ASUCD senate elections begin at 8 a.m. on the elections website (elections.ucdavis.edu).
With ASUCD’s choice voting system, voters rank the candidates in order of preference. If a student’s first choice candidate either wins with extra votes or fails to meet a minimum vote standard, that student’s vote goes toward their next choice candidate.
To help students make their selections, The California Aggie interviewed all willing candidates to find out if they would make effective senators.
Of the 15 candidates this quarter, we’ve chosen six who we believe are the most qualified. We’ve ranked these candidates in three tiers: those we strongly support, those who will do an adequate job and one who we felt possessed more potential than the remaining nine candidates.
Don Ho and Logan Taylor comprise our top tier endorsements.
No. 1 Don Ho: Ho will bring to the senate a level head concerning fiscal matters, and his experience within ASUCD will allow him to approach senate issues realistically. He understands what needs to be done before cuts are made and he will keep the students in mind when making these cuts. He will also ensure students are involved in the budgetary process of the administration.
Though Ho’s platform goals are weak and need better resources, we feel that his experience and fiscal intuition far outweigh these shortfalls.
No. 2 Logan Taylor: Taylor will bring a different but similarly beneficial aspect of leadership to ASUCD. His goal to itemize spending bills is both feasible and necessary. He will also bring a practical perspective when issues of spending arise. Taylor will function as a check to the senate table and will remain diplomatic when conflicts develop.
Taylor did not attend the debate, which was unwise. This is also first quarter here as a transfer student, which may hinder his ability to connect to students. Yet Taylor already made strides in his understanding of ASUCD and campus issues. We saw in him more comprehension than any of the other candidates who claimed to know the ins-and-outs of ASUCD. If he knows this much in his first quarter at UC Davis, we anticipate a strong term.
Ryan Achterberg, Andre Lee and Levi Menovske make up our second tier of endorsements.
No. 3 Ryan Achterberg: Achterberg possesses almost all the ingredients for your standard senator. He knows enough about ASUCD to become productive and his platform goals will make great changes, if he can accomplish them. His main downfall is his lack of understanding regarding budgetary problems. However, his ideas are certainly realistic, such as the ASUCD Coffee House card, which would tangibly help both students and the CoHo.
No. 4 Andre Lee: Lee is perhaps one of the most persistent and hard-working candidates the senate race will ever see. This will be both beneficial and detrimental to the senate table. He will make many changes and do so in a proactive and organized way – something ASUCD needs, considering the lack of legislation put fourth this quarter thus far.
However, Lee has already caused much tension with his persistence, and will irritate the senate table with his energy. As long as he watches this, he will succeed as a senator.
No. 5 Levi Menovske: Menovske embodies both the practical and diplomatic qualities a sufficient senator should possess. Though we doubt the possibility of an edible campus, Menovske has indeed spoken with the right sources. The same is true of his textbook rental program.
We feel especially enthusiastic about his idea to hold financial aid workshops. This idea will directly help students manage the impacts of fee increases with essentially no cost to the university. He will be a safe choice with the potential to become a highly active member of the senate.
No. 6 Joel Juarez: Juarez represents our final tier. We believe he will try his hardest to bring anonymous HIV testing to campus, and will also make himself available to any student during his office hours. Juarez clearly has the passion of someone prepared to fight for students. Our only concern is that he will let his emotions get in the way of constructive activism. We hope that he will learn more about the budget with an open mind.
