Spring 2020 Platforms – Carleton Student Association

VOTE HERE

Admissions and Financial Aid Committee (AFAC) Liaison

Santi Rico

Hello Fellow Carls,

My name is Santi Rico ‘21 (He/Him/His) and would love to continue to serve you under Admissions and Financial Aid Liaison. Joining in Winter 2020, I have not yet had a full year of experience being your AFAC senator and feel as though I have only scratched the surface of what I can bring to the Senate every Monday and how I can keep amplifying the student voice in Scoville hall. To make it easier to read, my platform will be in Q&A format so that you can read it all separately or go to the parts that interest you. If you feel as though I am missing anything or would like to make a suggestion/ pose a question as to how I can best continue to fulfill my role as your AFAC Senator, please feel free to leave comments or email me at ricos@carleton.edu

How are you uniquely qualified for the positions you are applying for?

I am extremely interested in continuing my role as the Admissions and Financial Aid Liaison because I consider that I, even though I am proud of all the work I have accomplished, am just beginning to make the change I want to see done to the Admissions and Financial Aid offices at Carleton. I would very much like to continue to see out the projects and collaborations I have begun but to also learn from my mistakes made in the past to build on and ultimately fulfill the responsibilities asked of the AFAC Liaison role.

Ever since my first day at Carleton I have worked as an Office Assistant at the Office of Financial Aid and more recently have been working with the Admissions Office to help recruit the next generation of Carls! I have made a second home out of Scoville Hall and have embraced the people and environment it brings. I have already worked on several projects with all members of these offices including Associate Dean of Admissions/Director of Financial Aid Rod Oto and my supervisor Associate Director of Financial Aid Kris Parker but now also Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Art Rodriguez. On a very consistent basis, they all ask me for a student perspective on whatever issues they are tackling and since I am a few steps away I tend to be their first choice. I have formed great relationships with everyone in Scoville, from Admissions to Financial Aid. On the other hand, since I am proud of my job, all my friends know where I work and often come to me with questions regarding forms or processes they have to do with the Office of SFS. I feel as though I have become an outlet within the student community in which they feel comfortable speaking about matters concerning their financial situation, a difficult position to gain among students. I feel as though my experiences as AFAC Senator, Admissions Student Ambassador and Office Assistant at the Office of Financial Aid have given me the tools and, more importantly the relationships, I need to really leave a mark on the administration in my last year on campus. I do not attempt to discredit any other candidate running for this position and hope that you all choose the best option keeping everyone’s best interests in mind but I personally do not believe there is a more qualified candidate than I.

What have you done in the two terms you have acted as Admissions and Financial Aid Liaison?

I have had a first-person perspective to the amazing work our Admissions and Financial Aid staff have done in the past term and a half. I am proud that I have contributed to their success and immense progress at making Carleton a possible future for students all over the world. I have proudly been involved in multiple ways in different settings over these two terms.

For example, I was the only senator/liaison of the Carleton Student Association that accompanied our executive board to meet with Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig concerning a new education bill she was set to vote on. During the meeting that took place in the winter, I walked her through Carleton College’s financial aid process and how incoming students are awarded their aid package and how it carries out throughout the 4 years. After talking to her about the appeal process and the loan determination, we compared our financial aid system with ones from other universities and she was astonished at how low the average amount of student debt a regular Carleton student graduates with.

In the Financial Aid office, I have worked closely with the staff to make sure all the resources and information is very accessible to all of the student body and, just as importantly, their families. After a lot of revision, I lead the project to translate the pamphlet “Understanding Your Aid Award” in Spanish so that parents and students alike can have one more resource that can prove to be very helpful when attempting to understand their aid package. By dissecting the loans, work-study and scholarships sections of the aid award in their native language, spanish-speaking families of the Carleton community can better comprehend the financial situation their student will be in for the next four years.

Being part of the Admission and Financial Aid (AFAC) committee has also given me a very useful outlet to voice my student perspective. Especially since the two student-at-large positions were vacant during the winter term, I was always turned to with questions about credit matriculation, study abroad, academic courses and my perspective as a student of color and a student from the South. They continued to be extremely grateful for my input at our bi-weekly meetings.

My commitment to the student body remains strong as I have met with multiple students and have helped them get their questions answered by directing them to the appropriate Financial Aid staff member and have also guided them to the forms they have to fill out to accomplish things like appealing their aid package to transferring aid to a studying abroad program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I remained on campus for the extended spring break and helped students get their questions answered about refunds for room and board and also questions concerning work-study. For those students who were going to remain on campus during the whole Spring term, I helped them make sure they had employment and a secure source of income. To this day, I do my best to field any questions and be the resource to the student body that this position requires of me

More recently, I have been guided more into working with our Admissions office, as the given global pandemic has greatly affected how the next generation of Carls will choose Northfield as their new home. I have independently led information sessions completely in Spanish to admitted and prospective international students as well as domestic students to better answer any questions they or their families might have. I have also, working together with the amazing Admissions staff, been part of student panels and other discussions with admitted and prospective high school students to make sure they feel like they have all the information necessary when (hopefully) making the decision to attend Carleton!

A side project that I hopefully can develop more next year is a collaboration with the Northfield non-profit organization TORCH and the Carleton student body through my senate position. I have met with Tessa Wheelock Kiesow, TORCH Director at Northfield High School to coordinate a student-to-student experience in which Northfield high schoolers can meet with Carleton students and discuss things like the admissions and financial aid process when approaching college. We would conduct informal workshops to which Northfield high schoolers can really see and understand their options after graduating. We were about to launch our first meeting but it was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.

All and all, I have put so much time and effort into my AFAC position and feel as though I have only started making the impact I want to see.

What will you do in the future to best serve the Carleton student body and represent the Carleton Student Association in the best capacity?

I want to continue to make the Admissions and Financial Aid offices more accessible to every student on campus and their respective families. I want to continue to voice student concerns in every matter of Admissions and Financial Aid to both offices and to everyone on the AFAC committee. For more concrete goals, I would like to personally do everything I can to increase the amount of college applications, and therefore students, we receive from both Latin America and the American South. I have already contacted the admission representative that operates in the South and we plan to work together to get a higher number of students from the region. We need to improve the strategies when approaching students in high school and by ensuring there is encouraging attitudes when it comes to the liberal arts experience. To increase transparency, I will publish bi-termly reports to the Carleton community filled with updates, events, workshops and advice related to Admissions and Financial Aid. To increase the efficiency of CSA, I will participate in the remodeling of the training and orientation for senators so new and incoming senators know what is expected of them. Since I joined in the winter, there was a lot I did not know how to do and want new CSA senators to really understand what is expected of them. In short, I want to continue to perform in this role in the best way I can and I think that with time, I will improve. I promise to seek out every opportunity I can to serve CSA and our student body, both current and future, in the best way possible.

What other activities do you work or plan to work at Carleton?

I definitely am involved on campus as much as a student can be. I host a radio show weekly with KRLX. I have been a member of the LASO (Latin American Student Organization) since my freshman year. I am on the Board of SEED (Student Engaged in Essential Dialogue) which is a student-run group that operates through the Dean of Students and promotes healthier forms of communication within student organizations on campus. We meet weekly to discuss funding, coordinating training for facilitators (students who facilitate conversations within groups) and managing our public image and interaction with students. We aim to give the student body effective communication skills to overall improve campus attitudes of inclusion and acceptance of diversity. I also volunteer at the Northfield non-profit “Project Friendship'' which is a mentoring organization that pairs college students with middle school aged children to meet once every week to provide emotional support or a relaxing time. I started my new project with TORCH and hope to develop it more in the Fall of 2020. I am also a regular participant in OIIL events. Last year I was on the International Festival Student Committee where we put together a really amazing event. I hope to do it again next year.

Chaplain's Office Liaison

Lauren Pak

Hello! My name is Lauren Pak and I’m a junior psychology major from Moraga, California. I have thoroughly enjoyed being involved in religious life on campus, and because of this, I am applying to be the Chaplain’s Office Liaison. For the past 2 years, I have worked as a Chaplain’s Associate (CA) under Chaplain Carolyn Fure-Slocum. It has been a very fulfilling experience to be involved in the planning, set-up, and debriefing of religious events of different faiths and to help plan and participate in services of my own faith. As a CA, I attend weekly meetings with the Chaplain and the other CAs (who represent many faiths) to discuss the current aspects of religious organizations on campus and plan events, among other things.

I would like to use this position to advocate for religious life in CSA. Before each CSA meeting, I will gather any questions and concerns surrounding religious life on campus that should be addressed. This communication will go both ways, as I will report back important information from each CSA meeting to the Chapel. I am excited about the opportunity to become more involved in the community as a whole.

Carleton students come from many faiths and backgrounds and I would be honored to play a part in supporting religious groups on campus. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at pakl@carleton.edu. Thank you!

College Council Liaison

Sid Hirshberg

Hi, everyone. I’m Sid Hirshberg (he/him/his), a junior Political Science major and Creative Writing minor from Los Angeles. For the past year I’ve served as one of your College Council Liaisons, and I’m now running for a second term. Outside CSA, I’m a member of Carleton’s Model UN team, an employee at the Stewardship Office, and an avid reader and writer.

What Did I Do With My First Term?

When I first ran for this position a year ago, I ran because I was worried about the future of this community. While I’m still worried now, I do feel we’ve taken steps forward since then. In the course of my tenure on the College Council, a body which functions as the most direct point of contact between students and the administration, I’ve worked with leaders such as President Poskanzer and Dean Livingston to help formulate a new severe weather protocol, ensuring that something like last year’s polar vortex debacle, which saw students trudging through unsafe temperatures to reach class, will not happen again. I was also able to contribute my voice to efforts to solve a myriad of crucial issues, such as the formulation of plans to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Outside College Council, I’ve chaired the Governance Committee, the group which oversees the chartering of new student organizations. In the Senate itself, meanwhile, I’ve fought for initiatives such as free laundry for all students. And, most recently, I’ve worked as best I can to help coordinate our initial response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, helping to make sure students who lack safe homes to go back to could stay on campus and pushing for transparency from our administrators.

Why Am I Running Again?

While I’m proud of the work I’ve done in the past year, much remains to do, as Carleton faces grave challenges from external forces. That’s not to say there are not internal issues on campus that drastically need addressing; mental health services on campus remain inadequate, while tuition continues to rise. And many students still feel disconnected from their administration and their student government. But there is, of course, an elephant in the room. How can we best support each other while the COVID-19 crisis keeps us apart? When will we come back to campus? And what will things be like when we do return? While I don’t have all the answers, I do know that I will fight as hard as I can for the interests of students in the face of this ongoing turmoil, and work to ensure that our administrators are transparent and forthright with us as they contemplate next steps.

However, the COVID-19 crisis isn’t the only major external issue we must keep on our radar. We must continue working to defend against the threat that Trumpism poses to so many of us. Just this past week, the Trump administration unleashed a sweeping attack on federal regulations for the handling of Title IX cases concerning sexual misconduct and discrimination on college campuses, presenting a vision of the process that would deter survivors from coming forward and make winning justice vastly more difficult than is already the case. As the most direct conduit between students and the administration, I will fight to ensure that Carleton does not allow Betsy DeVos to make us complicit in this miscarriage of justice, and stands up for survivors in the face of the new regulations.

Why Vote For Me?

In addition to my year of experience on CSA, I have previously spent years working in “real” politics, interning for political campaigns and lobbying legislators. I feel I have the toughness and dedication necessary to push for change, the experience and know-how to find ways to solve problems, and the ambition to take bold steps forward. More concretely, my plans for the
next year are as follows:

Continue to meet and converse directly with leaders across campus, both in the administration and in the student body, acting as a bridge and facilitating communication so that the diverse bodies that make up our student government and administration can work together to get things done.
Fight to ensure the college responds to the new Title IX regulations in a thoughtful yet forceful manner that puts survivors first. I hope to see a clear statement of intent that outlines a decisive answer to the Trump administration’s anti-survivor measures.
Work to ensure transparency and accountability in the college’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, push for decisions that take the strain on many students’ financial resources into account. I intend to fight for a freeze on tuition hikes, as well as working to ensure that decisions are made in a timely and clear manner that weighs the fact that students, particularly international students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, may not have the financial flexibility to make adjustments to travel and general life plans on short notice.
Move to institute further measures to protect students’ mental health while off campus during this difficult time. When we do return to campus, strengthen SHAC by working to add more and more diverse staff, as well as furthering efforts to promote positive mental health discourse.
Reform Governance Committee. While I’ve had the opportunity to facilitate the creation of over a dozen new organizations during my tenure as chair, I have found that there is substantial bureaucratic red tape that petitioners have to cut through. I plan to use my experience running the committee this year as a base to streamline, speed up, and ease the process going forward.
Advocate for more surveys and referendums on questions that are important to students, so that the CSA has a clearer understanding of what the student body truly wants, and has a clearer mandate to fight for us.

While the above list represents some of my current priorities, I hope to hear more from all of you and learn about issues you’d like to see brought up, and to hear your suggestions in terms of solutions. And ultimately, more than any one issue, I hope to make the administration more responsive to our concerns and more transparent in their decisions, and to give us all more power and agency in the way our school is run.

Luke Norquist

Hello classmates! Hope you are pushing through this uniquely gross time as best as you can. Covid sucks.

My name is Luke Norquist (he/him/his). You might be tired of hearing from me after this past winter (ya know, fair) but I hope you’ll hear me out for one last piece of campaign-y material. I learned a ton over the course of last term’s election about what challenges are confronting this campus, and want to be a part of a CSA that addresses those issues, regardless of my personal role.

One big thing I always highlight when talking about student government at Carleton: CSA is NOT a club. We are here for you, and we work best when we remember that CSA exists to serve the student body. In this platform I want to show you what I’ve done on CSA before, and highlight my priorities for what I’d like to work on this coming year.

Highlights from what I’ve worked on:

Sustainable and Humane Financial Investments

Last fall I drafted a CSA resolution pushing for Carleton to create and implement an ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) Policy, which would guide Carleton away from investments not only in fossil fuels, but also private prisons, tobacco companies that target children, corporations that treat their workers poorly, and all inhumane investments. Stevie P informed CSA that the college is beginning to research how to implement ESG at Carleton. I intend for the student voice to keep pushing for ESG investment in the end guiding its creation and ensuring its enforcement.

Laundry Task Force

I was a member of CSA’s laundry task force last spring, helping create and release a survey about students’ difficulties paying for laundry. Your many detailed and compelling responses convinced the administration to make laundry free of charge this year and all future years.

Digital Newspaper Subscriptions

Last year I reached out to the Library and the New York Times to negotiate shared CSA/Libe funding for digital newspaper subscriptions across campus. Since we secured funding with the Budget Committee last spring, all students now have unlimited access once they connect their Carleton emails to the Times (follow this link: https://nytimesineducation.com/access-nyt/ if you haven’t done so yet!)

Student Wages

On the college budget committee I, with current and past CSA execs (huge shout out to Selam Nicola, John Mullan, and Brandon Moy!) advocated for higher student wages. It worked! We took a huge (by Carleton standards) 75 cent increase last year to $10.75. We’re looking at another 50 cents for next year. I would love to continue pushing for student wages and the prioritization of financial aid on the committee next year!

Senate Reports

I helped found the CSA Reforms Working group two years ago, and to this day am most proud of the reporting system we created for Senators and working groups to digitally track what they are doing throughout each term. The system was implemented last spring to help CSA build our institutional knowledge from year to year, and ensure accountability for us individual senators to continue progressing with and communicating about the work we do.

I’ve also been:

Chair of CSA Governance Committee

Drafting new financial guidelines to make CSA allocations more efficient and fair

Assisting the Title IX working group and CSA’s Textbook library

The biggest takeaway from my time with CSA: With student engagement, inter-group/department collaboration, and persistence, CSA can accomplish a lot.

Going forward, the ideas I gathered with Sameer last winter for “Activating Carleton” totally inform what I would love to accomplish with the college council role going forward.

Broader Initiatives:

Reaching Outside Carleton

Both in and out of CSA, I want to look for ways students on campus can collaborate with the outside world to broaden our impact. One example is CSA’s recent collaboration with a non-profit to fund menstrual products on campus, which I believe that’s a smart model to pursue. Outside partners are powerful, and helping connect students orgs and student government advocates towards productive relationships with other colleges and nonprofits who care about the same stuff we do is a meaningful role that I think CSA can play.

Making Clear how CSA Works

Lack of clarity can and has greatly impacted the ability of student org’s on campus to tap into CSA resources. That sucks, cuz those resources belong to everyone. I want to create a guidebook for students orgs to pass down between leadership generations, one that communicates CSA procedures/rules for funding in clear, non-technical language.

Campus Specific Causes:

Encouraging Carls to make a difference in the world is great, but we also have a TON of problems to address right here on campus, many of which the college council could have a role in addressing. They include:

Disability Services needs more staff members to effectively support Carleton students.

Title IX must incorporate student input as it adapts to new federal rules imposed by education Secretary Devos, and begins to implement more proactive measures aimed at preventing power-based personal violence on campus before it occurs.

Admissions and financial aid must adapt to the changing demographics of higher education in the United States. Overall demand for higher education is decreasing, but now is the time for CSA to coordinate student voices on and off our Admissions and Financial Aid Committee to push for recruitment and financial aid initiatives that make Carleton more diverse and more affordable.

Student Health and Counseling must expand. After third party consultants came last fall to provide guidance on how Carleton can improve health and counseling services at Carleton, it is past time to learn what was in that report, and rally student support around a new SHAC building, more and more diverse counselors, and other health services students at Carleton need.

Mental health requires collective action. Particularly among communities that are underrepresented and underserved at Carleton.

Queer students must be heard. Coming to Carleton can be a liberating experience, especially for those of us from socially conservative communities, in expressing ourselves openly and truly. CSA is and must be an ally to all queer students at Carleton, lending whatever support the community wants in the fight to have an office at Carleton that truly and fully supports queer students.

Sustainable investment needs to be a thing. As mentioned above, Carleton must align its principles with its financial policies. Starting with an ESG policy, CSA must work with the CRIC, Carleton Divest, and all concerned students to keep pressing for divestment from not only fossil fuels, but also companies that run private prisons, mistreat their workers, dump their chemicals in rivers, and participate in all kinds of unsustainable, inhumane endeavors.

These are a list of causes I think CSA needs to stay on top of, but it’s far from exhaustive. Whether it's parking reforms, zoom privacy issues, or the laundry task force, some of my favorite CSA projects came from students bringing concerns to CSA that I never would have known about otherwise. I value that immensely and, If elected, I promise to not only listen to the student body, but actively seek and rely upon your opinions for what to do in this role.

With heart,

Luke

Thank you for reading! Please reach out with any questions, critiques, etc, at norquistl@carleton.edu. I’m more than happy to arrange a meeting in person.

Erin Timmins

Hello! I'm Erin Timmins (she/her/hers). I am a rising sophomore from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with a passion for art history, local government, and public transportation, not necessarily in that order. You may know me as your CSA Secretary for the past three terms (I'm sorry for all the emails), and while I have learned a lot, there is no denying that I would be new to the role of College Council Liaison. So why vote for me?

Now, more than ever, there is a disconnect between the student body, the Carleton Student Association, and the college administration: the trifecta of voices that seem disjointed, unheard by the student body, and by each other. The Carleton community has never been about the place, it has always been about the people, but as we are scattered beyond the reaches of Northfield, that community has become harder to maintain. Going into fall term, clearly the situation will be different. It is the duty of members of CSA to ensure that students feel connected, now more than ever. This is especially true as we approach the fall. Important decisions will be made, concerning safe ways to return to campus (or how to adapt if not), and it is important that the student body is represented. I believe that I can provide this representation and look out for the interests of the students while contributing new ideas, all under the spirit of reform! Who are we if not a people who seek to better our community? The College Council is unique in its ability to do so, in the sense that every member of the Carleton community is represented, be it from the faculty, alums, trustees, staff, or students. The breadth of voices and perspectives that come together is impressive! As a liaison, College Council will afford me the unique opportunity to advocate for student concerns, and provide the much needed student voice on College policy.

And advocate for the student body, we will. However, too often, these platforms are filled with empty promises, akin to those of our national politicians. That is why I am keeping my goals attainable, measurable, and something that will benefit the community as a whole. As your College Council Liaison, I will enact change where it is most needed, and

Increase transparency of the Senate itself, through better outreach and communication to students. Whether this looks like tabling (just to demonstrate the consistent presence of CSA), or the availability of town halls, the Senate will be more transparent. I will work to continue initiatives I have created with fellow members of COMP, such as revitalizing the CSA social media pages through Instagram take-overs and student profiles, and a restructured website to increase accessibility.
Increase visibility, be it digital or tangible, of working groups that exist!
- It's one of the easiest, most rewarding ways to make a difference on campus, and will be accomplished through social media campaigns with COMP, and other platforms around campus!
Serve as a bridge between the voices of students and the administration!
Work to make the guidelines surrounding Budget Committee, and the process of applying for funding, clearer
- As a current member of the Budget Committee, I have seen how critical it is to support student organizations, and how awful it can be when a miscommunication in expectations from the committee occurs.
Be an advocate for gender-neutral bathrooms and spaces on campus, to continue dialogue started within the CSA during Spring Term!
With recent action from Betsy DeVos surrounding Title IX, the need to support survivors could not be more pressing. I will work with the Title IX liaison, and working group, to join the national movement to work against DeVos' rule, to be implemented in August of this year.

As a first-year, I have a lot to learn, but I have not shied away from CSA so far. If elected, I will serve not only as the College Council Liaison, but as a Senator. It is my duty to advocate for student interests, drafting policy etc. to build upon the campus and Senate community as a whole. Coming into the Senate as a first year was daunting, with little information available on how to succeed as a Senator. I am pleased to say that, through extensive work and debate, we drafted legislation for an orientation program to ensure that new senators felt supported from the beginning. The issues in the structure of the senate reflect wider issues on campus: the lack of a voice, the lack of support, or a network to rely upon. It has been my honor to work to provide that support in the Senate, and my goal to provide that support on campus in the coming years. In the past year, I have had the privilege to serve on CSA in the following ways:

CSA Secretary, and through this, a non-voting member of the Senate and the Budget Committee.
- As a non-voting member, I know what it's like to feel like you don't have a voice in the bureaucracy of CSA, and I hope to never let that happen to anyone again!
- As a College Council Liaison, I will have the opportunity to attend bi-monthly meetings of the College Budget Committee! This will pair well with my experience on the CSA Budget Committee
Service on COMP, Governance Committee
- These are some of the most important ways in which to connect students with the Senate, and the administration, through chartering clubs, and working with media outreach!
Member of the Title IX working group
- Working on initiatives to raise awareness about the office in the fall. Although the poster campaign I helped champion was untimely cut short given the spring situation, it will continue in the fall!

But for all this talk of improving the CSA, the campus community, it has been inspiring, it has been admirable -- it gives me hope -- to see how the Carleton community has come together in our absence from campus. There is so much that still has to be done, but there is also so much to be proud of.

With warmth,

Erin

Education and Curriculum Committee (ECC) Liaison

Elias Levey-Swain

Hello Carleton!

My name is Elias Levey-Swain (he/him/his) and I am a junior History major from New York. I am also your current Education and Curriculum Committee (ECC) Liaison. Because my term sadly ends in just a few weeks, I am running to continue serving in this position for the 2020-2021 school year! I hope to serve in this capacity because I am passionate about education, and I am particularly interested in thinking about how educational opportunities at Carleton might be expanded, enriched, and made more universally accessible. We are all at Carleton to learn, and as your ECC Liaison I will do my best to support all of you in your academic pursuits, especially as we navigate the uncertain waters of our current moment.

Why me?

As the current ECC Liaison, I have been (and will continue to be) involved in important conversations with faculty, staff, and students to determine how Carleton will move forward academically during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that my experience on the committee this spring will position me very well to continue working as a student representative as we transition into the next school year, when many of the decisions we are currently making will actually be enacted. It will be important, in the coming year, for the ECC Liaison to have a good understanding of how pandemic-related conversations have developed over time; for this reason in particular I feel that I will be a very effective representative of student needs as the current situation continues to evolve.

Beyond the benefit of continuity, my other experiences at Carleton will allow me to continue making meaningful contributions to ECC discussions. My experience working as a Writing Consultant at the Carleton Writing Center, working closely with people from a diversity of backgrounds, has kept me well informed regarding student academic needs and concerns. As the ECC Liaison I am able to use this experience and to advocate for policies and practices that best support the student body. I am also a Student Manager at the dining halls and a member of the Carleton Ultimate Team; from these experiences I have developed a keen understanding of how athletics, employment, and other extracurricular commitments impact student life and interact with academic responsibilities. As your ECC Liaison for 2020-21, I will also engage in more intentional outreach. I hope to use this position not only as an opportunity to give voice to student needs and desires, but also to get students thinking actively about what they want out of their education, and what the ECC in particular can do for them. Through surveys, office hours, and other means of direct communication, I will make an effort to keep my ears open to all of you. During this difficult time it is incredibly important that we all converse thoughtfully and patiently with one another as we try to balance our own needs – at home and beyond – with the needs of our Carleton community. We can all learn from each other.

Some of my goals:

Establish open lines of communication with the student body: in order to be an effective representative of student interests, it is imperative that I understand what those interests are. I hope to ensure that all students feel comfortable and capable communicating with me – anonymously or otherwise – throughout my term as ECC Liaison.

Raising awareness about Academic Support services, among students and faculty: as both a student and an Academic Support Center employee, I understand that campus resources for academic support are often quite underutilized. I believe that greater communication between faculty and the Academic Support Center could foster greater awareness of these resources and make students feel more comfortable reaching out for support.

Promoting equity in the era of COVID-19: it is an absolute necessity at this time to think about how our institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic take all community members into consideration, and act intentionally to support the most vulnerable among us. Some who are privileged today are not tomorrow; humility is a virtue. It is important to treat one another with empathy and compassion, to understand that circumstances are not static and that everyone is experiencing this pandemic differently, and to facilitate learning while minimizing anxiety with thoughtful consideration of what is possible, and for whom.

Learning lessons from COVID-19: as a student representative, one of my biggest fears is that we will “go back to normal” after all of this is over, and forget to learn from our experiences. This pandemic has caused new problems, but it has also shed light on fault lines that have always existed, in our community and beyond. It is my hope that “going back to normal” does not mean forgetting the inequities we experienced during this time – first or second hand – but rather reflecting on the lessons we learned during this pandemic and carrying them with us into the future. As ECC Liaison for 2020-21, I will commit to promoting educational and curricular equity during and beyond our current moment.

With love and respect,

Elias

Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) Liaison

Beck Woollen

My name is Beck Woollen (he/him/his), your current Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) Liaison to the CSA. I am quite happy to announce my EAC Liaison candidacy for this coming academic year. I am from the Minneapolis, MN area, and have grown up with a tried and true love for sustainability. As a conduit between the student body, EAC, and CSA Senate, I plan to create truly intersectional policies and initiatives that impact our campus and Northfield in general. I hope to help the college be the best steward of its students’ futures that it can be; sustainability is an integral component of that mission.

I plan to act on behalf of the entire student body, and to keep the EAC Liaison to CSA a position that reflects our collective goals, not just my own.

Qualifications

I began serving as the EAC Liaison to CSA this term, and am excited to begin my work as a Sustainability Assistant (STA) this coming fall. These two positions are highly-intersectional, especially given that STAs are a driving force in environmental policy at Carleton. While I am still getting acclimated to the position, I feel strongly that I can continue to consistently advocate and put resolutions on the Senate Floor. This year, I served as a Co-Leader for Divest Carleton and wrote a series of environmental advocacy articles for The Carletonian. Previously, I have led a climate strike, organized litter cleanups, published environmental perspectives, and been involved with the Minneapolis City Composting Program. I believe that having had this range of experiences will help me contribute at a high level throughout my service.

What I’ll Get Done

Climate Action Plan 2.0:In 2011, Carleton created the Climate Action Plan (CAP), providing the policy framework necessary for the college to go carbon-free by 2050. As such, the 2020-2021 academic year marks the 10-year anniversary of this milestone for the college. The EAC intends to focus almost exclusively on updating and expanding this plan. Given the opportunity to continue serving as your EAC Liaison to CSA, I hope to implement a wide array of student perspectives into CAP2.0 in several ways.
1. Weekly Office Hours: CAP2.0 will take a lot of time to create, providing an excellent opportunity to incorporate student input along the way. With weekly office hours, I hope not only to listen to peer perspectives but also to initiate conversations between those peers and the EAC at large. If I can say so without being too corny, sustainability at Carleton is not going to work unless everyone is on-board.
2. Highly-Publicize CAP 2.0: A great aspect of the CAP is its gigantic scope. That is, the plan includes many opportunities to get involved. These range from various clubs and interest groups to community engagement opportunities to subtle changes in normal campus life. I plan to consistently and actively publicize these opportunities, in order to make sustainability at Carleton as accessible as possible.
Divestment: Pushing Carleton to divest from the fossil fuel industry has been a long-standing priority of the student body. As the current EAC Liaison to CSA, I am currently co-writing an updated divestment resolution, as to firmly convey the message that this is an issue that needs addressing - urgently. This resolution is expected to be voted on at the Monday, May 11th Senate Meeting. This is an environmental cause that I am deeply motivated to see through, and with Carleton being closer than ever before to divestment, I am confident we can see it through.

In summary, sustainability is really heckin’ fun!

Thanks for the read 😀

Beck

Information Technology Services (ITS) Liaison

Trent Ramirez

My name is Trent Ramirez and I am completing my first year at Carleton College at home in Denver, Colorado. I want to be your CSA-ITS Liaison.

I am fortunate that I am working my IT Tech Desk job from home which I love because I continue to feel connected to Carleton while assisting students and staff. I resolve technology service requests for students, staff and faculty on the phone and in-person. This trimester I perform my job virtually. I document service requests and keep detailed records of IT problems. I love this job because I interact with the Carleton community and help with immediate needs such as submitting an assignment before a deadline or printing an assignment for a class that starts in two minutes.

I am running for the CSA-ITS Liaison. I want to provide input about Carleton website pages and tech issues that students face and also offer ideas that will enhance the IT experience. I often hear about tech complaints from students including the poor WiFi connection on certain spots in campus and non-Carleton emails receiving an email I sent seven days after it was sent (this just happened to me!). We need to work together to address the tech needs and concerns of Carleton students. I want to provide the student voice and I want Carleton students to be informed about new ideas from ITS and have an input on technology.

My leadership experience includes being a board member for the National Honor Society at my high school. I coordinated in-meeting activities and communicated with school administration for approval. At Carleton, I am a member of the football team and played two intramural sports.

Thank you for your consideration. I appreciate your support.

Trent Ramirez ‘23

Inter-Campus Liaison

Izzy Charlton

Hey Carls!

I’m Izzy Charlton, a rising sophomore from a small town called Northfield, Minnesota (have you heard of it?). I would love to be your Inter-Campus Liaison! I am passionate about bringing students together, regardless of what school they attend, and I believe that a strong connection between Carleton and St. Olaf is important in encouraging inclusion and student involvement across the two campuses. As a Northfield native, I believe that my life-long experiences with students and alumni from both St. Olaf and Carleton make me a good fit to strengthen our inter-campus relations.

What are my goals?

Strengthen communication between St. Olaf and Carleton campuses about various student topics, including any changes to student life and campus life. I will be in continuous communication with St. Olaf student government to ensure a strong connection between the student bodies.
Utilize social media to effectively update both St. Olaf and Carleton students. This may include updates on upcoming changes to student life as well as making sure students are well-informed about inter-campus events. Especially considering the uncertainty that COVID-19 has caused regarding when Carleton will return “back to normal,” I believe social media is the most effective way to help with the following goals:
- Promote existing student events on both campuses, including student performances, competitions, cultural events, etc.
- Organize new events that encourage inclusion from both campuses
Increase student input on inter-campus events by sending out surveys asking what kind of events they would like to see on their campus as well as which kind of events they would attend at St. Olaf.
Help bridge the gap between CSA and students by updating students on which issues are being considered in CSA, encouraging them to get involved, and increasing general knowledge of what CSA does. I would like to make CSA more transparent to every student.

As always, feel free to email me at charltoni@gmail.com with any questions you may have 🙂

Izzy Charlton

Sophia Franco

Hi, I’m Sophia Franco (she/her/hers), I’m in the class of 2021, and I am running for the Inter-Campus Liaison position in CSA. This role involves coordinating with the Student Government Association Liaison from St. Olaf, keeping up-to-date on events happening at St. Olaf, and fielding issues and concerns related to student life in Northfield. I have experience with organization, project management and advocacy from serving as secretary of the Experimental Theater Board. I’ve also demonstrated cross-campus initiative by researching and writing detailed voter registration content used by both Carleton and St. Olaf on their voting resource pages.

My vision for this role can be expressed through these three broad ideas: connection, advocacy and community. I will work to foster connection between our two campuses, advocate for students rights and issues at the local and state level, and promote both our colleges’ ties to the local Northfield community. Here are my top ideas for improving each of these areas:

Connection:

I will work with CSA to create a St. Olaf events calendar on the CSA homepage, and I will encourage my St. Olaf colleague to create a similar calendar for events happening at Carleton that are open to St. Olaf students. I’m also interested in creating a joint Facebook page with my St. Olaf colleagues to which student groups from both campuses can share their events in one easily accessible location.

Advocacy:

Sexual misconduct continues to be a pervasive issue impacting college students of all identities on all college campuses. I will collaborate with CSA’s Title IX Liaison, CAASHA, St Olaf’s Sexual Assault Resource Network, and colleagues from St. Olaf’s Student Government Association to make sense of recent updates to Title IX and make students aware of rights, resources and what they can do on campus to influence college policies regarding sexual misconduct. I will also assist with cross-campus get-out-the-vote initiatives to empower students with US citizenship to make their voices heard in all local, state, and national elections.

Community:

I will get in touch with local businesses in Northfield to understand how St. Olaf and Carleton students can offer support in the face of the coronavirus. I will create a website directory for local businesses, artists and organizations so that students who are able can shop, donate to or attend online events hosted by members of the larger Northfield community. I will share this information with St. Olaf colleagues so that they can create a similar directory for their students.

I would be honored to work on these ideas as your Inter-Campus Liaison.

Office of Intercultural and International Life (OIIL) Liaison

Ayman Rahadian

Hey Everyone! My name is Ayman Rahadian, and I am a freshman from Jakarta, Indonesia. I am the current Office of Intercultural and International Life (OIIL) Liaison and I plan to uphold my position as the OIIL Liaison for the coming 2020 - 2021 academic year.

As an international student myself, I truly understand the immense changes in scenery and the enormous transition of going to school in the United States, not to mention, doing it all while being far away from home. The culture shock and pressure to find the right social circle are some of the challenges I faced as well when I first moved to the United States. However, my transition to Carleton was significantly improved with the support of the International Student Orientation, through with my peer leaders and fellow Carls. With that in mind, I am determined to help other international students, incoming and current, navigate through their life at Carleton.

Goals

As the OIIL Liaison, I seek to communicate and gauge Carleton’s international community to help them with any of their concerns and needs and ensure that everyone at Carleton feels comfortable and to foster a safer environment. As a member of the CSA, I plan to bridge a better communication between the OIIL office, CSA, and the entire Carleton community. I believe a strong communication between the OIIL office, CSA, and the student body will allow the Carleton community to be more informed regarding any updates and changes the senate has created in the community. As a member of the senate and OIIL Liaison, I also hope to keep the community informed regarding the resources provided by OIIL and assist the OIIL office in planning any events around the community to spread and increase international awareness at Carleton.

As the OIIL Liaison, I also hope to bridge a better connection with Carleton’s Administration to formulate a stronger diversity in both the student body and staff. I sincerely believe that through a more diverse and open-minded community, Carleton will further strive in cultivating global citizens that can empathize, are well-aware, and be mindful of the people around them. A community filled with individuals with all sorts of backgrounds will inevitably form new perspectives that will allow each member of our community to excel and thrive in our own separate ways. Not only will a diverse community benefit our time at Carleton, but it will also prepare us for the next chapters in our lives beyond Carleton.

Qualifications

As mentioned before, as your current OIIL Liaison and a member of the CSA, I have taken an active role by contributing to CSA discussions and formulating resolutions to support the school community. I have also joined the Student Projects Committee, where I was also able to contribute by formulating suggestions and potential projects that will benefit the student body. Outside of my time at Carlton, I have also held a student government position in high school. In Indonesia, I have also hosted several charity events and initiatives that allowed me to grow as a leader and develop strong organizational and management skills. I believe these experiences certainly gave me the skills in reaching out to various groups around my community and cohesively bringing them together. Through this, I have developed strong leadership and organization skills that I believe will translate well to my position as the OIIL Liaison.

As for my final remarks, I would like to emphasize that my position as the OIIL liaison will not be to focus or direct my attention towards a particular group of students, but rather the entire Carleton community. Although some of us may have traveled great distances, coming from far and wide, I believe it is important to make EVERYONE at Carleton feel at home.

Thank you for reading and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Best,

Ayman Rahadian

Office of Health Promotion (OHP) Liaison

Maya Rogers

Hello!

My name is Maya Rogers (she/her/hers), I am a sophomore Psychology major from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I am running for the position of OHP Liaison for the 2020-2021 academic year!

This past year I have served as the CSA Disability Services Liaison while being a Disability Services Peer Leader as my on-campus job. I believe being on staff at the office I am representing has been invaluable and allowed me to contribute a lot of insights from the office to our CSA meetings.

I will be a Student Wellness Advocate (SWA) at the OHP as my job next year, and I believe I am well qualified to serve as the OHP Liaison on CSA. I have been involved with the OHP since my first term on campus, and I know my knowledge of what the office is doing and how it can help students will only increase as I transition to being on staff there!

I am someone who is not afraid to speak my mind. I find myself speaking up frequently during CSA meetings, whether to talk about what Disability Services is doing, mention student concerns I have heard, or add my insight to initiatives that CSA is trying to pass. I am confident in myself and I give my full effort to what I am involved in. As far as what I have done and plan to continue to do on CSA, I have been involved with initiatives concerning both Disability Services and general physical and mental wellbeing of students on campus. This includes providing my input on mental health access like SHAC same day appointments, menstrual product access like the Diva Cup Drive two senators organized, and sustainability initiatives like the reusable Sayles containers. My multiple identities, including being a person with a physical disability and autoimmune disease and my interest in public health, put me in a good position to lead on these issues. As OHP Liaison I plan to find ways to integrate the work of the OHP more closely with the work CSA is doing, and to make sure that students understand the intersection of physical and mental health.When we feel well, we do well.

Thank you for your consideration and take care,

Maya Rogers

Residential Life Liaison

David Ahrens

Hi all!

My name’s David (he/him) and I am current sophomore Biology and probable Chinese double major from Minneapolis. I am looking to serve for you as the Residential Life Liaison for this upcoming year!

I am running because I genuinely enjoy working with people, whether that be staff or students, and I love learning what makes each person click, and trying to meet those needs for all. I believe that some of my already established connections from being an RA, and now a CSA senator, will make me a great Residential Life Liaison that strives to connect and communicate with everyone!

Qualifications

I have been an RA for this past year and have really gotten to know all different types of people: fellow students, fellow RAs, and the staff in the Residential Life office. I think that my connections have allowed me to have a very multi-faceted viewpoint of the numerous ins and outs of residential life at Carleton.

Earlier this term, I was elected as the Residential Life Liaison for the rest of the school year. Within these past few weeks, I have been working with the CSA and Res Life, both of which have helped me gain a better understanding of the type of communication that they would like to see between offices and the student body. I am eager to continue working on and thinking over creative and balanced ways in which CSA and Res Life can work together to better serve us.

Goals

If I am elected as the Residential Life Liaison for next year, I will continue my current goals of 1) voicing Res Life related questions and concerns to both the CSA and the Res Life Office while continuing correspondence and appropriate follow-up, 2) making the actions and reasons of Res Life and CSA more transparent when appropriate, and 3) serving the student body, Res Life, and CSA with creative thinking, approachability, and accountability.

I look forward to serving you for the rest of this school year and am excited by the prospect of serving you next year!

Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response (SMPR) Liaison

Grace Hague

Hi! My name is Grace Hague, I’m a sophomore student from Chicago and I use she/her pronouns.

I’m running for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response (SMPR) Liaison because I feel passionate about expanding infrastructure to support what has become the central focus of most modern Title IX offices: the prevention and address of sexual harassment and violence on college campuses. As Title IX Liaison, I could achieve that goal by bridging the student body and Title IX office in order to galvanize Carleton’s passionate and thoughtful student body into furthering the exciting, albeit relatively new, growth of the Title IX department.

Carleton’s liberal arts curriculum has strengthened my ability to connect fragments of stories and ideas from a diverse base with a cross-discipline perspective in order to inform my own distinctive, holistic understanding of the world. This synthesis of voices, thoughts, experiences, and inputs will be crucial to navigating the future of the Title IX office, especially in light of the Trump administration and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ recent changes to Title IX rules at the national level. My platform for this liaison position will therefore be centered around three core goals:

The expansion of student involvement with on campus initiatives for the prevention of sexually inappropriate behavior and resources for survivors
- Student involvement is critical to the maintenance of any service designed for the student body. As liaison I would work to find ways to increase student participation in programs like Green Dot as well as seek student feedback on prevention and support offerings at Carleton.
Connecting Carleton students that are passionate about fostering healthy and safe sexual conduct norms and environments with like minded peers at other liberal arts schools striving for Title IX reform.
- This fall I reviewed Carleton’s annual security and fire safety report and compared this report with ones from similar liberal arts institutes. I was shocked to find that many of them reported zero annual incidents of assault or harassment, and I highly suspect that those numbers are due to lack of reporting rather than a literal absence of campus harassment. I then met with Nora Peterson, the Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator here at Carleton, in order to learn a bit more about this. I came away from that meeting wondering: What can Carleton students learn from the experiences of students at other schools? What can we teach them? How can we broaden campus discussions about Title IX to address the structural failings–and successes–of campuses across the country?
The reinforcement of Carleton’s commitment to protecting survivors in the wake of changes made by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
- For example, the new national Title IX regulations change the definition of sexual harassment from “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature” to “unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it denies a person access to the school’s education program or activity”. Carleton’s Title IX office has committed itself to working to prevent all sexual misconduct, not just conduct that is so destructive that it forces students from learning spaces. Keeping students updated about these changes at the national level will be one of the first steps that I would hope to take as liaison in order to ensure that Carleton does what it can to prevent its commitment to the protection of Title IX from being regressed by potentially harmful legislation from the Trump administration.

Nectaree Thao

Hello, cool cat and kittens, my name is Nectaree Thao and I am part of the class of 2023. The pronouns that I use are she/her/hers and I am from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

I am excited to run for the position of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response (SMPR) Liaison. I feel that it’s an important role for Carleton’s community and student body. I would define the position as someone who is the bridge between the SMPR office and the CSA. They are meant to help with communication and to be as transparent as possible. The SMPR office deals with very important issues and promotes positive programming in hopes of bettering the community. Their goal is to prevent sexual misconduct and violence on campus, making it a safer place. Also, provide proper resources of support to the Carleton’s community, this can include how to support a friend, academic accommodations and etc. While the CSA advocates for the best interest of the student body, ensuring that their needs are heard. Therefore, the liaison must be great at communicating, being organized in order to keep up with these demands. The liaison is there to help the SMPR office and CSA to be on the same page, ensuring everyone understands each other and that there is no miscommunication.

Though I have not been on CSA before, I am prepared to handle the responsibility of being in the senate. CSA is there to promote dialogue, create a positive environment, and overall be the advocate for the student body. I am qualified for this position because I want to better Carleton’s community and help others understand the mission and process of the SMPR office. I am here to use my voice to ensure that the student body’s concerns are heard, not just to CSA but also to the SMPR’s office. I have experience with being in student government at my high school, Highland Park in Minnesota. I was the vice president and worked with 30 students on activities to engage and build a community in Highland’s environment. This meant I had to delegate roles, organize logistics, and communicate with the community. I already know the basics of being in a student government, as I am willing to learn more if given the Title IX liaison position.

Aside from that, I also currently work for the SMPR office as the social media coordinator. I have an involvement, not just as a student at Carleton but also as a student worker. This allows me to be involved with any programs that the SMPR wants to implement as well as how the SMPR communicates with the public through social media. By working at the office, I have gained knowledge about the policies and procedures of Title IX, meaning I can help clarify any confusion about resources offered to the Carleton community. I will be using both my role in CSA and at SMPR to build the bridge between the two to create a more positive environment.

My mission for being the Title IX liaison is to better promote the policies of title IX to the student body, making sure they are clear and easy to understand. Next is to have more programs that are involved in creating dialogue around issues such as slut-shaming, sexuality, healthy relationships (both platonic and romantic), etc. Lastly, I want to help create a positive reputation and transparency between CSA and SMPR. To achieve these goals, I plan to have weekly meetings with the SMPR office to hear about any updates and to listen to their concerns or feedback. Then with CSA, I will keep them updated with the information from the SMPR office at the weekly meeting. Along with that, I will give monthly email updates to the student body about the plans of SMPR and CSA around Title IX, Sexual Misconduct prevention, etc. This way the student body has multiple ways to receive information. Lastly, I plan to be part of the Title IX working group to help create better programming to ensure that the information distributed is accurate.

I truly believe that with my passion to prevent sexual misconduct and create a positive influence on campus that I will make a great Title IX liaison.

Nectaree out! *mic drop*

TRIO/SSS Liaison

Aisha Dem

Hi all!

My name is Aisha Dem (she/her/hers), and I’m a first year student from Hopkins, Minnesota, a city just outside Minneapolis. I am ethnically Fulani, and my family is from The Gambia. I am a TRIO student, involved in the Muslim Students Association, Black Students Association, and African and Caribbean Association. I am someone who is really passionate about social justice, especially advocacy intended to better the lives of people from underrepresented backgrounds and communities. In high school, I founded and headed the Muslim Students Association at my school and served as the Senior Representative to the school board.

TRIO is like a home away from home, a place where students gather for things like Comfort Food Friday, get resources like the Lending Library, and build friendships through the mentoring program. For many students, TRIO plays a major role in defining their college experience. I know it does for me.

I am very blessed for the opportunity to run for the TRIO/SSS Liaison position. It’s a very important position that I feel benefits both the TRIO Office and the Carleton Community. If I am successfully elected into this position, I hope to serve as a bridge of communication between CSA and TRIO. I want to help make the wants and needs of TRIO students heard by the greater student body. I want to make it possible for people outside of the office to know what TRIO is all about. The bonds it builds. The barriers it breaks. While I’m not 100% sure about how I’m going to achieve that, opening up lines of communication is a good place to start. I am a firm believer that communication is crucial to creating change, and that’s exactly what I hope to do.

Feel free to email me with any questions at dema@carleton.edu. Thank you for reading!

Aisha Dem