CSA President

John Cannon

Hi, I’m John Cannon and I would be honored to serve as your CSA President.

I’m a junior Biology major and I’ve been involved with the CSA senate since my freshman year. I’m running because I want to do everything possible to make your great ideas a reality.

Experience

I’ve had the opportunity to serve as a CSA senator and to represent you as a student member of Carleton’s Education and Curriculum Committee. This experience has given me a powerful understanding of how everyone at the College benefits from active discussion with robust student input. For example, when faculty considered implementing night classes at Carleton, I collected responses from more than 200 students to demonstrate conclusively that forcing students to choose between classes and extracurricular involvement would adversely affect Carleton’s rich environment.

In addition to serving as a senator, I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in numerous groups on campus, including the club tennis team and Carleton’s Mental Health Awareness Collective. I also mentor students by working as a teaching assistant for introductory biology. I enjoy long walks in the Lower Arb, sketching on Mai Fete, and conducting research in the Biology department.

Goals

  • Improve Advising For Life After Carleton
    • One of the most important initiatives to come out of Carleton’s recent 10-year strategic plan was a stronger emphasis on preparing students to succeed in life after graduation. This issue is important to all Carls and I believe student input at all stages is fundamental to ensure successful implementation of this mission. As president, I plan to make post graduation success for all students a central focus. 
    • In the short term, I intend to host student discussions to learn what students want from the advising system. Going forward, I believe that significant changes to 1st and 2nd year advising are needed to ensure students are matched with advisors with complementary interests.
  • Improve Student Access to Carleton’s Committee System.
    • If you can identify a problem at Carleton, there probably exists a committee that would be able to you help solve it. The issue, then, is getting interested Carls in contact with these groups. One of my top priorities as CSA president will be to improve student knowledge about the various committees at Carleton and, more importantly, ensure that every student can provide input to these groups. To do this, I will create a term-based publication showcasing the work done by these committees, the problems they are discussing, and the contacts to allow interested students to get involved.
  • Improve Communication Between Carleton Clubs & CSA Senate
    • The most important function of CSA centers on the allocation of more than $500,000 to the various clubs and student groups at Carleton. Previous presidents have done great work to improve the budgeting process. However, in the coming year, I believe that we must get more feedback from clubs about how satisfied students are with the current budgeting process and how we can work to improve it.

As president, my role will be to support you, to facilitate student plans on campus, and to work tirelessly to make Carleton the great place it is.

Becca Giles

Dear Carleton Students,

My name is Becca Giles and I am running to be the next Carleton Student Association President. Below is (1) a list of goals that I would strive to meet as CSA President, (2) a list of experiences that I believe make me well qualified for this position, and most importantly (3) a heartfelt explanation as to why I would like to be the next CSA President.

Goals as CSA President

  • Preserve the Carleton experience, while remaining sensitive to the legitimate concerns of Carleton community members and Carleton supporters
  • Invest excess CSA funds into events and small capital projects (designed by students and voted on by the student body) that will benefit current and future Carleton students
  • Support the divestment movement on campus by facilitating meetings with administration, in an effort to ensure that Carleton’s investment portfolio is socially responsible and reflective of Carleton’s mission
  • Increase the sustainability of Carleton sponsored events by creating a committee dedicated to this aim

Leadership Experience

  • Senator, Carleton Student Association
    • Engaged in thoughtful debate over issues and projects impacting the Carleton community
    • Mastered rules of debate and developed a thorough understanding of the way Senate operates and its role on campus
  • Member, College Council
    • Represented student interests in body comprised of Carleton faculty and administration
    • Gained keen insight into the direction in which Carleton as an institution is headed by becoming intimately familiar with Carleton’s strategic plan
  • Student Assistant, Career Center
    • Liaison between Carleton students/alumni and Career Center staff
    • Contributed to the growth and development of Career Center programs that are aimed at increasing student engagement and post graduate success
  • Executive Board Member, International Relations Council
    • Organized all-campus IRC events devoted to increasing on-campus awareness of international affairs
    • Lead trainings and trips for Carleton’s Model United Nations team; maintained regular lines of communication with the Student Activities Office and various academic departments

As many of you have noticed, Carleton is entering a new era. As a result, many of the traditions we Carls hold dear are undergoing serious scrutiny, and may soon become unrecognizable. At the same time, there are number of people on campus who feel they are being overlooked. As CSA President, I would dedicate my efforts to simultaneously preserving the Carleton experience and representing the interests of the Carleton community as a whole. With years of public speaking experience and a passion for debate, I feel well equipped to enter into any conversation at any level, and will insist that the voices of all Carleton students be heard.

My love for Carleton knows no bounds. Seriously, I bleed maize and blue. Well, not actually, but I do care – on a profound level – about everything that goes into making the Carleton experience extraordinary. It is this love for all things Carleton – particularly its student body – that impels me to play the most active role possible in sustaining its excellence. In this endeavor, I hope to have your support.

Truly,

Becca Giles

CSA Vice President

Marielle Foster ’16

I’m a future Computer Science and Mathematics major from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and would appreciate your vote for CSA Vice President. I’ve served as College Council Liaison for the past two terms, meeting with the highest administrators and educators of Carleton to work around general policy. My personal project has been working with other bicycle enthusiasts to improve the bike system on campus- by the end of this term we will have a clear protocol and location(s) for bike storage and a system for disposing of abandoned bikes.

Through College Council and by being an RA, I’ve learned a lot about intra-senate and Carleton structure and relationships. Being able to work with students, administrators, faculty and facilities will both open doors for the budget committee to get out the word of the opportunities we offer, and help me to better gauge and improve the Budget Committee’s role on campus.

Agenda:

  • continue the good work of previous Vice Presidents around the Budget Committee image
  • recruit new and enthusiastic budget committee members, particularly those who have been underrepresented in their interests in the past
  • run workshops around “how to get funding for your club”, and “what makes a great budget committee proposal” to help people understand budget committee expectations and better communicate their ideas
  • develop a framework around approving different requests, so responses are consistent year to year. A problem we ran into this year was inconsistencies around approving Spring Break trips funding, and so consciously drafting standards around what we approve and why would be a big goal for me this coming year.

I’m active, connected and dedicated to helping Carleton be an inclusive, creative and enabled community!

Treasurer

Matt Cotter

Goals:

Coming from the standpoint of a club treasurer and from my current position as class representative, I have the following goals:

  • Improve the process of Spring allocations so that clubs can get all of the funding they need and CSA will not have to run a deficit
  • Continue improving the Committee on Student Projects (CSP) and ensure the longevity of the committee so that ALL of the CSA reserve funds are put back in the hands of the students
  • Work actively with student groups to ensure they understand the full budget committee process and can get funding when they need it

Qualifications:

The CSA treasurer is above all else a representative of the students on both the Senate and in the budget committee. I believe I am qualified to represent you because:

  • I am experienced in being on the senate as the 2015 class representative
  • I have first hand knowledge of the student facing side of the budget committee as president and treasurer of the Carleton Computing Society
  • I serve on the CSP to help put the reserve funds back in the hands of students
  • I am actively involved with a diverse group of student clubs, and am familiar with many communities on campus. I am also very accessible and would love to take the time to meet with any other clubs that have questions about CSA or Budget Committee

I look forward to the opportunity to represent you all and serve as the Carleton Student Association Treasurer. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me or send me an email at cotterm@carleton.edu

Class of 2014 Representative

Mary Begley

My name is Mary Begley and I’m a senior American Studies major from Omaha, Nebraska. I am the booking manager of the Cave and a member of the Student Activities Programming Board. I would like to be your 2014 Class Representative because I have the ability to represent the concerns and desires of our class with grace and strength.

As Seniors, we are in a leadership position on campus. This is our last chance to effectively shape Carleton’s future. This school has educated us and led us to our fullest capacity as individuals. We can learn from mistakes we have made to ensure that future Carleton students may have the best experience possible. I would like to be the voice for positive change in our community. I feel strongly that Carleton is special, and we must protect that uniqueness with ferocity.

GOALS:

  1. Increase transparency of the CSA and the administrative body.
    • All CSA decisions should be made not only available, but also easily understood, to the student body.
    • All administrative decisions concerning the welfare of students should be communicated clearly to the student body.
    • Regular updates from the CSA and the administrative body should be published and distributed to the community.
    • These changes are important to ensure that if a student is unhappy with decisions, they are able to understand and have agency to address the issue.
  2. Hold decision-makers accountable for the repercussions of their choices.
    • The status of all motions passed by the CSA or budget committee should be followed up on at an appropriate time.
    • When decisions are communicated to the students they concern, the decision should not only be fully explained but also signed by those who endorse decision.
    • This is necessary specifically with respect to large campus events or motions that affect large portions of the student body. Students must know who made the decisions and why, and to whom their appeals should be addressed.
  3. Increase communication between CSA, administrators, and students.
    • It is a representative’s duty to ensure that items on the next meetings’ agenda are communicated to the students concerned, and any concerns are brought forth for consideration.
    • Administrators must know that the CSA, as representatives of the student body, should have the opportunity to make major decisions by the administration open to referendum.
    • Communication is the weakest area of Carleton’s legislative body. Simple changes, such as opening up important decisions to the whole campus for a vote, could not only make the student body happier with said decisions, but also make the ultimate solution better for everyone.

In closing, I am a capable and motivated individual who is on a mission to leave a mark on this campus. I would like to work with the class of 2014 to make sure that mark is positive.

Tyler Leonard

My name is Tyler Leonard and I’m running for Senator (class of 2014). I’m the best candidate for several

reasons:

  • I have no experience in student government whatsoever
  • As of now there is now one else running against me
  • As an omnivore I’m well-suited to solving the conflict between the carnivores and vegetarians involving amounts of meat served in the LDC and Burton

Vote for me. I might not get much done, but I also won’t make you pay more for printing.

Sincerely,

Tyler Leonard

Julius (Jukie) Tsai

SPRING TERM NO RULES. In an ideal world the aforementioned words would be my entire platform. But, given the rule oriented nature of the CSA I think it behooves me to say more. For your sake I’m going to keep this short. If elected I promise to be the voice of the spring term senior on the CSA floor. What does this mean? Advocating for anything that will make our spring term as wonderful as it can possibly be. On a serious note, there has been talk of changes to some of Carleton’s greatest traditions specifically Rotblatt. If elected, I promise to fight relentlessly in defense of our beloved traditions. I will not sit and wait for unwanted changes, rather I will be proactive in ensuring that our voices are heard. Long live Carleton. Long live spring term.

Sincerely,

Julius (Jukie) Tsai

Class of 2015 Representative

Caffi Meyer

Hello Carleton!

My name is Caffi Meyer and I’m a junior physics major hailing from the great white North of Calgary, Canada. I’m running for the position of Class of 2015 Representative.

Motivation

My inclination to run for the position of Class of 2015 Representative stems from my eagerness to be a part of a body that has the unique capacity and privilege of upholding and serving the student body’s beliefs.

Qualifications

As the general manager of the Cave, I’m actively and enthusiastically involved in student programming on campus. On a daily basis, my job is to consider and act on the interests and needs of Carleton students as applied to programming and event planning at the Cave and beyond. I’m a programming assistant on the Student Activities Programming Board and as such, have gained insight and knowledge into the considerations and operations that go hand-in-hand for funding and implementing campus-wide events. I feel strongly that my background in student programming reflects my dedication to satisfying student interests and developing new ideas for the benefit of our community.

I believe that my strongest asset in decision-making is my ability to remain level-headed while defending my opinion with conviction and accountability.

Ideas

I feel strongly that the CSA needs to be more visible on campus. Honestly, during my first two years here, I was unaware of the impact that decisions made by the CSA had on my everyday life. What I’ve come to learn is that it is a vital operating body that affects everything from funding a club to enabling large-scale special projects. I think that an increased number of “town hall” meetings and other such forums to actively seek out people’s opinions will be an effective means of gathering more student opinion. Student feedback surveys will help work towards achieving the Senate’s mission of guaranteeing that decisions are made with student body input. My hope is that if more students can interact directly with the CSA, that they will better understand their position for generating change.

I’m also cognizant of certain actions of the CSA that I deem to be important that are going well which I would like to uphold. The need to increase CSA’s communication and cooperation with various offices on campus is one of my priorities. I think that CSA is heading in the right direction and we must continue to encourage involvement and connections with administrators and the interests of these offices.

Final thoughts

I’m energized by the prospect of being voted as your class representative and my hope is that if elected, I will be able to communicate your interests and concerns effectively.

I hope that whether you know me personally or not, that you will not hesitate to ask me questions and engage me in further discussion as to why I think CSA is important and how we as students and I as your potential representative can improve and advocate for student life.

Eric Angell

Do you want a better dining experience? More money to clubs and club sports? Schillers accepted in more of Northfield? Reinstating the tunnels? Nelly for Spring Concert and a new building for the sciences? I’m your guy. As a student interested in being actively involved with the process of running the school, I’m excited for the opportunity. My hope is to use a position in CSA to help my fellow students enhance the aspects of Carleton they care most about. I believe I can use my experience with a wide variety of clubs and groups to tap into a base and help improve this school for as many of you as I can. I look forward to the chance to serve the Carleton community I have come to love. Vote for me!

Cheers,

Eric

Luke Hellwig

As your class representative, I will make increasing financial aid a central goal. As tuition has increased, Carleton students have needed more financial aid. However, Carleton’s financial aid funds have not been able to keep up with the heightened demand, and last fall the college was force to abandon its 85% need-blind admissions policy. A top priority for Carleton, as outlined in the Strategic Plan, is to “strengthen the socio-economic diversity of our student body” (3). Financial aid is necessary to create socio-economic diversity, and I intend to hold the school to its pledge by campaigning for an increase in the school’s financial aid budget. Financial aid is not the only factor in creating diversity at Carleton. Programming and support organizations such as TRIO also need the continued support of CSA.

As a student musician and an editor for The Carl, I have a developed a strong interest in the arts, and I hope to use my position to support student art projects at Carleton, whether a student’s medium is music, dance, theatre, visual, or anything else. Carleton needs more venues for students to enjoy other students’ art.

I am also interested in pursuing issues of mental health. Carleton has not committed enough resources to deal with the mental health needs of the student body. Carleton needs to undertake a widespread effort, including an increase in support services offered by the SHAC, in order to provide a fruitful environment for learning.

Class of 2016 Representative

Angely Guevara

Things like increased printer accessibility and increased dining hall options are things that Carls will always talk about desiring, and I’m all for hearing concrete suggestions towards their improvement, but what I’d really love Carls to think about more often academic policy and how it’s always evolving. Clearer and more constant communication between CSA, administration, and students through online methods are solid ways to get more information and updates out there, which will hopefully result in increased participation. Communication is the most important thing for CSA– how can students ask or suggest anything if they’re not sure what’s going on? Expect my open ears, open heart, and open mailbox (Sayles and e-mail!). And facebook updates.

Summary of points:

  • focus on public discussion of changes in policy, specifically academic
  • open, broader communication
  • facebook updates because of course

Thanks!

Angely Guevara

Dylan Wells

Fellow students of Carleton College,

My name is Dylan Wells and I would be honored to hold your consideration for the position of Class of 2016 Representative. I am split between the Economics and Political Science majors, an active member of the Carleton Model UN team, and a participant in the many facets of the theater community at our school. I am a newcomer to Carleton student government, but I believe my passion for the Carleton community and experience asserting and debating in pursuit of my ideals will serve me in advocating the interests of my fellow students.

GOALS

  • EXPAND REPRESENTATION: I first and foremost seek to represent the totality of the Carleton class of 2016, not simply the most vocal and/or popular elements. I have heard students accuse the CSA elections of being a “popularity contest” and assert that the organization does not represent their interests. I recognize that there are swathes of the student body that are uninformed about this organization or lacking in institutional voice. I am intent upon changing this.
  • INCREASE INVOLVEMENT: The CSA is an elected government, but little direct democracy is practiced by the student body in the important decisions made by this organization due to lack of information, interest, or emotional investment. Efforts have recently been made to rectify this situation, and as Representative I would further these initiatives to make every student see and feel their stake in the CSA and this school.
  • PRESERVE VALUES: I would promote avenues for Carleton College to exercise and display the formal and informal values of the student body. This means a commitment to open discourse on subjects such as diversity and sexuality. We need to promote inclusion of those ideas that, even in a place as “nice” as Carleton, are shunted aside. I also aim to maintain the existing traditions and practices that make this school great, from The Clap to Rotblatt to the Silent Dance Party.

Thank you for your consideration,

Dylan Wells

Lindsey Weber

Motivation:

Over the past year I have spent a significant amount of time working with—and perhaps more often, negotiating with—CSA Student Senators, despite not being a member of Student Senate myself. I am a frequent attendee at Budget Committee meetings, my introduction to Student Senate, and have enjoyed the satisfaction of petitioning for money from CSA on behalf of the various groups and projects I am engaged in on campus. Working with CSA in a more mutually constructive capacity as a student-at-large on the Committee for Student Projects (CSP), I have been impressed by the influence CSA can actually have on campus in bringing student initiatives to fruition and working with the Carleton administration on policy changes. As I have learned about CSA’s and the college’s financials through my lateral involvement with CSA and the budgeting process, I have been inspired to seek a more direct role in these processes as the Class of 2016 Representative.

Experience:

As mentioned, I have become quite familiar with the details of the CSA budget and how funds are distributed through my roles as Treasurer of the Experimental Theater Board and as a member of the Committee on the Rollover, which has since become the Committee on Student Projects. Most recently I have been involved in a push to renovate Little Nourse Theater, a project that has called for cooperation with the CSA executives, the Director of Student Activities, Facilities, and the Weitz theater management, demonstrating my leadership and initiative. I have also exhibited leadership as an RA and as a trip leader on the CCCE-sponsored Alternative Spring Break trips, while my experience as a stage manager is a testament to my organizational and time-management skills. Additionally, my diverse interests as a History major, a pre-med student, a thespian, and a CCCE volunteer connect me to a variety of communities across campus, allowing me to better represent my class’s values.

Goals:

My primary interest lies in college finances. During my time at Carleton, I have been frustrated by areas of student life that I feel have been neglected and underfunded by the college, relying on student initiative and CSA funding for improvement when in my opinion it should be the college’s responsibility. One example, as mentioned above, is the dilapidated and outdated Little Nourse Theater. While I was collecting signatures for my petition for candidacy, a few people mentioned to me, part jokingly, part serious, that they would like their tuition lowered. Although I think we all recognized a discount in tuition as unrealistic, I would like college spending to be more visible to students. With the resources and connections of Student Senate, I would be in a better position to pressure the college administration to be clearer about where our money is going. Other issues I hope to address as a senator include amending the college policy surrounding gender-neutral bathrooms to move toward a more inclusive campus and raising student concerns about a possible shortage of mental health resources on campus.

I appreciate your taking the time to consider my platform, and I hope I will have the opportunity to better serve the Carleton community as the Class of 2016 Representative.

Lindsey Weber

Taylor Gee

As most of you are likely aware, the price to attend Carleton College jumped to $58,149 at the start of this year. $58,149 multiplied by 2055 students equals… a lot of money. I started to try and adjust for financial aid, etc., but the point is it’s a lot of money.

So what exactly happens to all that money? Frankly I’m not entirely sure. In fact I have no idea – but I would like to find out. As well as a few other questions, like:

  • Why do some clubs receive maybe generous CSA funding, but others do not?
  • How much influence does the CSA and students really have over dining options? Should room draw be balanced, like registration?
  • What is Carleton’s policy on privacy? Do they have a policy on privacy?
  • Why did they build Goodhue so far away?
  • Has the changes in printing quotas been effective?

So basically I am running for CSA representative because I have lots of questions and have no idea what the answers are. Let my annoying liberal-arts curiosity work for you, and ensure that your money is being spent properly. It is, after all, a lot of money.

Lisa Qiu

Hi, I’m Lisa Qiu, a sophomore from New York City and I would like to be the Class of 2016 Representative. I enjoy listening to people and hope that my ability to be a good listener can help relay any concerns or suggestions that my classmates have regarding campus events, policies, funding, etc. that the CSA can address. Some ideas that I have include:

  • Receive funding for more water refilling stations and work with Take Back the Tap to determine which buildings are in need of them. Several buildings on campus, particularly science complexes, lack refilling stations so it would be great to install more of them.
  • Replace the current laundry machines in interest houses to enable OneCard usage so that residents do not have to stress about obtaining quarters.
  • Provide more funding for the library to purchase common textbooks for open reserves to lessen the financial burden of some students.
  • Provide more funding for the Student Health and Counseling center to hire more workers – particularly counselors. The SHAC offers great health counseling and support, but does not have enough resources to meet the demands of the student body. If more funds were allocated to the SHAC, students would be able to meet with counselors more frequently and consistently, which is crucial when dealing with any physical or mental issues.

Thanks for reading!

Sophia Chang

Hello!

My name is Sofia Chang, and I am a sophomore and prospective CAMS major. Here at Carleton we pass a lot of our time making small talk about homework, dining hall food, and crappy wifi. I believe these conversations bring us together, uniting us under shared experiences of a time and place. At the same time, the most impactful conversations and experiences I’ve had during my time at Carleton have not been about Carleton. They were about what’s out there in The World. Knocking on doors in Watson last year to get out the vote, looking Senator Al Franken in the eye and putting him on the spot with my question about Iran sanctions, explaining algebra to a struggling 6th grade Somali student—these are the experiences that have most shaped me.

While it can be all too easy to pretend that the world pauses while we’re at Carleton, I believe that our time as students is no different from any other time in our life when we are living, breathing members of our global community. As your Class of 2016 representative, I would work to build the connections between Carleton students and the local communities of Northfield and Faribault. I would strengthen the foundation of political activism on campus so that anyone who is angered or frustrated by something that they see in the world can find a way to channel that frustration into powerful and strategic action. Maybe this passion for activism makes me a radical, left-wing, social justice-loving hippie. If so, I hope I can help you tap into your own inner hippie.

Of course this isn’t to say that I won’t do my best to get printers in every dorm and change the 12 meal plan. Once I’m your rep, I’ll learn about the process for making these changes, and about what progress has already been made. I’ll tell you what I find out and work to create more transparency in CSA. I’ll meet and talk with any of you who have ideas for what I should be doing.

In short: My goals for improving Carleton relate not only to what happens on campus but also to how we interact with local communities and the very large world that we can’t help but impact and be impacted by.

Class of 2017 Representative

Christopher Griffin

“Earn to deserve, yearn to serve”

– Christopher Griffin

Last year around this time I was contemplating on which college to attend. I was anxiously preparing for visits with the hope of finding the school that gave me the magical “this is it” feeling – a feeling that I never experienced on any of my college visits. I did not visit Carleton during Accepted Students week because I already committed to being in my high school’s production of Hair Spray. Compromising a four-year commitment for a two-hour show is both quirky and crazy. I decided to come to Carleton because of the reputation of the school. Some of the things that attracted me to the school include, but are not limited to the traditional Frisbee toss, the teaching, and a personal connection to the name. I received my “this is it” feeling when I visited Carleton the summer before my fall term. This feeling partially resulted from me making the commitment to attend. The experiences I have had here thus far are the reason I am eager to run for CSA Senator for the Class of 2017. I believe I am qualified for the position due to my past experiences involving leadership, working with teams, and accomplishing amazing goals. I am an Eagle Scout, an accomplishment that proves my moral values, work ethic, and commitment. My senior year in high school I pioneered a Gentlemen of Distinction Club to provide a gateway for young males to do community service. One campaign we held was a No Shave November Campaign to raise awareness about National Adoption Month. We raised and donated over seven hundred dollars to a local Children’s Home for Christmas gifts. I would like to earn the opportunity to add my creative genius to student life here at Carleton. There are so many good things here at Carleton but I believe in the saying, “Good, better, best, never let it rest, until your good gets better, and your better is best.” Some of the things I would like to help accomplish here at our beloved Carleton include: an increase in student’s exposure to the Twin Cities, community enriching events such as 90’s TV show themed Block Parties, Community service projects here at Carleton and other areas in Minnesota, culturally enriching events that allow students to experience global exposure, and workshops that help students gain skills that will behoove them just as much as their Carleton Degree. My ideas run deep. I prefer to help my ideas become reality, than just talk about them. I have no doubt I would be a great asset to the Carleton Student Association. I wish to be as good to Carleton as it has been to me thus far.

Thomas Hiura

Hi Class of 2017, I’m Thomas Hiura. I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, though I’m originally from Hamamatsu, Japan. I freaking love Carleton. You might remember me as the guy who rapped about learning, individualism, and deconstructing the hyperpolarized political binary at the 2017 Variety Show. No, I wasn’t the one who rapped about wanting to have sex (although he’s a really great guy).

Qualifications and Values:

I’m kind of awkward when it comes to saying good things about myself, but this news clip about me gives a nice summary of the things I’ve done in my community, if you have a few minutes.

Basically I love people, especially people at Carleton. I haven’t really landed in a friend group, simply because I try to meet all sorts of people all the time. I recently created the Facebook page Humans of Carleton (where I interview and take pictures of people) because I wanted to get to know more folks and tell the stories of the amazing people in this community. When I was the student body president of my high school, I learned a lot about bridging the gap between student government and the student body (who often is unaware of what their representatives are up to). This is something I think the CSA could improve with. I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas for what the CSA can do, and I have a few goals that I’d work towards if you elect me.

Goals and Ideas:

  • Greater access to printing. Only two dorms on campus have printers. They often have problems or run out of ink. More dorms should have printers, if not all of them.
  • More promotion of intercultural events. We have such a dynamic and diverse student body, and we can learn a lot about each other’s cultural backgrounds if students are more aware of events like the OIIL chili nights, and the awesome celebrations for holidays like Lunar New Year, Eid al-Adha, and Dia de los Muertos.
  • Promoting the traditions that have made Carleton great, like Silent Dance Party, Mid-Winter Ball, Rotblatt, Spring Concert, etc.
  • Speaking of Spring Concert, it would be great to allocate more money to getting reasonably well-known musicians and performers to come to campus. Performers who have been relevant within the last 10 years (Smash Mouth last year, really?).
  • More meal plan options. Few people eat all 20 meals. Few can survive on just 12. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a sliding scale, where you can choose your specific number of meals, and each number has a corresponding amount of dining dollars? Also, dining dollars should roll over between terms. I would fervently advocate to work with Bon Appetit to expand dining options.
  • Better wi-fi in the dorms. $60K a year to be here and I can’t load Buzzfeed articles (that I know won’t even be funny but I click on them anyway) or YouTube in 80% of my room. We can do better.
  • Supporting the resources that make Carleton a leader in sustainability, LGBT-inclusiveness, and sexual wellness/advocacy against sexual misconduct. Do I sound like a super-liberal hippie yet? Maybe. But these are important issues and I feel like we take for granted that Carleton is just going to excel in these things. We can always work to make our community more safe, welcoming, and sustainable.
  • Improve transparency and awareness of CSA activities. If you elect me, I’ll make sure you know what the CSA is up to.

Some of these things are tough and might have been mentioned in the past, but if they’re important, we should keep advocating for them and putting pressure on administration to make them happen. Whether I become CSA Senator or not, I sincerely want to get to know more 2017ers, so come say hi some time! I play pool a lot in upper Sayles, my cell number is in the directory, and my evenings are spent in and around Cassat 205.

Joon Kim

Whoop! Whoop! Class of 2017!

My name is Joon Kim (J.K.) and I am running for Class 2017 Representative! I was Class of 2017 Rep in the Fall/Winter term. To reflect more of the general census in the upcoming year, I decided to talk to you in person. After talking to about 450 freshmen, I could clearly see the wants and needs of the Class of 2017. With my experience on the Senate, my knowledge of how CSA’s budget works, and all of your great ideas, I believe that we can improve Carleton together. Lastly, thank you so much my friends who took their time to help me make Carleton a better environment with their opinions. I will try my best to accomplish these goals.

Goals:

  1. PRINTERS IN YOUR DORM (117 mentioned)
    • The suggestion that I heard the most was putting a printer in every dorm. I already initiated the process by talking to ITS about putting a printer in one of the dorms on campus. I am going to check the usage of printers on our campus, and put the printers that were used the least in the dorms. No more walking in the cold to print!
  2. BETTER WIFI COVERAGE IN DORM, NOT IN THE BALD SPOT (88 mentioned)
    • You might wonder, “Can’t we use the surplus of CSA money for something better than WIFI in the Bald Spot?” Yes. I believe that we can use it to have more routers on each floor and strengthen the WiFi signal in every dorm. You will not have to reconnect to the Wifi every 5 minutes!
  3. VENDING MACHINES IN THE LIBE (54 mentioned)
    • The Libe is one of the central places for Carls, and when we study, we need food! Having a vending machine in the Libe for food/tea/coffee will make our lives much easier because we will no longer have to walk all the way down to Sayles.
  4. BUDGET TRANSPARENCY (40 mentioned)
    • Have you ever wondered where your money goes? Have you wondered why the tuition rises by 3-4% every year? Because we are the consumers and have rights to know, I will let our students have better access to know the important decisions Carleton College makes with our money.
  5. MEAL PLAN OPTIONS & MORE DIVERSE FOOD OPTIONS (128 mentioned)
    • The contract between Carleton and Bon Appetit renews every 2 years and already was renewed this past July 1st. In the past, CSA senators have tried to get more meal plan options right before each contract and have not been very successful. Therefore, I will start working on developing more meal plans and food options now, so that when we renew the contract again, we will have successful proposals. Meanwhile, I will talk to Bon Appetit to improve the food quality: more meat, fruits, and diverse food options.

In addition to the ideas above, people mentioned great ideas that we can implement. I am not going to ignore any of the ideas and perspectives that were not mentioned above. By working closely with you, the other CSA Senators, and administrators, I will make them happen.

Suhail Singh Thandi

As a representative of the Carleton Class of 2017, there are several areas where I would like to extend the influence and support of the CSA, and by extension help out the freshmen along with the Carleton community as a whole. Some of these avenues include:

  1. Improving music facilities: One complaint that I keep hearing is that the music facilities are not up to date, the classes are too expensive, or there is not enough information about the music programs readily available.
  2. Increase multi-cultural unity: As a student of color, I wish to not only represent my year but also the minorities presented at Carleton. Talking to students of color and non-American students, they felt that there could be more done to improve relations between students of different ethnicities and backgrounds
  3. Work in collaboration with other Carleton offices: I would want to work with the SAO, CCCE, OIIL, TRiO, etc. and organize/ fund activities targeted towards the class of 2017
  4. Increase sports awareness: I believe that the athletes are not encouraged as much as they are at other colleges, which disheartens incoming freshmen and students who want to remain on the team in the future. I want to promote awareness and hopefully increase the college’s participation in supporting our teams.
  5. Increase art facilities: Many students at Carleton want to express themselves in a non-academic way, but creative expressions including both visual and performance arts are only viewed by those explicitly seeking them. I would love to help create a place where artistic expressions aren’t limited to classrooms.

My experience in the past should help me create the community of the class of 2017 autonomous yet not isolated from the community of Carleton at large.

Yifan “Vicky” Wu

Hi! My name is Yifan “Vicky” Wu, and I was born in a romantic coastal city in China called “Dalian”. Having the ceaseless hometown seawater running through my veins and the passionate Arizona sunshine shining in my heart, I am here in the name of the refreshing Minnesota snowflakes to ask you for a chance of trust as I run for the Class of 2017 Senator.

I am a thinker and a listener; I am a communicator and a creator; I am a possibilitist and a do-ist. To be honest, taking responsibility is like charging my engine and carrying a mission to make a difference makes me who I am. For me, a senator is not just a position or a job, but rather a part of oneself as a unity of passion and commitment. I welcome and would love to hear all of your voices, and you have my promise to see your voices being heard and turned into the most satisfying actions.

(Even if I was not selected to be the senate, I would still love to chat with any one of you! After all, commnication is the key, and all I need is U!)

What I have in mind as a possible senator:

  1. “Carl-ationship.” “S.I.L.I. Club”
    • Have you ever had the urge to get to know someone, but were constrained by the possible suspicion of “being creepy”? Well, this should not happen! I would love to finally launch an idea that I have been brewing for a long time — the “S.I.L.I. Club” (Smile, Interact, Love and Imagine). As “silly” as it might sound, I want to make the effort of uniting everyone on campus and then possibly to take the idea and reach out to a bigger community. The ideas of mutual trust and spontaneous happiness are precious and would totally make a difference to anyone’s life. We would organize events to encourage people to interact more as strangers and bring more smiles and laughter on campus. As a senator, I will coordinate the thoughts of our class, and then to make our class a leading force in creating a “S.I.L.I.” environment.
  2. “We should have more fun!”
    • Carleton is great, and we do have a lot of fun! But would you like to have more events with your class and more interactions with other classes? Personally, I think that we could use some more bonding within our class and also with other classes. The events can be either small or big, for example, a class shirt day, class/all-school Olympics, a pass-on class novel, an adventure week… There will be more fun, I promise! And if you have ideas or would like to help, you are in!
  3. “Green Green Green”
    • I would not go into details about my passion in being sustainable and creating a green campus… but I see the problems we have here at Carleton and a lack of communication between the student organizations working on those issues and people outside of the circle. So, I will build up this bridge and keep everyone informed of what is going on and give people the chance to get involved if they are interested. (Same thing with many other organizations on campus!)

There are many more things that I would love to work on including some old, rusty issues related to Bon Appetite and school facilities. Feel more than free to just jump in front of my face, email me, call me, text me… to tell me or even yell at me about your thoughts and ideas about anything really! I would be very happy and honored to help you, support you and make you happy! 🙂 My email: wuv@carleton.edu (Yes, it’s wuv!) Thank you so much for your support!