Ezra Rubin
Hi UC Davis! I’m a third year student majoring in Classics and International Relations. I have a year of experience as an ASUCD Senator under my belt. In my time on the Senate, I delivered meaningful impacts to students and developed a robust understanding of how to get things done in ASUCD. I’m running to continue the important work I started last year. My campaign centers around improving RSO funding, streamlining housing resources, and uplifting student community voices.
IMPROVING RSO FUNDING: Build, fund, and belong. RSO’s are the crux of student community life on campus. The Club Finance Council (CFC) has served as a crucial resource to provide clubs with the money to run fun and important events. In recent years, however, so many RSO’s have sought support from CFC that it has overrun their capacity. Over the last two years, CFC has completely run out of funding for RSO’s by the end of Winter Quarter. As your Senator, I will ensure that CFC is prioritized in the budgeting process, to guarantee that they can continue supporting clubs through the entire year. Additionally, I will work closely with CFC and CSI to streamline and expand the Council’s structure, in order to make the funding process more efficient and productive for applicant RSO’s.
STREAMLINING HOUSING RESOURCES: No student without a bed. University is hard as is. Students should not have to spend additional time having to stress about finding affordable housing. ASUCD has made major strides in housing resources this last year, inaugurating VESTA as ASUCD’s subunit dedicated to addressing housing insecurity. Last Spring, I chaired the task force launching VESTA, including funding allocations for RSO’s providing free housing. As your Senator, I will continue to work closely with VESTA and the Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students (HAUS) Unit, to ensure that they have the support and funding they need to continue providing these important resources. Housing insecurity is at an all time high, and if elected again, I’ll continue to streamline resources to support students in transitional shelters and beyond.
UPLIFTING COMMUNITY VOICES: Every community at the table. It goes without saying that in our student government, it is crucial to have input from the various campus communities it represents. ASUCD lacks a robust framework to ensure that voices from across campus are heard and represented. I want to develop permanent and comprehensive structures to ensure that our student government is truly in touch with the needs of the communities it represents. During my term as a Senator, I worked with the President to run town hall events for communities facing difficulties on campus. If elected, I intend to develop recurrent “town hall days,” allowing campus communities to have regular opportunities to vocalize their needs to their ASUCD representatives. Additionally, I will create a committee composed of representatives across student government positions to meet with community leaders, allowing consistent dialogue with ASUCD, creating a senate that is truly cognizant of and connected with the needs of their constituents.