New CalSERVE candidate pages are posted for your viewing pleasure! Learn about each candidate’s platforms, experience, and endorsements. Also, click on the link on the right-hand panel of their pages to download their candidate photos to post on your Facebook! An overview of all candidates is available HERE.
Experience you can trust. Values we share. Making change together! – CalSERVE 2009-10 Executive Slate Released
Berkeley — March 16, 2009: Celebrating its 25th anniversary as the longest running student political party on the UC Berkeley campus, CalSERVE released its executive slate today for the upcoming ASUC elections, to be held on April 7-9. Running for ASUC President is ASUC Senator* Oscar Mairena; for Executive Vice President is ASUC Senator* Kifah Shah; for Academic Affairs Vice President is Director of Academic Services & Programs of AAVP* Isaac Miller; and for External Affairs Vice President is ASUC Representative to the Academic Senate Committee on Student Diversity and Academic Development*, Joan Jones.
Over the past two years, CalSERVE has redefined how the ASUC serves its students by increasing transparency, improving student services, and making the ASUC more accessible by implementing events such as Disability Awareness Week, securing a $750,000 commitment from the university for Lower Sproul Redevelopment, doubling grant applications and allocating over $85,000 in ASUC grants back to students and student groups, and registering over 10,000 students to vote in the historic 2008 Presidential Election.
“What CalSERVE has accomplished really speaks volumes to the change we can create by working together with students,” said current ASUC Senator* and presidential candidate Oscar Mairena.“This year, CalSERVE made some real headway towards creating a student government that is open, engaged, and responsive to student needs and efforts. We hope to continue this progress by working in collaboration with administration to ensure a safe and equitable campus.”
“CalSERVE is in a unique position. Instead of starting from scratch, our experience in the ASUC for the last few years has allowed us to identify problems and find solutions,” said current ASUC Senator* and candidate for Executive Vice President Kifah Shah. “I want to ensure that student groups that are not traditionally engaged in student government become more aware of the resources they have. Resources are commonly interpreted as meaning money, but the ASUC is more than that; it means being a space where students’ voices really matter.”
Due to the impact of national and state issues on student fees, admission policies and financial aid for the upcoming year, Joan Jones, candidate for External Affairs Vice President, recognizes the necessity and importance of student organizing and representation during this time: “The UC system has quickly become less accessible and less affordable, and it’s up to us to work to change that. Furthermore, with the economy in crisis, students are feeling strained. Students are finding it harder than ever to afford a quality education in the state of California. Juniors, seniors, and graduate students are having difficulty finding jobs after graduation, and there are fewer internships available to all students. But by providing the necessary tools to enable students to organize, lobby, and inform our legislators, we will make sure that issues vital to students, such as student fees and re-directing stimulus money towards education and entry-level job creation, are prioritized.”
Isaac Miller, candidate for Academic Affairs Vice President, is committed to maintaining Cal’s academic quality by holding the University accountable. Miller, currently serving as Co-director of Academic Services & Programs in the AAVP* feels strongly that the recent disproportionate cuts to such programs such as Physical Education, Languages, and the Arts, as well as the elimination of the International Area Studies departmental status “not only impact the students in these programs, but also severely limit the academic and potential career opportunities available to all students. At the number one public university in the world, it is unacceptable that students do not have input when these decisions are made.”
CalSERVE’s vision is to build upon our experience, continue to amplify student voice, and enable students with the tools necessary to make change.” As the campus climate continuously changes, new problems and issues will surface, and the face of Cal never stays the same, but our values, vision, and energy will endure,” says Mairena. “With our 25th year anniversary, we not only want to celebrate our accomplishments for Cal students over the years, but we look forward to another 25 years of change with the campus community.”
* Titles for Identification Purposes Only