CSA President

Michael McClellan

I’m Michael McClellan, a Chemistry major/Women’s and Gender Studies concentrator from the class of 2013, and I have the ideas, the spirit, and the experience necessary to be your CSA President.

Ideas

  • You all pay the student activity fee, but where does it go? I will make all Senate and Budget Committee processes transparent, accessible, and equitable for all students, especially concerning access to the student tuition statement by student organizations, funding for events, and student activity fee scholarships.
  • Let’s celebrate what makes all of us unique. I will continue to scrutinize all bylaws, resolutions, and budget committee recommendations for effects, unintentional or otherwise, related to gender, sexuality, class, culture, race, and nationality/international student status, as I have in my past terms as GSC/OIIL/TRiO Senate Liaison.
  • We can all succeed here at Carleton. I will ensure that dialogue between student organizations and Student Life offices occurs, especially on issues in which many diverse groups are affected. Concrete examples include sexual violence prevention, academic support, and campus climate vis-à-vis racism, homophobia, and any other factor that will prevent someone from succeeding at Carleton.

Spirit

You, the students at Carleton, are the ones in charge of what happens at Carleton. The CSA Senate and its groups will do well to remember that, and as President, that would be my guiding focus. The students have enormous leverage to bring about change at Carleton, and I will proudly serve as the mouthpiece of the student voice (not some bureaucrat) to negotiate policy changes with the administration.

Experience

  • I’m the current GSC/OIIL/TRiO Senate Liaison, and I have a deep understanding of how to get things done in Senate. I formed the new framework by which we elect senators to allow the creation of a Club Sports/PEAR Liaison Senator position and a spring-term senior class representative, two areas on campus that were previously ignored on Senate.
  • Two years as a Gender and Sexuality Center Associate, in which I have led workshops and provided peer counseling on Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Queer issues, trans issues, men’s issues, women’s issues, healthy sexuality, sexual violence prevention, and more.
  • Two years on the Peer Leader Training Committee, comprised of faculty and student representatives from the different divisions of Student Life (including OIIL and the GSC, as well as Residential Life, the Career Center, the ACT center, and more), and tasked with planning pre-New Student Week student staff training and professional development
  • As Vice-President of The Ring, the Chemistry club, I am responsible for planning events for Chemistry majors and other chemistry-interested students.

CSA Vice President

Yasin Dara ‘13

Hey there, this is my bid for the position of Vice President of the CSA. Thanks for checking it out. It is my firm belief that the elected officers of the CSA are most effective only in the latter half of their election cycle – we spend nearly a term and a half getting oriented, establishing relationships, and testing the boundaries of our positions. I believe that I have learned to effectively manage the commitments and responsibilities required of the CSA Vice President, and that I will be able to continue to focus on issues that directly affect Carleton students.

Goals:

  • Bon Appetit’s contribution to the Carleton experience is one of the most debated topics on this campus. Here are several open issues I’ve approached the administration of Bon Appetit with:
    • Café Fast is a process which student organizations use to donate money to a cause. Bon Appetit donates only $2.00 per meal.
    • It would be good to see a meal plan between 12 and 20 meals.
    • 3 guest meals should be reinstated on the 20-meal plan.
    • Finally, the perceived shortage of utensils and glassware at times of high traffic in the dining halls is nothing short of unacceptable.
  • Doing laundry on campus can be frustrating, depending on whether you have to find quarters (as in the houses), exchange money into Schillers, or wait to do your laundry at ridiculous times due to capacity. Our contract should include an increase in the number of Onecard accessible machines, proportional to the increase in students on campus.
  • As someone who works for ITS, I’m part of numerous initiatives, the newest of which is completely wireless printing from personal machines in public places. I would also like to see the constant problems with eduroam, and our other wireless networks cease – my position within ITS allows me to push for results in these areas.
  • I would like to help the CSA be a better and more open representative body through its committees: Budget Committee & Governance Committee. I have tried to make these two committees approachable, and easy for student organizations to utilize. The funding of any group of students, or even individual student should continue to grow more transparent, and funding should simply be a matter of due process.

Changes:

Here are some of the things that I’ve been involved in over the past year:

  • Student Organizations now fill out post-event forms which allow Budget Committee to decide whether an event actually generated the level of interest proportional to the funding for the event.
  • Spring Allocations is a streamlined process to ensure that successful events (which remain successful) are automatically funded. Over the past term many student organizations have been recommended to submit their events as part of the annual spring allocations request.
  • As opposed to previously, student organizations are required to register items with the SAO. An inventory of relevant CSA purchased equipment will be soon maintained by PEPS, to ensure that we are not repurchasing items due to mismanagement.
  • Chartering organizations is a process which is currently being streamlined. There has been a significant jump in the number of new student organizations – a system to handle such requests will be a purely electronic and simple process.
  • One of the most important responsibilities of the CSA Senate is to allocate the about $400,000 raised through the student activity fee to various student groups for events, conferences, etc.  I previously launched an effort (as chair of Budget Committee) to revise and rewrite the guidelines and bylaws. This is an ongoing process, which will continue into next term. As Vice President, I will focus on reforming this facet of the CSA Senate duties and updating it to take advantage of advances in technology.

Experience:

  • I’ve been Vice President for a term. I’m in an optimal position in terms of time management, efficiency, and experience. I will continue to make myself as available as possible, as a representative of the student body should.
  • ITS Helpdesk Lead Tech: As in the past, I fix your computer… for free! Last year, I was one of the DOC workers who worked on the personal laptops and desktops of students and faculty. I still do that, and I’ve been given a position which now allows me some oversight of this process. If you would like to see ITS doing more to help students with their personal computers, virus infections and all, I’m one of the people to approach. I am also in a good position to give feedback to the ITS department about various issues, such as wireless coverage, or new software.
  • Wireless Coverage: I have already approached the head of Student Computing with a written proposal to improve campus wide wireless, with emphasis on dorms. This proposal is currently pending approval

Matt Weinstein ’14

Salutations Carleton students, my name is Matt Weinstein, and contrary to popular belief, I am actually a sophomore, not a junior. I am a prospective American Studies Major, hail from Cincinnati, Ohio, and enjoy Diet Mountain Dew and folk music. More importantly, I want to represent you as your CSA Vice President! My primary goal is to ensure that you are getting the most of your Carleton experience as possible. Having served in several leadership roles across campus, I believe I am completely capable of doing this. As a Chaplain’s associate I have worked to promote tolerance and understanding of religious diversity on campus. In addition to that lofty venture, I have gotten involved in the action, actively working to facilitate religious events on campus. I have served on CSA Budget Committee for a year now, and I am well versed in the workings of funding campus events. On this committee I have worked to fund events that provide the greatest impact to campus and most fully enrich the lives of Carleton students. I have strived to be responsible in spending your Student Activity Fee by directing funds that benefit the Carleton community and student body. As a member of Campus Design Committee I continue to work to improve the physical Carleton campus. As a world-class undergraduate institution, I believe it is important for us to have world-class facilities to learn, work, and live in. A world-class institution is also deserving of a beautiful setting– making Carleton beautiful through landscaping, effective lighting, and architectural uniformity is an issue I believe is important. These are all very abstract goals, but there are also a few more concrete issues I am interested in addressing. I am at a loss as to why Carleton students still pay for laundry services with schillers. At most comparable institutions students pay for laundry services in their board charges. The board charge is very high, but I think allowing for students to pay a flat fee for laundry services is efficient, would streamline the laundry doing process, and create incentive for students to wash their clothes more often. I also hope to join the continuing conversation with Bon Appétit to negotiate a 16-meal plan. Many students feel that 20 are too many, and that 12 are not enough. I believe many students would benefit with the choice of 16-meal plan. My favorite meal is unquestionably brunch. My favorite day of the term is mid-term break. Why not combine the two!? As your vice-president, I would start a conversation with Bon Appétit to begin serving brunch on mid-term break. I’m Matt Weinstein ‘14 and I approve this message.

CSA Treasurer

Cooper Buss ’13

If you elect me to be your treasurer, I will not only be your treasurer, but will also perform the duties of the treasurer as well as possess the treasurer’s responsibilities and accountability associated with the position of treasurer. In short: I will treasure the treasure that is the treasure entrusted to me as treasurer.

Seriousness: All jocularity aside, the following is a concise presentation of my bid for treasurer.

Qualifications

  • Ranking senior member of CSA Budget Committee: I have been an active member of CSA Budget Committee since Spring Term of my freshman year. I led and successfully completed an initiative to reconsider and rewrite the Budget Committee’s guidelines to improve clarity to students, to present the Budget Committee’s practice and rationale in a easily accessible format, and to increase Budget Committee’s comprehension of our foundational tenants.
  •  Student Activities Program Assistant for Leadership Development: Through this position I have been involved in the planning and execution of many large campus events, essentially all of which are funded by the CSA. This provides me with an intimate understanding of where the money Budget Committee allocates actually goes. I will use this knowledge to increase accountability and transparency with the end result of you knowing where your money is going and giving you the ability to be confident that it is being applied in a way that maximizes its effectiveness. I also manage the Student Leadership and Involvement Grant which often co-funds conferences and leadership related events with CSA.
  • Network: Through my job at SAO and other personal interactions, I have preexisting relationships with all of the professional staff the treasurer is required to work with. I also have worked with or am friends with the majority of the current Senators and the people running for the other executive positions. These interpersonal connections will allow me to maximize my efficiency as well as the positive impact I would have as treasurer.

The Game Plan

  • Initiate and dedicate myself to a systematic analysis of the CSA budget systems: Inventory of funds, accounting processes, student organization accounts, where surplus money goes, what the treasurer’s discretionary funding (i.e. AltBev and Third Center) is actually being used by students for.
  • Address and solve problems found in analysis with the help and council of Budget Committee.
  • Rewrite the funding application form so that it prompts students to provide exactly what information Budget Committee needs.
  • Increase Student Organization accountability through followups and use of event evaluations.
  • Reanalyze how Budget Committee funds food. Reset precedent based on conclusions reached.
  • Encourage new and creative funding requests by discouraging repeat events.
  • Work actively with student organizations to promote fiscal responsibility as well as ease of access to CSA monetary resources.

Senator-Class of 2013 Representative

Hey 2013, My name is Connor Lane and I want to be your class representative. I am an English and Political Science/International Relations double major from Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Having spent three of the most wonderful years of my life at this institution, I’ve seen the passion and the spirit that embody our class, and I want to faithfully represent this for the CSA. What does this mean:

  1. I will represent the direct will of our class. I’ll hold office hours on a biweekly basis open to any students who want to have their voices heard.
  2. I will work with our class dean to increase the amount of class programming on campus.
  3. I will tirelessly work to make sure that Carleton traditions remain intact. I will defend important events like Rotblatt and Spring Concert so that they will carry on.
  4. I will ensure that there will be responsible allocations of YOUR student activity fees to events and organizations that YOU want.
  5. I will make sure there is a picture of a cat in every single email I send to you.

I would be honored to be your representative. As a member of the class of 2013 I am consistently awed by what we can do. Thank you for your support.

Travis Nordgaard

Hey Carleton Juniors, my name is Travis Nordgaard, and I’m asking for the opportunity to represent you as your class representative in the CSA.

This is a glimpse into the change I would like to see here at Carleton…

Improving Carleton’s Prestige and Visibility

Carleton is a premier liberal arts college, and it’s a darn shame that more people don’t know about just how fantastic this establishment is. That’s right, the glory of our beloved Alma matter is at stake! Carleton, its faculty, alumni, and students should be doing everything we can to improve our visibility and prestige across geographies, and disciplines. This means a greater emphasis on growing our endowment, increasing our applicant pool, making a commitment to recruit and retain hard-working, creative, culturally and ethnically diverse, brilliant, talented students to come here to study, regardless of financial needs. One way to improve our notoriety, at least in the short term could include enlisting big name speakers in academia, government, business, and science to visit our campus.

Improving Post-Graduate placement/advising

Having trouble discovering that ideal summer research position, landing that competitive internship, or exploring the possibility of a fellowship? Me too! Sure the career center offers some advice on certain opportunities, but there is undoubtedly room for improvement. Our futures depend on the connections and skills we develop here during our undergraduate years, and our college should focus on exposing us to exciting, interesting, and meaningful opportunities on and off campus.

Improving Campus Facilities

We’re lucky here at Carleton to have such an awesome campus with ornate historic buildings and modern lab facilities. However, there remains much to be improved. It’s no secret that we have a few buildings on campus that could be considered eyesores…cough, Musser, Meyers…, and that Ole’s brag about how much more attractive their campus is…. Carleton should take steps to improve the aesthetic quality, and the functionality of our buildings both inside and out. This means a careful review into the proposed Sayles renovation, expanded wireless coverage, greater printing possibilities around campus, and above all a desire to improve our campus should remain within the consciousness of our college’s leaders.

Improving Cuisine Options and Quality

One of the most common complaints I hear at Carleton is regarding our dining options, and why shouldn’t it be? Often we are subjected to the same bland food choices, and provided with little flexibility on lternative plan and pricing options. We need to do better. Look for example at Bowdoin College, a college similar in size and quality to Carleton. Their dining services are ranked as one of the best in the country. Why can’t that be us? Another example can be found just across the river at St. Olaf. Even though we use the same food company, Bon Apetit, the food at Olaf is ranked top ten in the country, and we’re not even close. HOW CAN THIS BE??

Creating a Grand New Event

Building on the great traditions of Mai-Fett, Rotblatt, Mid-winter ball, and Spring Concert, I am convinced that we as a college community can collectively create a new, exciting, ridiculously fun, college-sponsored, campus-wide activity that will be something of legend. I’m open to any and all suggestions, but something epic must result!

Improved Olaf Relations

Sure, we’re academically superior to our homogeneous Scandinavian neighbors, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t kick back and have a little fun with our peers from the other side of the Cannon every once in a while. Greater mingling and cooperation with our Olaf counterparts could result in some new, interesting, fun social events, such as dances, concerts, and other large-scale events only possible with a larger combined student population. Cooperation and collaboration with St. Olaf is an untapped resource that could result in some great opportunities for Carleton students.

Improved Communication from Class Representatives and the CSA

The CSA must do a better job of communicating messages about events, budgeting, and announcements to its constituents. Any and all options must be on the table— Including continuing traditional means, creating new venues, and enhancing existing forms of communication. An updated, interactive web page could provide a clearer, more efficient source of information, in addition to improved direct emails to constituents containing concise, pertinent information. Now I concede, many of these suggestions listed are perhaps a bit unrealistic, far-fetched, and above all improbably implemented by a CSA senator. I am by no means promising to accomplish these ambitions as a senator, or even suggesting that the CSA has the authority to accomplish these goals. I will however, promise you that if elected I will do everything in my capacity as Senator to work towards a better Carleton with these goals in mind. Give me the chance to represent you and your interests, and I will vow to give it my all to learn the CSA process, illicit and listen to your concerns and interests, and work diligently in order to implement them.

Keep it real Carleton,

Travis Nordgaard for 2013 CSA Class Rep

Senator-Class of 2014 Representative

Ann Hussain ’14

My name is Aun Hussain, and am willing to put it all on the line to be a CSA senator. I am involved in various groups in campus, and am passionate about representing the class of 2014. I am very approachable, and that will correspond with the most important change I plan on bringing to CSA, which is transparency. I think too often, CSA votes on issues that students rarely know about. Their forum for discussion shuns the voices of the greater student body. I will change this by holding office hours and regularly communicating with the class of 2014 on issues that CSA is dealing with, so they are aware and understand policy changes that are occurring in the school. Vote for me. Please. Thanks.

Kayla Tam ’14

I’m Kayla Tam, an English Major from Hong Kong. I would like to represent the Class of 2014 in CSA and I can help you make Carleton a more spirited and aware community! Goals:

  1. A more sustainable Carleton environment.
    • Follow up on the new windmill project.
    • Reduce electricity and resource wastage on campus.
  2. Monitor food sustainability on campus
    • Reach agreement with Bon Appetit to donate unused meals and dining dollars to charity.
    • Use a small part of the arb for farming.
  3. Make our campus more accessible to the community.
    • Open Weitz for large campus events and outdoor performances.
    • Reach decision on empty space usage such as what should we do with Scoville.
  4. Increase transparency and accessibility of Carleton expense to students.
  5. Push for a more engaged student body and increase campus communication efficiency.

Daniel Gero

As your representative I intend to make sure Carlton stays the the fun loving place we all chose to come to. I will listen to your interests and work with you to ensure you get everything possible out of your time here. I intend to fight hard to keep campus traditions like Northfield Option alive. If I can help you with anything please let me know.

Senator-Class of 2015 Representative

John Cannon ‘15

Hello, I am a prospective biology major and I’m running for the position of class of 2015 representative. I want to be a part of the CSA because I want the chance to represent the class of 2015. The most important thing I can say is that as your representative, I would strive to represent each and every member of our year. I’ve outlined some proposals I think would be great for our campus but I think the most important job for a class representative is to be open to communication and new ideas from their class.  If elected, I would strive to accomplish the following:

  • I would increase awareness about volunteering opportunities to all students, but especially freshmen and sophomores. There are tons of great opportunities here in Northfield that lots of people don’t know about or are unsure about.
  • I would work to improve the relationship between international students and the general Carleton student body. While the International Student Organization already does a great job of integrating the international students into the Carleton community, I feel that there could still be further improvement on this.
  • I would work to improve communication between the CSA and the members of the class of 2015.
  • And, although this is a much longer-term plan, I strongly feel that the registration system here at Carleton should be reevaluated. While the current system of draw numbers does allow for equality of the course of the year, it can also create a system of extremes. While one term, a student may have a good number and therefore get into all of their desired classes, the next term they may be unable to take any of their top choices. While I understand that it would be impossible to always get our 1st choices I would work towards the implementation of a system in which students can at least feel confident they will get into one of their top choices.

Thank you for your time, John Cannon
Class of 2015

Worthy Cho ‘15

My name is Worthy Cho and I am an aspiring International Relations major from Derwood Maryland, and I would love the opportunity to represent the class of 2015 this up coming year.

Experience

Though I do not have experience in working with the CSA, I do have prior experience from various other leadership positions such as:

  • Secretary of Pennies for Peace – Fall term
  • Vice President of Key Club – High school
  • Board member on Youth United Way of Washington County Maryland – High school

I believe that the various leadership positions I have held in the past have given me the tools needed to successfully fulfill my role as a 2015 class representative – if elected.

Goals

  • Working to make printers available to various dorms throughout campus
  • Increasing awareness and involvement among the student body. For example: establishing a special 2015 blog or website which would:
    • contain information about various activities and opportunities available to the class
    • allow students to post suggestions about things they would like to see occur/change at Carleton
  • Working to improve Wi-fi access throughout the campus
  • Building stronger relations with various organizations in the community in order to increase our schools involvement and influence within the Northfield Community

If I elected I promise to be organized, timely, and dedicated to representing the class of 2015 and its interests. Worthy Cho ’15
“Worthy” of your vote 🙂

Becky Goldberg ‘15

Hey! My name is Becky Goldberg, and I am running for class representative for the class of 2015. As many of you may already know, if there is something that I think needs to happen, I will do my very best to get it done… I suppose that’s the New Yorker in me. As your class representative, I will promise to keep this mentality. As your representative alongside Bailey Ulbricht for the fall and winter terms thus far, I have already began working on a more local food program brought to Carleton, a 16-meal plan, and a better blue-light system. I would like to continue these efforts in addition to the following:

  1. Local food program: Whether that’s just some homemade baked goods from Quality Bakery, Hideaway’s delicious cakes, or Blue Monday’s coffee, I think we could all agree that a partnership between the local Northfield bakers and baristas would benefit both parties. Just think about it… Some homemade muffins to take to the libe and some special hot coffee to make that rainy/snowy Monday just a little bit better… yum!
  2. A 16-meal plan: As many of you might have seen, I posted in the Carleton class of 2015 group on Facebook asking if you guys would have preferred an unlimited meal plan for first term. To my surprise, many of you commented no. However, a whole lot of you commented that you would prefer to have the added option of a 16-meal plan. This is something I have already started to work on, and something that I would like to see implemented within the next year at Carleton.
  3. Printers in all dorm complexes: I think we are all more than happy that Carleton doesn’t make us pay for our printing, but wouldn’t it be even better if we didn’t always have to go to the libe or CMC to print? Cassat has a printer, why shouldn’t at least a few of the other dorms have one? Especially those approximately 200 folks who live in ‘Hue? I think yes.
  4. A better blue light system: I know that the blue-light system is almost never used, however now that people frequent the Weitz Center for Creativity I think it is an important safety measure to add at least one blue light on the walk to Weitz.
  5. Better communication and transparency with the CSA: The CSA is not some elitist society on Carleton’s campus. In fact, everyone is a member of the CSA as it is the Carleton Student Association, however as your class representative senator I would like to bring more updates and ask for your input more than what has been done in the past. The meal plan Facebook question is a perfect example. I will continue to make the senate more easily accessible.

In addition to all of this, running for your class representative means I truly want to hear about the things you would like to see at Carleton. A senator’s job is to think about what is best for his/her peers and the betterment of the school, and I promise to do exactly that. Gimme Dat Becky for Class of 2015 Representative!

Connor Jackson

Hi Class of 2015!

My name is Connor Jackson and I would love to serve as one of your class representatives. In my brief time here at Carleton, I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of you who create our vibrant and distinctive community. I realize that for most of you, the CSA may not seem of critical importance. Their dealings may appear abstract and irrelevant. However things like the Sayles renovation and the apportioning of the $400,000 of student activity fees are significant matters that fall under CSA purview. Even communicating with administration regarding financial aid is an area in which CSA represents the student body. CSA is imperative in shaping these features of Carleton. It is the way you can help influence the school. In short, CSA matters. In high school I held various leadership positions. These included serving as Vice President of my school’s National Honor Society and as Editor-in-Chief of my high school’s yearbook. As NHS vice president I introduced two new annual fundraisers that greatly increased our clubs funds’. As yearbook editor I oversaw our school’s first all-color yearbook, and created brand new features of work done by students in the painting, drawing, and photography departments. I believe each student should have a voice in the various decisions that impact our Carleton community. I will be sure to listen to and accurately represent this voice. Further I will strive to bring clarity and definition to the CSA decision-making process. I hope to introduce and do all that I can to effect any suggestions you might have. Here are some thoughts I have gathered speaking to some of you already:

  • A means of submitting input on your courses to professors prior to the conclusion of the class. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were asked for these thoughts before the class was over? That way your input could be heard and you and your classmates could reap the benefit of any resulting adjustments. Perhaps these could be submitted anonymously via Moodle or by some other means. The main objective though would be for you to have the chance to improve the learning experience for yourself and your classmates, not just whoever happens to take the class down the road.
  • Use Sayles food that is wasted at the end of the day, instead of throwing it out. Undoubtably we have made great strides in reducing our environmental impact. However discarding food from Sayles seems like an unnecessary waste. Maybe we could donate it to a food shelter, or sell it at a discounted price. Surely the options are worth exploring.
  • It has also come to my attention that in a huge hit to Carleton pride, we no longer have the record for most people spooning. With 676 participants (our former mark was 529) the A&M Texas Aggies stole this record from us. For Carleton pride – let’s win it back!

Again I would greatly value the chance to listen to your input and ideas. We have many exciting and promising things happening here at Carleton, and I look forward to watching them progress. As your representative I would work hard to improve our already thriving Carleton community. Thank you for your consideration!

Best,
Connor Jackson

Jake Powell

Class of 2015, My name is Jake Powell and I’m a first year from Casper, Wyoming. CSA is an organization I want to become involved in, and I think I am qualified to do so as the representative for the class of 2015. I was heavily involved in my high schools student council, as well as the state student council organization, and I have taken an interest in CSA throughout this winter term. As representative I will work to communicate the ideas of our class to the CSA as a whole, and keep in mind what is best for everyone in our year. I vow to not get caught up in party politics and I will cut pork barrel spending. Really though, I will be responsible with CSA funds, focusing my vote on programs that will benefit the class as a whole and provide the most opportunities to students. As representative I will work hard to learn the processes of CSA quickly and use that knowledge to better campus whenever possible.

Senator-Admissions & Financial Aid Committee Liaison

Shreya Singh

Hello, I am Shreya Singh, a senior International Relations major from Kanpur, India. I have been the AFAC liaison officer for the past term and am learning more about being in the CSA and what my role as the AFAC officer entails. Being in the CSA for another term will allow me to focus on issues of admissions and financial aid at Carleton and support the college in its attempts to make Carleton a place that allows students from diverse backgrounds to be able to integrate and enjoy Carleton similarly. As a student who could attend Carleton only because of the generous financial aid I receive here, the position of an Admissions and Financial Aid Committee Liaison position interests me greatly because it deals with subjects that I am not only familiar with, but also very passionate about. This term I am co-leading IDSC 103, a class on community and diversity that is part of Carleton’s efforts to revamp the campus climate. In the 4 credit training class that I took last term in preparation, issues of diversity and equality on the Carleton campus were discussed and debated in relation to Carleton’s admissions and financial aid policies. Not only did I learn greatly about issues of financial aid and admissions at Carleton, but also was able to gather the point of views of other members of the Carleton community on these topics. If chosen to this position, I will contribute in the form of bringing the perspectives that I have gathered from fellow students, faculty and staff on these issues in a holistic and practical manner.

At Carleton itself I have had the experience of leading a student organization and am also part of the Department Curricular Committee for the Political Science department that advises faculty on departmental events, curriculum and hiring. I think that I will be able to fulfill the responsibilities for this position adequately.