CSA President

Marielle Foster ’16

I love Carleton profoundly. I showed up two and a half years ago a stupendously awkward, mononucleosis’ed first year with no clue what I wanted to do at Carleton. While one of those is still true, I have a massive excitement for Carleton, student activism, and the awesome ideas people bring to campus and that they make happen every day. I want to be part of a body that helps those ideas happen, by strengthening our campus and giving people the tools they need to succeed (and make their lives easier).

What I hope to do as president:

Work with the administration and admissions to increase the socioeconomic diversity of Carleton’s student body. Since this is one of the most overlooked and least diverse aspects of our campus, I want to improve access for students and find better ways to help students afford to attend events, accomplish their goals and lower barriers to access.

  • Pay executives (beginning after I am in office) in such a way to encourage more candidates to run for office, and help students who must have a work study better cope with the executive positions.
  • Continue efforts around diversity, including implementing senate diversity training currently being drafted, and continue to hold public forums to engage more of campus in important conversations around diversity, inclusion and activism.
  • I worked with Web Services and Student Activities to blueprint a complete overhaul of the online club management process. This will help club leaders better manage their clubs, look over their finances, plan events and keep track of their equipment and membership. As president I would implement this and help adoption of the new procedures.
  • A button that says “Join My Club” so you can easily add yourself to an email listserv of a public club.

What I’ve accomplished so far:

  • I have served as CSA Vice President and College Council Liaison on CSA Senate. 
  • My responsibilities have included managing $600,000 in student funds, running budget committee, presenting weekly on student finances and chartering clubs.
  • I have served on Carleton’s Budget Committee, looking at tuition, costs and concerns around financial aid, diversity and cost of attendance. 
  • I have been privileged to get an intimate view of Carleton’s finances and procedures, and have a good working relationship with many administrators. This lessen’s the barrier of student voices being heard, and I am passionate about voicing student concerns, helping students feel safe, and preserving people’s Carleton experiences.

Sam Hinh ’16

My name is Sam Hinh and I’m a chemistry major from Burnsville, MN and I wish to be your next CSA president.

Goals

I want to invest in the future of every student. This includes funding student participation in leadership conferences, conventions, or social movements. When they leave Carleton, I want them to be leaders among other recent undergrads.

Education opens many doors in life. I want to have workshops about various topics outside of the academia setting like CPR certification, starting a startup, studio art workshops, etc. These workshops would be taught by students, faculty, or anyone qualified to teach the topic.

The essence of Carleton participation is in the many student-run clubs and organizations. This is why I want to increase communication between the CSA and clubs so we can help them become successful.

Closing Statement

We all know Carleton is a great place to get an education, but that’s not what make this place so special. It’s the community involvement, amazing traditions, social atmosphere, and the campus bonding. I love how all of these qualities stem from us, the students. I want to be active in preserving what makes this place great and also play a role for change. With your help, I would be honored to be the next CSA president.

CSA Vice President

Adam Canady ’16

Hey folks, I’d love to be your new CSA Vice President because I love Carleton and I want to make your voice heard so we can make a difference on the things that matter around campus. That said, I’ll keep this short and to the point.

Goals

Since being at Carleton, I’ve noticed a few things I’d like to help make better:

  • More documentation on sustainability – the new posters Jackson put up this year are great. I believe there should be more infographics like his that are easy to read and follow. The easier we can make sustainability, the bigger an impact it will have.
  • Better information availability of resources around campus. Since becoming an RA, I’ve learned about a ton of things I had no idea existed around campus; like the ability to rent skates/snowshoes/skis for free from the Rec or being able to check out projectors and sound equipment from PEPS to have fun watching the Superbowl. These are definitely things that students should be more aware of so they can have a bigger impact and more fun around campus.
  • More transparency in policy-changing and decision making in the CSA. The published minutes are great, but not everyone has time to comb over everything that happens in each meeting. Even a couple bullets in the NNB would work great to disseminate information to all the students so people can have a better understanding of what’s happening around campus.

Experience

For the past couple years, I’ve served as the CSA Student-at-Large on the Academic Standing Committee. The Committee has taught me a ton about what Carleton values academically as well as socially and personally. In addition, my tenure as an RA has really shown me what Carleton has to offer and enabled me to best serve the folks on my floor (shout out to 5th Watson!) and around my area. I’d love to take what I’ve learned there and apply it to the campus as a whole.

Nayely Martinez ’16

Dear Carleton students,

My name is Nayely Martinez, a junior CS major from Los Angeles, CA, and I hope to have your support in voting me as your new CSA Senate Vice President.

I firmly believe that Senate needs to make its actions, protocols, and rationale more transparent to the student body population. From the issue of diversity and representation to its protocols on granting funding to student groups, it is apparent that Senate needs to increase its communication and visibility with students. We have come to a standing point where students need to be able to see the thought process under which CSA Senate operates in order to make Senate more relatable and accessible to students on campus. Students have the right – and Senate the responsibility – to change CSA Senate’s in terms of its operational transparency, accountability, and support for the students it represents.

Goals:

To this end, the following are specific areas of improvement within Senate that I plan to address in my role as Vice President and consequent role as the Chair of Budget Committee:

Release information regarding current Senate working groups to the student body.

Behind the scenes, Senate has many different working groups and subcommittees working on various projects outside of the regular Senate meeting time. These working groups span a wide range of projects, from organizing future St. Olaf/Carleton collaborative events to coordinating diversity training for all CSA Senators. Currently, the list of working groups is internal Senate knowledge and not made publicly available to the rest of the student body.

Senate can only cover so many agenda items during its regular Monday meeting time. Outside of agenda items we vote on during Monday nights, these working groups are really the driving force behind Senate-backed initiative to better the Carleton campus. Making the list of these working groups available online will let students to know what projects Senate is working on at any given moment, and allow for students to share and suggest issues they believe need improvement on campus.

Let student groups know the best ways to secure funding from Budget Committee.

Historically, new students groups on campus have found it difficult to gain funding from Budget Committee due to a lack of clarity and guidance on what specific points Budget Committee looks for in a funding request. Is the application asking for more than $150 worth of funding for each student? Did they do a detailed itemized budget beforehand, particularly if the request exceeds $1000? These kinds of questions are some of the examples of what Budget Committee looks for, and having this information be both readily available and sent out to student groups – particularly newly created ones or ones that have historically been underfunded – during and prior to their application process will make sure that the ease of access to CSA’s financial resources is opened up to all student groups.

Increase the support network and outreach to under-represented groups on campus.

Senate is undergoing a remarkable transformation in that the issue of diversity and representation in Senate is finally being brought to the forefront for Senators and students on campus to be made aware of. I believe it it is part of a much larger dynamic in which minority voices are excluded not by blatant acts of silencing or repression, but through subtle acts of disregard and dismissal. While this certanly isn’t unique to Senate or Carleton, it is nevertheless imperative that Senate go above and beyond in terms of its actions to make sure this does not remain the case. This is a pivotal moment in which Senate can do some brief outreach and mark it off as a completed Senate agenda item, or it can be a launching point for an ongoing and continuous process of evaluation in regards to whether or not we are representing students fairly and accurately. Matters of diversity are not something we can just talk about and call it a day – it requires continuous discussion, dialogue, and action.

To that end, I plan on making sure that discussions on inclusion and representation are continued throughout this coming year and that we, as CSA Senate, implement internal policies and protocols to hold ourselves accountable to this commitment to equal representation and inclusion. I plan on meeting with cultural and interest groups on campus – which have also historically been underfunded by budget committee – and ensure that they have all the information and tools they need to apply for funding from Budget Committee. I plan on continuing the discussion forums on diversity and inclusion and meet one-on-one with students to make sure access to information, resources, and contact points within Senate are never issues that prevent them from reaching out and expressing their concerns.

Leadership Experience:

Chair, CSA Senate Forum on Diversity and Inclusion Working Group

  • Began one-on-one outreach to students to receive input and suggestions on how to address the growing concern regarding diversity, fair representation, and inclusion within CSA Senate.
  • Organized the first in a two-part series of forums aimed at providing students an insider’s view of the inner workings of CSA Senate and its progress (and setbacks) in accurately representing all of its student body populace.

ITS Liaison, CSA Senate

  • Engaged in multiple meetings with Janet Scannell, CTO of the ITS department at Carleton, to create an on-campus IT spring externship for students to gain real-world, practical experience working in the IT sector.
  • Coordinated efforts with Chris Dlugosz to set up a wifi “hotspot map” online for students see live data on the spots (lounges, floors, study rooms) on campus with best Wi-Fi coverage at any given time.

Student Manager, ITS Student Drop-Off Center (DOC)

  • Hired and trained new student workers responsible for dealing with any and all hardware issues students on campus may have throughout the school year.
  • Implemented feedback surveys for both student workers and student clients in order to understand the areas where improvement is needed on both sides.

Program Director, Volunteer Interpreter Services

  • Coordinated online and real-live volunteer translation opportunities in the Northfield area for Carleton students.

Publicity Coordinator, Lovelace

  • Coordinated the promotion of gender diversity in computing at Carleton and in the wider Northfield community.

Assistive Technologist, ITS

  • Coordinate academic and technological accessibility resources on campus, particularly in support of students with physical or learning disabilities.

Closing Remarks:

It is only until Senate becomes a more transparent, approachable, and supportive governing body that students will truly have the information necessary in order to either support or challenge the ways Senate approaches issues for the better. CSA Senate and the student body population have the potential to make a resounding impact on Carleton’s campus for generations to come. I believe that access to information is incredibly important to have and maintain in order to implement change – change that is enacted by a body of diverse voices.

I care deeply about Carleton, and it is this unquestionable appreciation for its students, the campus, and the Senate that gives me the strength and devotion it takes to push Senate towards ever greater strides in diversity, representation, transparency, and accountability.

I look forward to serving you as your CSA Vice President. Thank you.

Nayely Martinez

CSA Treasurer

Raul Noguera-McElroy ’17

Hi there!

My name is Raul, and I am a future Political Science major from Taos, New Mexico. I would be ecstatic to serve as your next Treasurer! Here are my goals for the upcoming year:

  1. First: Create and expand an introductory process for new Senators and Liaisons. This will help new Senators find their footing in Senate and improve the representation of all students by allowing Senators to have their voices heard without being tripped up by Robert’s Rules. When I was a new member of Budget Committee, I found it difficult to navigate the complex set of rules, and therefore remained silent. Silencing members with complex rules defeats the purpose of CSA, which is to be accessible to all students.
  2. Second: Demystify the Budget Committee process. I want to host workshops that explain the process of requesting money and how to put together a successful request. These forums would also help clarify what CSA funds and what it doesn’t fund.
  3. Third: Implement a complete Buddy System that pairs Budget Committee members with the student organization funding requests. With this process, committee members would give feedback to help improve requests, and therefore increase the likelihood of success, before they are presented to the entire committee. 
  4. Fourth: Have a transparent Spring Allocations process. Weekly Budget Committee meetings have detailed minutes. Spring Allocations does not have minutes, or any process that would shed light on how your money is spent.
  5. Fifth: Streamline Budget Committee. Currently, Budget Committee requests students attend lengthy meetings for requests that are automatically approved. I believe that this process can be fixed to save both students’ time, but also the Committee’s time.

Here is a brief summary of my experience:

  1. First: My experiences as a five-term Budget Committee member will help Budget Committee make excellent decisions. Furthermore, having experienced the Spring Allocations process first-hand, I will be able to properly guide this process that ultimately decides roughly $600,000 in student money.
  2. Second: As a Resident Assistant, I have worked with a variety of people on campus, ranging from school administrators to facilities. I believe that this experience will help create opportunities for improving our community that may not have been available before.
  3. Third: As a student who has requested money from Budget Committee, on behalf of organizations ranging from Chess Club to Disability Services at SHAC, I understand and can help create processes to clear up confusion regarding requesting funds

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please feel free to forward me any questions that you might have to: noguerar@carleton.edu.

Ben Strauss ’16

My name is Ben Strauss. I have greatly valued representing the student body the last two terms on Senate. And, as an advocate for reforming our student government, I have always championed a more transparent, proactive, efficient and lovable Senate. I believe a better-run Senate better represents students. And, if elected as Treasurer, I will advance the three necessary conditions for an effective Senate:

1. Streamlined and efficient operations: people approaching Senate or Budget Committee should feel a sense of constructive dialogue and progress not a sense of mind-numbing bureaucracy and doom. I will advance this aim through the following measures:

  • Creating helpful “how-to” documents about Senate: emphasis on helpful, I will make sure students know how to navigate the CSA bureaucracy.
  • Reinstating the “buddy system:” every person who requests funding from Budget Committee should receive advice and guidance from a member of the committee.
  • Clarifying the financial guidelines and Budget Committee decision making: every person should understand how Budget Committee makes each individual decision.

2. Accountable and transparent decision making: people should have quality information about Senate’s decision making and performance. If anyone has questions about Senate, I will do my best to provide them with answers. And I will continue my efforts from the last two terms to promote accountability and transparency by doing the following:

  • Implementing the CSA Senate Diversity Survey: Senate should be self-aware of how it represents all students.
  • Advancing Budgeting Transparency: Senate should inform students about how it allocates the student money over the long-term.

3. Continuous improvement to policy and practice: students should have a better Senate now than they had a year ago. And students should have a better Senate two years from now than they have now. To foster institutional memory, I will promote the following:

  • Secretary Training and Retention: Senate should better train and support the person in that important position.
  • End-of-Year Summations: Senate should provide an easy-to-read summary of its accomplishments, set-backs and future goals at the end of each year.

As for qualifications, I am the treasurer of several clubs and your representative on quite a few committees. More specifically, the CSA Treasurer serves on three committees and I have served on every one:

1. College Council Liaison, Senate: as your representative, I have always advocated for greater effectiveness in Senate’s operations and for greater transparency in Senate as a whole. I also helped advanced many initiatives. I am most active now in advancing the following:

  • The “Senate Diversity Survey” to raise Senate’s transparency and discussion quality on this critical issue.
  • A policy change that would reduce the time club leaders come before Senate on budgetary matters.

2. Past Member, Budget Committee: on this committee, I saw first-hand how Budget Committee allocates the student money and interacts with student groups. In addition, I advanced the following proposal:

  • Statistics on how Budget Committee funds groups over the long run: what percent of club funding requests does Budget Committee fully fund? And how does this percent compare across terms?  I am working to give you the answers by the end of Winter Term.

3. Volunteer Secretary, Committee on Student Projects: I wrote down what people said at meetings, an important process for any committee.

Most importantly, I am always happy to talk about Senate and Senate reform. Feel free to e-mail me at straussb@carleton.edu.

Class of 2015 Representative

Caffi Meyer

My motivation

First, it has been a true privilege to serve as your class representative this past year. Serving on Senate is more than a once weekly commitment to me- it’s a responsibility to serve the interests of our class on a daily basis.

Several people have asked me why I want to continue serving on Senate if it’s only for one more term. As seniors, our final term is crucial for our voices to be heard. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that we are in a unique position of both reflection on our time here and contemplation for the future. Changes that happen in the coming months will affect future generations of Carls as well as impact us as alumni.

My motivation to rerun for this position stems from my eagerness to lead our class and dedication to the student body. Senate’s decisions have a large footprint and I will make sure that I’m doing everything I can to defend and advocate for our class.

Qualifications and ideas

I’ve been a programming assistant with the Student Activities Programming Board for two years and as such, have extensive knowledge of student programming on campus. I’ve also been the general manager of the Cave over the past two years which has provided to me the unique perspective of running one of the longest standing student organizations on campus. In particular, my involvement with the Cave has reinforced my commitment to preserving meaningful traditions while forging new ones – something I hope to perpetuate as your representative.

Serving on Senate has provided me with the invaluable experience necessary to maintain momentum – especially during this critical time when many longstanding policies and procedures at Carleton are in question. Senate’s agenda for the upcoming term includes such topics as revisions to sexual misconduct policies and procedures as well as to the alcohol and other drugs policy. If elected, my voice on Senate and vote on these matters will reflect and defend the interests and concerns of our class.

Recently, Senate has taken important and forward-looking steps towards creating a more inclusive and diverse space on Senate, in many senses of the word. I believe that in addition to diversity training for Senators and increased campus-wide dialogue on diversity, discourse on Senate could be improved by setting up intra-Senate mentors for new members. I think this would help new Senators learn how to navigate formal rules of debate and perhaps serve as a source of empowerment to feel comfortable in an environment where all voices need to be heard.

Additionally, it is currently unclear to most students how they can become directly involved with the Senate and the meetings. I hope to make changes to this by increasing communication with students about how to voice their opinions directly to Senate and how to initiate agenda items.

Final thoughts

I know that I’m just one of hundreds of students who care – and I hope you will entrust in me the duty and privilege of representing you in our final term. It is my hope that with a collective desire to preserve tradition and challenge antiquated policies and practices that we will leave this place a little better than when we found it.

Whether you know me personally or not, please do not hesitate to ask me questions and engage me in further discussion as to how I as your potential representative can better advocate on your behalf.

Bibek Pokharel

Dear Class of 2015,

We are seniors and we don’t have much time to waste, so lets cut to the chase – elect me as your Class Representative and I will make sure that we leave our legacy behind as 2015-ers. I am not going to bore you with my credentials, but believe me when I say that I have enough leadership experience to represent our class fairly and fiercely, with pride. I have loved Carleton, I bleed maize and blue, and sing “Carleton, our alma mater” in my dreams.

Jokes aside, I have had my own struggles and difficulties and worked to change what I could for the better, as a peer leader and an organization leader. I understand the passion we have for our school and the things that frustrate us about it. Next year, most of us will part ways from Carleton and in our absence we still want Carleton to embody our values and preserve our traditions.

If elected, I will work to make the budget committee procedures are more accessible- if you need money for your club you should get it as fast and as easily as you can. I will also work to improve communication between ITS and students, because no one should have to reconnect their WiFi 15 times before watching a their favorite cat vine. I will try to increase school spirit to ensure that we have higher turn out in sports games and matches to support our awesome sports teams. I will make sure that spring allocations for next year is done fairly. We are a very diverse class in terms of race, culture, socio-economic status, sexuality and ability, but more importantly in terms of our experiences. I do not share all of your experiences, so I will listen to your concerns, be approachable, try to understand you and argue fiercely on your behalf.

With enthusiasm,
Bibek Pokharel

TL;DR Vote for me and I will make you chai!

Class of 2016 Representative

Gavin Allman

Are you concerned about how Carleton’s strategic planning could affect campus life for you and generations of future Carls?  Are you dismayed by the increasing limitations on off-campus housing set in place by an administration which claims to “recognize the value of independent living?” I am too, so let’s start talking about it!  Back in freshman and sophomore year, I had a blast representing the class of 2016 on the CSA Senate, and I am eager to do so once more. Last time around, I worked tirelessly to acquire a printer for Goodhue.  My ambitions were modest, but my experience with CSA taught me how to navigate Carleton’s administration in order to accomplish larger goals.

This year I would be very interested in looking at both Carleton’s investment plans, as well as their funding methods for club sports and other student groups.  Additionally, as a representative I would make it my personal responsibility to improve CSA’s transparency, representation of campus groups and methods of communication with the Carleton community.  If you are opinionated on any of these issues, or simply wish for Carleton to remain an open-minded, tight-knit and fun community, then I would encourage you to vote for me.

Thanks for your support and consideration,

Gavin

Angely Guevara

I’m Angely Guevara, a junior CAMS major from the SF Bay Area, and I’m running for a senate position as a Class of 2016 Representative.

In my three years at Carleton, my relation with the CSA has been pretty interesting. My freshman year I went to their sparsely attended town hall in the Chapel with so much leftover pizza. It was awesome, but also scary indicative of the average student’s interactions with the CSA–pretty darn minimal.

My sophomore year, I ran for Class of 2016 Rep and College Council Liaison. During both campaigns I pointed out that the lack of student involvement with the CSA stems largely from a knowledge gap—a lot of students just don’t know what the CSA does. I’ve seen the start of a lot of really great initiatives to fix this problem, including CSA office hours, town hall events, and even updating the facebook page.

Students need to know that the CSA can be a platform for student voices and involvement. In other words, I want students to know not just what CSA does, but what they as students can do with the help of the CSA.

As an RA, I am in an amazing position where I am in tune with the campus climate and can help strive towards what can make students’ Carleton experience better. This is a key skill that I’ll bring into my position as a representative senator.

I also love love love love LOVE hearing what fellow students have to say about Carleton; Carls have valid things to contribute and valid opinions and feelings. Carleton would be nothing if we didn’t stop to listen to each other, whether through forums, town halls, petitions, or even just emails. So please, consider me a megaphone, and vote for me as one of your Class of 2016 Representatives.

Thanks so much for your time.

(If you want more, please read my Winter 2014 and Spring 2014 platforms, just because they’re kind of endearing and pretty decent evidence that I’m ready for this. Also, feel free to e-mail me, mailbox me, or talk to me in person if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.)

Brent Murcia

Hey there!

I’m Brent, and I’m running to be your 2016 class representative. Why? Well, I’d like CSA Senate to do more.

CSA Senate is full of great, motivated people. But when they all come together, the result is pretty much an intimidating bureaucracy where not everyone’s voice is heard. I want to help solve this problem. Structure is important, but not when it comes at the cost of participation. I’ll work to reform CSA procedures and bylaws to make the Senate more accessible to everyone.

I also want to help the Senate take a more active role in reaching out to students and do less passive waiting for requests. Members should be visible and engaging, out there in Sayles and wherever else, talking with you one-on-one about exactly what you want done and how student government at Carleton can help you get there.

Ultimately, the purpose of CSA Senate is to support and empower students. There are things I care about- continuing campus dialog about race and inclusion, working to improve campus mental health services, and improving campus sustainability are just a few. But I’m really running because I want to hear about what you care about- and because I want to help you get things done.

My experience in environmental organizing and activism on and off campus has given me experience in setting and accomplishing goals. As one of the leaders of student organizations like SOPE and CJC, I’ve worked on a number of campaigns and I’ve gained experience working with CSA Senate, the administration, and the student body at large. I’ve navigated the fundraising process and helped get a resolution passed; now I want to stand on the other side and help others do the same.

In the end, what’s the point of even having a student senate if it’s not 100% about you? Why should it even exist if half of campus doesn’t even know when it meets or what gets talked about? I’m not asking you to vote for me so that I can go sit in a room once a week and debate a few things that you may or may not care about. I’m asking you to vote for me so that I can be the person who helps you take what you care about and do something about it.

Dylan Wells

Dear Carleton Students,

My name is Dylan Wells and I am running for the Class of 2016 Representative position on the Carleton Student Association Senate.  Included in this platform in the following order are:

  • My past senate experience and goals for diversity
  • My personal approach to student governance
  • A short address of my ability to fulfill my senate obligations
  • My views on CSA Senate as a body.

I am honored to run for this position and I appreciate your attention and consideration.

Having already served one term (being one academic term) as an interim Class of 2016 Representative, I am well acquainted with the responsibilities inherent in the position. I would seek to facilitate more diversity on senate, not only by bringing new voices to the table but by making sure the voices that are existent in the body are better heard. Members of the student body have voiced their concern to me that those on senate who perhaps have the most important things to say on the subjects of diversity and difference often fall silent. I believe this is due to the inherently confrontational nature of most senate meetings and the structure of parliamentary procedure.  Regardless of the reasons, this structuring of discourse tends to favor people from strong positions of privilege such as myself (a white, cis-gendered male). These concerns would best be addressed by working groups and smaller discussions, many of which are already underway. As a Class Representative I would continue this trend in the interest of better serving every facet of the Carleton community.

As a student from a limited socioeconomic background I remain highly dependent on financial aid, and my time on Senate would reflect this. As a Class Representative I would strive especially to represent the interests of students who depend on financial aid and scholarships allocated by incredible organizations like Posse and Questbridge. Student dialogue on socioeconomic privilege and the intersections between class and race, already evident in events like #blacklivesmatter, is essential to the well-rounded nature of Carleton student culture. As a Representative I would continue and encourage this tradition to the fullest extent of my abilities.

If I were to be elected, I would strive to consistently reach out to all parts of my constituency to best serve their interests. Those of you who I have had the pleasure of engaging in discussion know that I, while being firm in my beliefs, constantly attempt to incorporate different perspectives and adjust my positions when it is called for. I can admit when I am wrong. I can listen to those I disagree with. I believe this allows me to effectively represent divergent interests and present not only my own views on the senate floor but those of the community I stand for.

The CSA Senate at Carleton College is an essential body. As I stated in my bio on the CSA Facebook page, I belief the senate is an essential place for transforming both discontent and bright ideas into tangible action to make Carleton a better place for the students who call it home. That is why the CSA is important. I feel that I have a duty to my fellow Carls to make Carleton an engaging, challenging, fulfilling place to spend four years of our lives. I believe serving on senate is the best way for me to accomplish that, and I would be honored if the student body would grant me that opportunity.

Thank you for your consideration

Dylan Wells

Class of 2017 Representative

Serena Chalaka

Dear Carleton Students,

My name is Serena Chalaka, and I am running to be your next 2017 class representative.

First of all, I want to talk about diversity. I’m talking about race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, disability/ability, socioeconomic class, and interest. It affects everyone. This is an issue I am willing to fight for.

If you know me, my winning feature is my communication skills. If you don’t know me, let’s get dinner. After silently attending many Senate meetings, I understand how to listen as well as how to talk. I seek to speak, not to dominate. I speak to break new ground, not to meekly follow.

As a person who has gone to dozens of Senate meetings, I know that Senate is good, but not perfect. If you get angry, Senate should know. Let me be the vessel for your complaints and concerns. Even if we don’t share the same opinions, I will bring your voice to the table.

Transparency. As CSA Secretary, I could see the disconnect between us and Senate. As your rep, I will strive to raise awareness on what we can do to influence our community. You have every right to understand and know exactly what happens in Senate. While I will bring your voice to Senate meetings, I will also bring Senate to you.

Leadership Experience

  • Secretary, Carleton Student Association
    • Understands of the interworking of Senate and Budget Committee.
  • Student-at-Large, Community, Equity and Diversity Initiative (CEDI)
    • Assesses campus climate and initiates new projects to address the student’s priorities and needs in order to improve the community and promote equity and diversity.
  • Co-President, Carleton Mixed Community
    • Foster community for biracial/multiracial students as well as others coming from mixed backgrounds, whether they be related to class, culture, heritage, or religion, serving to bring awareness to issues of multi-identity and cultural diversity.    

But, it’s not only about me, it’s also about you.

Goals:

  • Develop a yearly faculty/staff diversity training and mandatory Senate diversity training. Make the next faculty retreat, diversity-centered.
  • We need more campus wide conversations on mental and physical health.
  • Racism is a current issue.           
  • Continue Senate informational tabling in Sayles. I’ll let you know the good stuff.
  • Bring back the later bookstore hours.

Carleton’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Founder’s day is happening in our senior year. This is big, guys. A celebration that only comes every 150 years. If we are willing to blow big bucks on a Halloween tent, what do you think we going to do for this shindig? Tell me what you want, and I will make sure your ideas are heard by the right person. Let’s make it epic together.

Didn’t like the Halloween tent? Think irresponsible spending is our downfall? Tell me what you want to see at major events. Your voice matters in Senate.

Didn’t see here what you wanted to see? Talk to me.
I am excited, and I hope you are too.

Thank you,
Serena Chalaka ’17

Su Kim>

Hello! My name is Su Kim and I would really appreciate your vote to be the next Class of 2017 CSA Representative!

Fast Facts:

  1. 1I was born in Seoul and raised in the -773- (Chicago!).
  2. I came to Carleton convinced that I’d be pre-med but then Bio 126 kicked my butt and quickly learned I’m more of a social science gal.
  3. The longer I’ve been here, the more I’m scared of/despise the cold.

Keepin’ It Real:

I will be completely honest with you… I never even considered running for the senate until very recently. Until just a few weeks ago, I was as (un)involved with the senate as most of you reading this platform. The reason why I’m telling you this is because I want you to know that as a student who was once completely uninterested in the CSA Senate, I see its shortcomings. As an outsider, the Senate seems intimidating, lacks transparency, disregards diversity and seems rather unimportant to my everyday life as a Carl (I am in no way saying that this is true or that it is the Senate’s fault, but rather addressing some of the criticisms I personally have voiced or heard from other students). This leads me to my goals as a 2017 Representative.

Goals:

  1. As your most direct link with the CSA Senate, I will make sure that I am visible and approachable on campus so that you will always feel comfortable contacting me with any questions, concerns, or new ideas!
  2. I will update the 2017 Class with relevant information so that the Class of 2017 will have a better idea of what is discussed during the meetings (they will be concise! Tl;dr style).
  3. Countless conversations have taught me how much this campus values, respects, and embodies all different types of diversity. I will ensure to the best of my ability that these ideologies are accurately reflected in our CSA as well as take extra initiative to ensure that all members of our student body feel rightfully and equally represented and supported.

Final Comments:

Carleton is a phenomenal school, but it is in no way perfect as we have seen in our past 5 terms. After each new incident, misunderstanding, protest or event, I kept telling myself that I will become a more a proactive member of this community; that I will make a tangible and positive difference. I know that being the 2017 Class Rep will allow me group everyone’s individual voices together so that we are one, distinguished, powerful voice. As a student who has often felt like a single, insignificant voice, I am driven and confident in my ability to ensure that all students on this campus will be heard. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this (that is quite impressive) and please considering voting for me as your 2017 Class Rep!

Sabastian Mugazambi

Hakuna Matata fellow Carls! (Not a greeting but it sounds cooler than Hello!)

My name is Sabastian Nyasha Mugazambi (Saba) and I will be glad to serve the class of 2017 as their class representative on senate.  I am from Zimbabwe, which is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Carleton is awesome and I do not regret being a member of the class of 2017, it’s just that we need to fix a couple of issues. I have been out and about chatting with members of the class of 2017 and they have aired out their concerns, which I promised to raise in senate the best way possible.

Please checkout a reflection of my experiences on-campus on the Carleton website.

What are the issues you say??

  1. DIVERSITY – Lets increase the conversation around racial diversity and how senate and the school administration deal with issues related to diversity.
  2. EDUROAM has to be fixed! – Nothing more can be said. As one of the Network Consultants for the ITS department I have already started working on Wi-fi issues with the Network Manager.
  3. BUDGET TRANSPARENCY – Some students expressed concern over how the budget committee allocates funds to student activities and clubs. Where is the money going? 
  4. MEAL PLANS – Bon appetite should offer more flexibility on meal plans and more ice cream on Saturdays. 
  5. TUNNELS – (This was my best) – Is it true that Carleton has tunnels? 

I hope to represent my class to the best of my abilities if elected to this senate position.

Josh Pitkofsky ’17

Hello Carleton!

My name is Josh Pitkofsky and I would be honored to serve as a representative for the class of 2017.  Below I list my goals, experiences that I think make me qualified, reasons for running, and make a few Harry Potter references.

Goals:

  • Further training for students on issues relating to diversity, sexual misconduct policy, and mental health. I am working with SWA’s, campus leaders, and the current Diversity training-working group to develop more cohesive training workshops after the initial NSW presentations.
  • Improve student contact with alumni. You came here to immerse yourself in a world of intellectual curiosity and wonder, and at the same time, you probably want a job after you graduate. I have plans to connect current Carls with Alumni in their field and work with the career center to give feedback from Carls about what is and isn’t working to improve job and internship prospects. I will also look into the alumni-student relation models of similar schools like Harvard, Stanford and Hogwarts to look at what strategies we could implement to further help Carleton students.
  • Relations with Olaf. As of last week I have joined the working group on senate that is attempting to create some sort of awesome annual dual school event possibly a Yule-ball-like dance, or combined fall term spring-concert-like event.
  • Increase support for Student Disability Services. Currently this office is fairly understaffed and many Carls have approached me already noting that the quality of support has suffered as a result. Carleton needs to be better equipped to handle the needs of its students.
  • Better communication with class. This goes for events on campus, and important information that 2017’ers should know.  I am also working to add a more systematic feedback loop with my class so that it is easier to communicate what change students would like to see.  It is every Carleton student’s dream to have a time-turner necklace to attend all of the club meetings, shows and talks happening on campus. Unfortunately while the muggle world is still waiting for a Carleton grad to invent a time-turner we do have Snapchat. I would like to create a Carleton Snapchat so that students can see events going on around campus that they cannot attend.

Experience:

On campus I have worked as a NSW leader, TA, and Student Advising Fellow as well as in the PEPS office and Office of student financial services. I am also on the varsity swim team and am involved in DevX, Carl TV, CLIFF. I also have the 4 weeks of experience on CSA Senate I acquired as your class rep this winter term and have played broomball twice. 

Why:

I want to work to make Carleton a happier place to learn and grow, and a more efficient institution. In the past year an a half Carleton has inspired my intellectual curiosity, filled my time with warm interactions with friends and outstanding professors, and pushed me to reach farther academically and creatively. I have many ideas for changes, small and large that I think would make Carleton more aligned with its mission to “provide an exceptional undergraduate liberal arts education”. I want to serve as a voice for my class; working towards making change that reflects the will of the students.

Truly,

Josh

P.S.

As soon as you think, “this something is an issue at Carleton and someone should fix it,” call me. I will take this opportunity as your current class rep to give you my contact info if you don’t have it already so that we can work together to solve your concerns and share your ideas in Senate:

Cell – (650) 464-7004
Email – Pitkofskyj

Snapchat- josh_pitkofsky

*See the Class of 2018 Representative candidate platforms*