Thirty-one students seek USG positions

Yaroshefsky, who was elected as a sophomore, said that while his year as USG president has been extremely rewarding, he does not feel his work is through yet.

“There is plenty more still to accomplish, including new ideas I have formed while in office and ideas carrying over from last year that did not make the cut,” Yaroshefsky said in an e-mail.

Korbel said she is challenging Yaroshefsky because “the USG is meant to represent the needs of the people but is not doing that.”

It is representing the needs of a small group of people,” she said.

When asked whether she thought Yaroshefsky could be beaten, she said, “I have so much respect for Yaro, and I think he’s done many great things, but the USG is fundamentally flawed.”

Korbel said she has received mixed feedback since announcing her candidacy.

“I’ve had a lot of women come up to me who were very inspired. I’ve also had some negative feedback — it’s been a learning experience.”

That negative feedback has come from people who do not see her as “someone who is expected to run,” Korbel said. “I’m a member of a sorority. I’m a female. I’m from a middle-class family.”

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If reelected, Yaroshefsky said, he plans to make academic life a priority by focusing, in part, on increasing the usefulness of course reviews and improving precept quality, especially in cases where it varies across a single class. He also mentioned the possibility of posting recorded lecture videos online.

Beyond academics, Yaroshefsky said he would like to expand current initiatives, including free movies at the Princeton Garden Theatre, USG-sponsored fitness classes and online tools offered on the USG website tigerapps.org. He also said he hopes to promote responsible alcohol use and expand the USG feedback loop, a confidential listserv for leaders of student organizations to provide feedback to the USG.

Korbel said that she would focus on making the USG representative of all students, arguing that she exemplifies Princeton diversity through her involvement in “many different student groups ranging from [Black Arts Company: Drama] to Amnesty International.”

Korbel said the USG would “cast a little wider net” under her leadership, if she is elected.

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Four students are running for vice president: Catherine Ettman ’13, Carter Greenbaum ’12, Austin Hollimon ’12 and Anthony Pappenfus ’13. Ettman is a Class of 2013 senator, Greenbaum is a U-Councilor and Pappenfus is the USG communications director. Hollimon previously served as class treasurer before losing his bid for reelection last spring.

“I feel confident in my abilities to be an effective, accessible and fun VP,” Ettman said in an e-mail, explaining that she wants to improve student life. “I think it is important to have a vice president who has creative ideas and the institutional awareness to execute those ideas efficiently.”

Greenbaum said he was inspired to run by his desire to give back to the student body. “My vision of USG is simple: USG should be in the service of the student body,” he said in an e-mail.

Greenbaum said he hopes to initiate a variety of large-scale projects, such as organizing transportation to athletic events, as well as smaller ones, like installing printers on the 100-level of Frist Campus Center and creating prizes for attendance at campus events.

“A lot of my ideas are small projects that make Princeton a better place in a small but meaningful way,” he said.

Hollimon’s ideas include promoting more civic engagement on campus, increasing school spirit and including cable TV in room and board fees.

“I think USG can serve as a great facilitator between the student body and the dozens of service organizations on campus,” Hollimon said.

Pappenfus identified academic concerns and campus events as areas for improvement. He also said that, if elected, he intends to focus on sustainable dining and health and fitness opportunities on campus.

“While I feel I have what it takes to impact USG with my organization and experience, almost equally as important, I feel my positive outlook and constant upbeat attitude will enhance and motivate others to start or continue making change,” Pappenfus said. He is also a member of The Daily Princetonian design staff.

Gates Torrey ’13 and Lillian Cartwright ’14 have each entered the race for USG treasurer.

Steven Rosen ’13 and Christiana Renfro ’13 are vying for the position of academics chair.

Stephen Stolzenberg ’13 is running uncontested for campus and community affairs chair, a position currently occupied by Rosen, and Adi Rajagopalan ’13 is running unopposed for Undergraduate Life Committee chair. Rajagopalan is currently the USG projects manager and a member of ‘Prince’ editorial board.

The two incumbent Class of 2012 senators, Flavia Brancusi and Julie Chang, are running uncontested for reelection. Class of 2013 senator Andrew Blumenfeld is running for reelection against Gabrielle Cole and Bruce Easop. Cole served as Class of 2013 vice president in the 2009-10 academic year but was disqualified in her bid for reelection in April for violating election rules.

Fourteen freshmen are vying for the two positions as Class of 2014 senator: Dylan Ackerman, Aaron Applbaum, Kevin Cen, Laura Eckhardt, Kandasi Griffiths, Merve Gurakar, Shyam Modi, Jared Peterson, Nick Ricci, Steve Server, Dillon Sharp, Charissa Shen, Amy Sun and Samantha Thiel. Applbaum is a contributing columnist for the ‘Prince,’ and Thiel is a contributing writer for the ‘Prince.’

Campaigning officially began Monday. Voting will take place Nov. 22–24. Runoff voting, for races in which no candidate receives a majority of votes, will occur the following week.