Editor’s note: The Daily Texan Editorial Board sent questionnaires to Student Government candidates running for executive alliance, University-wide, college-wide, University Co-op Board of Directors and Texas Union Board positions. We did not consider candidates who failed to return a questionnaire, and we did not endorse in uncontested races.
The Daily Texan Editorial Board endorses the following candidates:
The Daily Texan editor-in-chief
Two candidates are vying for The Daily Texan editor-in-chief position: Susannah Jacob and Shabab Siddiqui. The Daily Texan Editorial Board has decided not to endorse for this race, as both candidates are extremely qualified and the editorial board believes either candidate would do an excellent job as editor.
University-wide representative
Avery Walker:
As a current liberal arts representative, Avery Walker is familiar with many of the big issues that will face SG next year. Most notably, she helped develop legislation about a centralized internship database. Walker displays enthusiasm for proposals such as the Interactive Degree Audit that would positively affect many students in her constituency.
Crystal Zhao:
With her previous SG experience as a liberal arts representative, Zhao is the University-wide candidate that displays the most impressive knowledge of University issues. Though she displayed a troubling tendency to blame students’ “apathetic” attitudes for the shortcomings of SG, especially in relation to the Tuition Policy Advisory Committee, we feel that Zhao would be an excellent voice for the larger University population.
College of Liberal Arts representative
Kornel Rady:
Rady, a first-year representative in SG, has concrete proposals to improve student life at the University, including pushing for a fall break. He also hopes to increase the transparency of SG by improving UT’s smartphone applications.
McCombs School of Business representative
Aaron Fair:
As an appointee to the Faculty Council, Fair worked with administrators to improve the registration and admissions processes. He displays a commitment to representing minority groups, many of which are not typically represented at SG. His fundamental commitment to the future of McCombs shows the promise of success.
Ross Yudkin:
Yudkin has not been involved with SG in the past but has clearly thought about many of the issues facing the University. Yudkin believes, among other things, that TPAC meetings should be open and advertised to students and that the current committee structure is not representative of students. Specifically, his plan to publicize the services McCombs offers its students is a concrete, attainable goal that we believe would benefit students.
College of Communication representative
Robert L. Milligan:
Milligan currently works as assistant director for Hook the Vote, a Student Government agency that works to increase political awareness and encourage voter turnout. He pledges to involve more students in student governance by authoring more college- and University-wide referenda to include the student voice in a variety of issues, including tuition discussions.
College of Natural Sciences representative
Perry Pickei:
Pickei has no previous experience with SG, but to ensure he reaches out to constituents, Pickei says he will regularly meet with and tell natural sciences students about current projects he is working on. Specifically, he hopes to work to increase exposure to the Freshman Research Initiative, to push for a minoring program in the college and to improve bicycle safety on campus.
Cockrell School of Engineering
Kevin Yuan:
Yuan currently serves as an SG representative for the Cockrell School of Engineering and has supported resolutions in support of a fall break and in favor of increased support for electrical and chemical engineering students. If reelected, he hopes to bridge the gap between SG and the Student Engineering Council, improve the process by which students claim Advanced Placement credit and expand tutoring programs within the college.
Student Events Center president
Carissa Kelley:
Despite Kelley’s recent involvement in the disqualification of Madison Gardner and Antonio Guevara, former executive alliance candidates, the editorial board believes she would be best able to lead the Student Events Center next year. Kelley’s platform is focused on making sure the rest of the campus is fully informed of activities and events sponsored by the SEC and improving the relationships among internal committees. Kelley has straightforward, specific goals, including changing the approach to SEC programming, introducing a mentorship program for new students involved in the SEC and exploring low-cost programming options in light of recent
budget cuts.
University Co-op Board of Directors
Stephen Tran:
Between working as a resident assistant and with the Faculty Council, Stephen Tran has a wide variety of experiences that would serve him well as a Co-op board member. Tran’s concrete proposals, especially one that would streamline the textbook ordering process, would update existing Co-op rules to benefit students.
