Grant Cole
The students of UC Davis need a new voice in ASUCD.
This year, ASUCD has a budget of 25 million dollars, making us the largest student government organization in America. But all of this power is wasted when student voices go unheard. Every quarter, we run into the same problems where demonstrated student needs are unmet. Instead of prioritizing the well-being of all students, our ASUCD Senate is distracted by unnecessary drama. The weekly Aggie articles should not describe scenes of infighting within Senate meetings, but rather motions of progress and achievement.
This is why I am running for Senate: to focus on student needs rather than performative action.
Currently, only 1.4% of the ASUCD budget is directed towards basic needs like the Pantry and housing. This is occurring at a time when food insecurity is at an all-time high, especially with recent cuts to CalFresh affecting a large portion of UC Davis students. It is impossible to focus on anything else when the most vital needs of our students are not being met. When I’m in office, I’ll work to reallocate funding towards ensuring the well-being of our student body before anything else.
Every year, the Club Finance Council, the organization that is the basis of all student RSOs, runs out of money. Clubs that are forced to make extreme compromises in order to stay afloat should not be the standard here in Davis. As a senator, I’ll fight to strengthen the Club Finance Council so our student culture can thrive without worrying where their funding is coming from.
STEM students are continuously ignored by the ASUCD Senate, even though they make up over half of UC Davis undergrad students. I believe it’s unthinkable and unrealistic to not work for a group of students that define our campus. I want to bridge the gap between ASUCD and STEM students by organizing tangible job and internship opportunities within our ASUCD Innovation and Research Lab.
Finally, I want to solve the transparency issue prominent throughout ASUCD. When I am elected, I promise to hold office hours outside in a location accessible to the public where you can tell me directly what needs to be changed. The decisions made on the third floor of the Memorial Union affect all students, and it is essential that they have an active channel for real change.
Vote for Change. Vote for Grant