After weeks of campaigning, the results of the 2020 Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) elections revealed Lucy Yu and Manshaan Singh as the next president and vice president of the organization. The results were announced March 12 during U-Hour in the Bronco Student Center (BSC).
Following the announcement of their victory, Yu and Singh took the stage to thank their supporters and to promote interest in student government.
“We just wanted to thank all of our supporters, seriously,” said Yu, a third-year hospitality management student. “Manshaan and I have been talking this week, for the past couple of days now, that we really couldn’t have done it without all of you.”
Singh, a third-year environmental biology student, also thanked his supporters and added, “If you’d like to get involved with student government, there are cabinet positions that you can apply for.”
Now that they have been elected, Singh said, “Student needs, student (organizations and) student success” would be a priority. This included focusing on food and housing insecurity, increasing funding for clubs and organizations, expanding library operating hours, providing more academic advising resources and offering more class sections.
“We want to reach all corners of campus,” Yu said. “We want to do things overall, we don’t want to just work on one section of campus, we want to reach all of them.”
Despite the celebrations, uncertainty over the COVID-19 or coronavirus disease pandemic loomed over those in attendance.
ASI Elections Chair Maricruz Santander, a fourth-year political science student, confirmed that the event was moved from its original location, the University Park, to the BSC both because of the rain as well as concerns over the disease.
Before the event, Santander instructed attendees to allow one seat in between one another to practice the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s suggested “social distancing,” which recommends maintaining an approximate 6-foot distance from others.
Both Yu and Singh approved of the university’s efforts to lower the risk of infection by temporarily suspending face-to-face classes.
Singh, a student in the College of Science, also stated that he believes the university should extend the pause on classes to include laboratories and other activities currently exempted from the university administration’s preventive actions.
In addition to the positions of president and vice president, the other elected student leaders who will make up the membership of the next academic year’s ASI Board of Directors were also announced.
For the eight college senators, Delilah Orta was re-elected to represent the College of Agriculture; Ravina Soma was elected to represent the College of Business; Priscilla Denise Muñoz for the College of Education & Integrative Studies; Henry Ly for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences; Ian Whalen for the Collins College of Hospitality Management; Araz Mandenlian for the College of Engineering; and Marc Leon for the College of Science.
For senators-at-large, Hillary Deleon was elected to represent the Greek Council; Prabhat Jammalamadaka for the Inter-Hall Council; Lizeth Machado for the Multicultural Council; and Susana Delgadillo for the Student Interest Council.
In addition to those elected to serve in student government, the student body recently approved changes to the ASI bylaws, which dealt mainly with changing some responsibilities and roles within student government. Students also approved revisions to the Student Opportunities Initiative, which involved changes to the allocation of students’ mandatory ASI student fees.
Those elected to serve in ASI student government will begin their terms this summer.
