exactly sure what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Though both vice presidential candidates are in the same class and have student government experience, DiBerardino insisted that there is a difference.

“Mike certainly has experience by virtue of being on the executive committee but admit it, the position was appointed and he got paid for his services,” he said, adding that class senators work most closely with the vice president.

Weinberg said in an e-mail that he will "improve the undergraduate experience" by accomplishing goals like "lowering textbook prices, increasing late meal allowances to match the recent rise in costs at the Frist Gallery, and reforming the academic calendar."

He added that his "perfect attendance at both Senate and Executive Committee meetings" gave him a "unique understanding of how the USG works and thus how to accomplish USG goals."

Though the executive USG candidacies are dominated by upperclassmen, a few freshmen have stepped up to the plate.

Trevor Martin ’11 is running against John Monagle ’12 for treasurer, a position that Monagle’s brother, Michael Monagle ’09, currently holds.

Though John said his brother’s experience inspired him to run, some of his own experiences have also spurred his candidacy.

“I’ve done some work for [USG president Josh Weinstein ’09] … researching for a pet project that he was interested in,” he said. “Having that opportunity, I got to see how much influence USG can really have on campus … unlike a high school organization where there wouldn’t be as much respect or as much clout.”

Martin could not be reached for comment.

Cameron Browne ’12 is challenging incumbent Arthur Levy ’10’s bid for re-election to the position of Undergraduate Life Committee chair.

Browne said he is mainly motivated by changes he wants to see in campus culture. “I feel like this is a very diverse school but a lot of times very segregated,” he said, adding that he would like to plan for “different things that could bring different groups together, different cultures together.”

Browne noted that he was involved in student government through junior high and high school. “It’s something I really do enjoy, and it keeps me sane. I love to plan and organize things for people and do community things,” he said.

Levy cited his relationships with administrators as one of his strengths.

“There were many issues students were — and still are — dissatisfied with, and I tried, and will continue to try, to bring these to the attention of the administration,” he said in an e-mail.

George Tsivin ’11, a current Class of 2011 senator, is running unopposed for the position of campus and community affairs chair, currently held by Cindy Hong ’09. Hong is also a columnist for The Daily Princetonian.

Academics chair Ben Lund ’10 is running unopposed for re-election.

Christina Bortz ’10 and Stevan Cablayan ’10 will challenge incumbent Cole Morris ’10 for Class of 2010 senator.

Sophomores John Cappel, Vishal Chanani, Helen Chen and Derek Welski will compete to be Class of 2011 senators.

Ten freshmen — Robert Blatt, Julie Chang, Leila Howard, Waqas Jafri, Andreas Sakellaris, Rebecca Lee, Eleanor Meegoda, Jay Parikh, Quintilio Rose and Michael Yaroshefsky — are running for Class of 2012 senator.

Two senators are elected from each class.

Diemand-Yauman declined to comment on the “contested races” that will eventually yield his corps of officers but expressed optimism about the eventual outcome. “I’m confident that the USG that will come out of this election process will be very strong and promising,” he said.

Editor's note:

The original version of this article stated that Weinberg could not be reached for comment. In fact, Weinberg had responded shortly before press time; his response has now been added. Also, a quote attributed to Nick Diberardino about payment of appointed officers has been corrected.