Executive alliance candidates Kallen Dimitroff and Jesse Guadiana come from different backgrounds, differents cities and different campus organizations, but they share a passion for the University and its students.
Through their platform slogan “Running For What You’re Running Towards,” Dimitroff and Guadiana said they want to bring together the perspectives of all types of students and provide a practical plan to address important student issues.
“We want to make sure that students who typically don’t feel represented by Student Government have a voice at the table along with students who are traditionally represented,” Guadiana said.
Their platform includes re-working a contract with Aramark — the University’s food service provider — in order to provide more healthy food options on campus, repealing certain city sound ordinances and providing support for sexual assault survivors. Dimitroff and Guadiana also proposed a system of providing free transcripts.
Dimitroff said the money that is made from transcripts provides the money necessary to pay the salaries of those who work in the registrar’s office and can amount to $125,000-$200,000 every year. Dimitroff said she and Guadiana have come up with solutions to offset the cost of transcripts.
“We just got a 3.1 percent tuition increase,” Dimitroff said. “If we could lobby for some of that money to be allocated to the registrar’s office, that would be awesome. UT is also getting a new mainframe system … we’re hoping that we can move transcripts online, which is already in the works in Senate and get them to be free that way.”
Dimitroff said other options include obtaining funds from Student Services Budget Committee and making the first five transcripts free for students.
Dimitroff and Guadiana are both government seniors but are involved in different groups on campus. Dimitroff is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Liberal Arts Council and has been involved in Student Government since her freshman year. Guadiana is a member of Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity, is involved with Latino Community Affairs Agency and worked as an orientation advisor during the summer of 2014.
Houstonian Dimitroff said he participated in musical theater before college and played soccer for a long time.
“I also love to write, watch NPR shows and eat pad Thai,” Dimitroff said.
Guadiana, Dallas native, said he loves romantic comedies, golden retrievers and sports. Both Dimitroff and Guadiana love the show Parks and Recreation.
“I feel like I’m living in the show with myself as Ron Swanson and Kallen as Leslie Knope,” Guadiana said. “We don’t always see eye to eye, but we get along and work well together.”
Ruddy Reyes, Guadiana’s friend and fraternity brother, said Guadiana is trustworthy and hard-working.
“We’re not directly related, but I consider him a brother,” mathematics junior Reyes said. “He’s humble, has a different sense of humor than most people and is a good role model for a lot of people, especially for people from a minority background who want to do something for themselves.”
Dimitroff’s friend and advertising senior Emily Puig said Dimitroff is the most loyal person she knows.
“I believe wholeheartedly that anything she promises the student body during this campaign, she will try her hardest to make come to fruition,” Puig said.
