The Future of ASG: Meet the First-Year Senate Candidates

Photo Credit: Jacob Kalauokalani

All eight first year senate candidates posting on stage after ASG’s “Meet the Candidates” Panel.

Ideas flew on Monday from bringing back the football team to an Associated Student Government committee on commonsense food-price reform. That’s just what they want to do in year one.

First-year senate candidates gathered on Monday in Benson Memorial Center for “Meet the Candidates” to share their campaign platform before the election. With eight candidates on stage and five senate seats available, common topics ranged from increasing community outreach to price-reduction measures around campus. Voting will be closed at midnight on October 23, results are sent the following morning to the student body, and the elected senators are then sworn in Thursday October 25 during Senate. Voting can be done through the “Campus Election” app on the SCU student portal. 

“I'm excited for everyone that may be elected to Senate,” Student Body Vice President Erta Hoxha said.

Learn more about the candidates running, and their policies and background below:

Palmer Aguilar: Expanding Student Opportunities and Involvement 

Aguilar, a finance major with a minor in philosophy, brings five years of prior experience in student government from high school and middle school. He served as executive treasurer during his senior year and co-founded the “Helping the Homeless” club in high school. Aguilar’s focus as an ASG senator is to ensure that student activities are more accessible, especially for those who may have missed out on the Involvement Fair at the beginning of the fall quarter.

Aguilar explained, “club fair was just a one time thing. And if you missed it, you're not able to do anything like that again until next year. I was talking to sophomores, too. They joined clubs about their sophomore year, that they weren't in freshman year, that they could have joined sooner if they just had known what was available.” 

Aguilar’s solution—create greater digital access to club information. For example, making the group chats of student organizations more accessible, and increasing the information and visibility of clubs on the website are at the top of his list.

“Increasing the amount of club fairs that we have would be a beneficial thing to do,” said Aguilar.“There's only one club fair and then you can't get involved until the next year.” 

Nikki Azar: Championing Sustainability and Food Transparency

Azar’s campaign revolves around improving sustainability on campus and enhancing the student dining experience. She has a unique vision to integrate the University’s Forge Garden with Benson’s dining services, making students more aware of where their food comes from and increasing their engagement with sustainable practices.

“I want to collaborate with the dining hall and the Forge Garden,” Azar said. “There’s already a collaboration between them, but I think making that more visible and clear would help students get more involved with sustainability and see the connection with what they’re eating.” 

In the past year, the dining hall has undergone numerous changes both in its staff with Eugene Zelditch becoming the Executive Chef in 2023, and a number of dining stations switching up their menus and names. Azar’s campaign comes off the heels of tUrn week, which focused on creating awareness around the current climate crisis. 

Mateo Coulson: Tackling Mental Health and Engaging Students with ASG

Coulson's main focus are to address the mental health crisis among Gen Z students, which he believes is one of the most pressing issues on campus. He noted that statistics and research has shown that Gen Z has the highest rates of mental health issues of any generation in history. To combat the rising issues of mental health, Coulson is looking to increase the University’s mental health resources—including programs that improve physical and mental fitness—and nutrition options for students. Additionally, he aims to boost ASG’s social media presence to get more students engaged, involved and have voices heard by ASG.

“I’m passionate about meeting new people and creating a social media presence for ASG,” Coulson said. “I have video editing experience, and I’d love to be the ambassador to the student body using TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to keep everyone informed.”

Erik Latchford: Revitalizing Campus Life

Latchford sees room for improvement in re-energizing the University’s campus life, particularly during the weekends when on-campus activity tends to slow down. His goal is to organize more events in the Benson dining hall and create a space where students can gather, socialize and build stronger connections with one another.  

“I feel like Benson is often empty, especially on weekends,” Erik remarked. “I want to create more events that get people out of their dorms and onto campus. It’s all about creating that sense of community.” Erik looks to transform Benson into a hub of activity where students have opportunities to participate in events throughout the week and on weekends. 

Saamya Malik: Bringing Football Back and Increasing Campus Resources

Malik’s campaign is built around her passion for health, fitness and football. She is focused on improving the University’s dining and gym services to better accommodate student needs. As a runner herself, Saamya believes that the gym facilities could have better equipment to serve a wider range of athletic activities. 

Additionally, Malik wishes to see a future where the University brings back its deprecated football sports team. Having grown up as a football lover, Malik views the resurrection of the sport as a way to bolster campus spirit.

Jacob March: Financial Transparency and Practical Reforms

March’s campaign tackles a business-minded approach to improving student life. If elected as senator, he wants to focus on reducing costs, particularly when it comes to dining at Benson. “You would think the two-thousand dollar dining plan would last you a quarter, but it’s not enough for students to even have two meals every day,” said March. He proposes creating a committee within ASG to review the finances of Benson and develop a common-sense plan that benefits students along with establishing a health and nutrition committee. 

“I’m very business-minded,” said March. “Whether it’s in the dining hall or other services, I’m all about data-driven, common-sense plans that lower costs for students and improve their experience.” 

Tiago Moreno: Strengthening Connections and Affordability

Moreno is focused on building stronger relationships between first-year students and ASG. He believes that first-year involvement is crucial for creating a sense of community and aims to facilitate more opportunities for them to engage with student government and other campus activities. 

“I really want to make first-years feel like they’re a part of the SCU community,” Moreno said. “Whether it’s through better dining options or reducing everyday costs like laundry, my goal is to make life easier and more affordable for students.” 

Liz Mori: Expanding SCU’s Presence in the Bay Area

Mori’s campaign stands out for its focus on expanding the University’s involvement with the broader Santa Clara and San Jose communities. Mori envisions the University playing a more active role in community outreach, particularly through partnerships with nonprofits and other organizations.

“I want to include more community outreach within the greater Bay Area,” said Mori. “Santa Clara shouldn’t just be limited to the University’s campus. We have so many bright minds here that can benefit the larger community, and I think we should be working with local nonprofits to make that happen.” 

Mori’s campaign also focuses on establishing greater revenue sources for student organizations like club sports and music-centered student groups. As senator, she would pursue having the broader Bay Area community attend and pay for various campus events to increase the financial stability of student organizations.