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We are less than a week from ASSU elections, and campaign events are in full swing. At the Undergraduate Senate Candidate event this past Wednesday, we went from candidate to candidate, asking them what their top priority would be during their tenure as a Senator. 6 of the 15 candidates we met refused to be interviewed by the Stanford Review, with some jeering, laughing, and mocking our reporters. The following are the platforms of the candidates who agreed to speak with us, in their own words.
Tabor Axelrod-Paoli
Economics ‘29
Top Priorities: CalTrain and Dining Hall Reform
"My most important issues are dining hall reform and CalTrain passes. I think dining hall reform is really important because we have achieved a lot and made many promises, but still have room to expand the role of student input in dining. Last year, we got smoked salmon introduced by rotating out flounder fish, and I think we can expand on this in the upcoming year. Rotating dining hall inventory for preferred foods is a good model for improvement because it doesn't significantly increase cost, making it feasible while leaving resources for other projects. I propose making this petition based and implementable via online platforms like Fizz that make group consensus achievable.
I also want to implement free CalTrain passes; this should be through the CalTrain GoPass system. The ASSU has a budget of $6 million, and Stanford has already expressed interest in subsidizing student CalTrain passes. Given some minor budget remodeling, this should be sufficient to make these proposals a reality."
Armaan Sharma
Public Policy & Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies ‘29
Top Priority: Student Advocacy
“My primary issue is increasing student advocacy on campus. I want to maintain funding for cultural and ethnic clubs and change the free speech hours in White Plaza. Right now, they are from 12 pm to 1 pm, which is basically nothing. It should probably be 24/7. The resolution against ICE was revolutionary as a form of political action, and I would strongly support it. Universities have long been a site of political contestation, and Stanford has a primary role in political activism not just on a regional stage, but on a national and international one.”
Liliana Karesh
Earth Systems ‘29
Top Priority: Student Engagement
“What resonates with me is increasing engagement and access between the students and the candidates. We want to hear all student voices and concerns.”
Andy Serrato
Design ‘29
Top Priorities: Communication and Creativity
“Communication and Creativity are my two core principles that guide my priorities.
I want to improve student life and make it feel more vibrant. Many students complain that traditions are dying and that Stanford hates fun. We can begin to fix this by opening channels to discuss these issues and communicating with students. I think Full Moon on the Quad was a great example of something students loved, and I want to create more events like that for students to engage in.
I want to improve creativity on campus. This involves giving students more space to express themselves. One specific example of this is encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration between students in various academic fields.”
Anna Roth
Economics and Political Science ‘28
Top Priorities: Bike Safety and CalTrain
“I am rerunning for the position. Two continuous efforts I have been a part of are bike safety and the provision of free Caltrain tickets. Berkeley has free Caltrain tickets, why can't we?”
With regards to her role in the dining hall’s food quality;
“Anna Roth just wants to say, has everyone noticed that Ilaga (Arrillaga Dining) has gotten a lot better?”
To improve bike safety, we should provide bike lights instead of ticketing students. My bike just got stolen, so I care deeply about these issues. I helped get rid of a lot of unused bikes. Those bikes were donated, but awareness is low, so I want to increase publicity around that policy.
Last year, I worked on implementing lights around the full perimeter of Lake Lag to improve safety. However, I was told it is not possible due to environmental and safety concerns. They don’t want people walking that way. So, we tried but couldn’t go very far.”
Alisha Jain
Political Science ‘28
Top Priority: Transparency
“I want to make the student government more transparent to the student body. I want to let students know what the student government is working on. I could tell you a list of things I agree with, but everyone has already told you those I agree with [ free Caltrain tickets, improved dining hall quality, etc].”
Minji Cho
Public Policy and Urban Studies ‘28
Top Priority: Transportation
“The No. 1 for me is student transport. I am a public policy and urban studies major. I am interning at SamTrans this summer, and I plan to work on public transportation after graduation. Free Caltrain tickets for students are my main issue. As a former Senator, I have engaged in talks with Stanford’s transport services.”
Noumou Diallo
Economics ‘29
Top Priorities: Accountability and Affordability
“Accountability and affordability are my two major priorities. My most important issue is equal access to resources and opportunities for the student body. There are so many opportunities, and it’s important that we ensure everyone can access them. There are so many brilliant minds on campus; we need to give them equal access, particularly freshmen who don’t come from very rigorous high schools and who don't know how to cold-call professors to make connections to get internships.”
Aaira Goswami
Economics and Public Policy ‘27
Top Priorities: Dining Dollars, OAE Housing, and International Students
“My main issue is expanding dining dollars, both the dollar amount and where they can be used. Currently, the dining dollars reimbursed are just enough for students to spend. I also want to focus on streamlining the connection between OAE (Office of Accessible Education) and student housing. Right now, it is very difficult to communicate needs to both organizations, and they are frequently disconnected on student needs. There needs to be a Student Council that represents and focuses on these needs. Finally, I want to provide more support for international students. ISO was very underfunded this year, and international students furthermore need and deserve a proper club that can focus on their needs.”
Hoyoon Song
Undeclared ‘28
Top Priorities: Marguerite and Student Discounts
“I’m running again this year because the problems I ran to fix last year are still being ignored. For example, if I want to go to San Francisco, I have to walk to the train station because the Marguerite shuttle doesn’t run on weekends. In the bookstore, alumni, faculty, and staff receive discounts, while students are left out. And why are we still paying for our own printing when printing materials is required for many of our classes? It’s ridiculous.”
Authors’ Note
All Candidates were provided with their quotes 24 hours prior to publication and given the opportunity to edit their quotes for clarity.
