On Nov. 29, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) announced candidates for 2019 Winter Elections in an email to the student body. Out of nine positions up for election this winter, four will be attained without opposition.
Voting will open on Dec. 9 at noon. There are six candidates for the Class of 2023 senator position and two for each of the other contested positions: President, Vice President, Academics Chair, and Undergraduate Life Chair.
Rachel Hazan ’21, Christal Angel Ng ’22, Sophie Torres ’21, and Turquoise Brewington ’22 ran unopposed for the positions of Treasurer, Campus and Community Affairs Chair, Social Chair, and Class of 2022 Senator, respectively.
Two candidates, David Esterlit ’21 and Chitra Parikh ’21 are seeking the position of USG President.
Parikh, an architecture concentrator, previously served as USG Executive Secretary and Vice President, which her platform notes “prepared [her] to take on this role with both passion and dedication.”
If elected, Parikh’s platform notes that she will “develop channels to easily access information not already available” including preceptor-specific course reviews, “advocate for more inclusive initiatives” including “meal exchange for independent students and subsidized airport transportation,” and “create opportunities for students to engage with administrators.”
Esterlit’s platform notes that “Most Princeton students are apathetic about USG,” demonstrated by “embarrassingly low” turnout for past elections. He believes this apathy is well deserved, writing that USG “is more ‘government club’ than Undergraduate Student Government” and is not designed to represent students’ concerns when they do not align with what University administration wants.
“While USG spends around half of its budget on party planning and movie nights, students and their families are suffering from real economic stress,” he wrote. “The USG of today has abdicated its responsibility, and, on election day, with your help, I mean to restore it.”
Last winter, three sophomores ran for Class Senator, a position that Brewington will assume without opposition. Six first year students are running for Class of 2023 Senator, compared to the 15 Class of 2022 senate candidates last winter.
The candidates for Class of 2023 senator are Julio Cezar ’23, Ryan Cho ’23, Trevor Holmes ‘23, Rahul Jain ’23, Allyson McCormick ’23, and Sarina Rahman ’23.
Cezar proposed changing University policy and allowing the Financial Aid Office to implement case by case analyses when determining award. Cezar said he based this idea off of his own experience of working four jobs because of his father’s unwillingness to contribute to his education.
Cho, McCormick, and Rahman mentioned working on ways to improve transparency and communication between students and the University. Among other proposals, both Holmes and Jain mentioned working to increase sustainability efforts on campus.
Two former Class of 2022 senators, Andres Larrieu ’22 and Jasman Singh ’22 are running for USG Vice President.
In his platform, Larrieu mentioned the referendum he is currently sponsoring which hopes to establish Sustainability Chair as a USG committee. Singh mentioned “restoring faith in student leadership and enabling activism on campus — whether that be supporting Title IX protestors or SPEAR [Students for Prison Education and Reform] activists.”
Christian Potter ’22 and Shaffin Siddiqui ’22 are running for USG Academics Chair.
Potter, in his platform, noted that he “hope[s] to fight for the implementation of a retroactive P/D/F option, joint concentrations, a more flexible add/drop period, and a review of the certificate programs to lower barriers, reduce variability, and increase offering.”
Siddiqui’s platform emphasized “RELAXIN’.” In addition to five comedic rhetorical questions about students’ workloads, Siddiqui wrote he “will push this University to reconsider the mental limits of its students.”
Jeremy Bernius ’22 and Aaron Leung ’23 are candidates for USG Undergraduate Life Chair.
Bernius’ platform notes that he wants to work on “implementing Title IX reform,” “bettering housing,” and “highlighting all needs and desires of the student body!”
Leung’s platform includes a four point — eight sub-point — plan for reducing stress, increasing inclusivity, improving campus dining, and consolidating the student body’s voice. Under these points, Leung plans to demand “higher quality and quantity toilet paper,” extend late meal hours, create informal peer support groups, and develop an anonymous platforms for students to voice concerns to USG.
Campaigning will begin on Dec. 2 at 12 p.m., one week before voting opens.
This story is breaking and will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
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