By Athena Flores, April 9, 2024
After a final week of campaigning and outreach to students, ASI announces the new Cal Poly Pomona student body government at the Elections Reveal Party at University Park Friday, March 29.
Students voted for the 2024 ASI leaders from Monday, March 25 to Friday, March 29, where a total of 816 ballots were cast. Earning a total of 475 votes, Mechanical Engineering major, Cade Wheeler and Business Management and Human Resources major, Megan Shadrick were announced as the newly elected ASI president and vice president.
Wheeler and Shadrick, who both served as senators on last year’s board, are excited about the new changes and responsibilities in their new roles.
As mentioned in their election campaign, Shadrick and Wheeler have three main goals that they are focusing on for next year. The first is more financial support for clubs, councils and other student organizations to function normally throughout the year. Another is the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion is huge when it comes to our team,” Shadrick said. “Just ensuring that everyone reflects the demographic of the students and also encompasses the experiences of Cal Poly Pomona students so they can effectively advocate on their behalf.”
Lastly, Wheeler and Shadrick aim to bring more awareness to students about the role of ASI and its leaders through accessible formats, such as social media.
Despite these objectives, the first order of business for the pair is to celebrate.
“For the past few weeks, Megan and I have been working pretty tirelessly to make sure every bell and whistle is in order,” said Wheeler. “We have a lot more work to do but I think right now it’s just the time for celebration.”
Opposing running mates and CPP graduate students Prakash Kalapala and Atri Desai, who were runners-up for the ASI president and vice president positions, congratulated Wheeler and Shadrick as they shook hands. Desai and Kalapala, end their election journey with a final message.
“Raise your voices,” said Kalapala.
The two urged students to vote and use their voices to better the CPP community. They explained that the election occurs so that students can vote for the changes, amenities and advocates they want to see from ASI. They added that it is important to be aware of what ASI offers to students. With only roughly 2.8 percent of enrolled students voting in this year’s election, voter turnout is an ongoing issue at CPP. Kalapala and Desai are hopeful for more student engagement.
“For me, the biggest one would be the number of people who actually voted,” Kalapala said.
“I really wanted to see the number go up. Not for the sake of the numbers or who’s going to win. What we wanted in this election process (was for) students to actually get to know about what we do.”
In addition to the president and vice president, nine other senator positions were filled on the ASI student body during this election.
As a senator, the elected student leader is assigned to serve as an advocate to one of the eight CPP colleges. According to candidate information from the ASI website, senators “work closely with their respective colleges and councils so they can best speak on behalf of the students they represent.”
The election results for the remaining Board of Directors positions are as follows:
- College of Agriculture Senator: Jazmyn Mendoza-Rios (54 votes)
- College of Business Senator: Mehek Jain (78 votes)
- College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences: Nuoyan Li (49 votes)
- College of Engineering Senator: Matthew Sanchez (87 votes)
- College of Education and Integrative Studies Senator: Tony Truong (39 votes)
- College of Environmental Design Senator: Marsha Pranata (69 votes)
- College of Science Senator: Aliuddin Khaja (36 votes)
- Senator-at-large-Greek Council: Anissa Patel (612 votes)
- Senator-at-large-Multicultural Council: Sherwin Weerakoon (612)
The position of senator-at-large of the Inter-Hall Council is not yet filled due to a 265 no-confidence vote. A reelection for this position will be scheduled by the Inter-Hall Council.
More information about the newest student leaders and what their positions entail can be found on the ASI website.
Feature image courtesy of Alexander Novoa.
