ASCMC Candidates 2015
On Tuesday, March 3, ASCMC will hold its annual elections. At Spring Break, the term for the current executive board will end, and a new team of students will take over ASCMC. Who those students are is up to you.
This year, students will elect a new position — Vice President of Student Activities — who will replace the former SAC and SLC positions. The VP of Student Activities will oversee four appointed event commissioners (ECs), and together, they will plan ASCMC’s wet and dry events. Learn more about these changes in our interview with outgoing ASCMC President Ben Tillotson ‘15. The position called “Executive Vice President” is the same role that was previously just called the Vice President. For example, the Executive VP will run Senate. The final change is that the Dorm Activities Chair will no longer run TNC; those events will be planned by the VP of Student Activities and the ECs.
In addition to these statements, the candidates will also give speeches at Collins Snack on Monday night, March 2.
Positions are ordered by positional hierarchy, and within each position, candidates are ordered alphabetically by last name.
President (1)
Will Su ‘16
My name is Will Su and I am running to be your student body president. I currently serve as the ASCMC Vice President and before that I served as the ASCMC Campus Organizations Chair and an ASCMC Senator. I believe I have the dedication, passion, and experience to push ASCMC to its fullest.
My vision is to improve student wellbeing at CMC. To achieve this goal, I plan to focus on three key areas: communication, wellness, and creativity.
Students have consistently expressed that there seems to be a lack of communication on a range of issues on campus. From the incident of Claremont Police department dispersing students to something as simple as what ASCMC is doing on a day-to-day basis, students feel out of the loop. It’s 2015 and I think it’s embarrassing that ASCMC has not taken a strong position on social media. I plan to develop a public relations strategy that will allow ASCMC to disseminate information in a timely manner through newsletters, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and yes, even Snapchat. We will snapchat the most crucial parts of our board meetings to you if it means that it keeps our student body informed. I want to work on inward communication just as much as I want to work on outward communication. ASCMC needs a consistent way to gauge the state of the students, and a means to find out what really matters to the student body. To that end, as part of our public affairs campaign, I plan to create opportunities for student feedback through surveys and increased interaction with ASCMC student leaders. Stronger communication will empower our students to take part in important conversations that ultimately affect our community and guide ASCMC to better represent the student body.
Wellness. Wellness to me is the process of creating a healthier and more fulfilling college experience for CMC students. To tackle the issue of wellness, I have already started initiatives to meet the challenge. The It’s On Us campaign to stop sexual assault on college campuses and the launch of the Mental Health Task Force are two positive steps in the right direction, but these conversations need to continue. ASCMC should be an advocate for all students and we should facilitate campus improvements that aim to ensure that students are comfortable at CMC. I plan to work closely with the Personal, Social Responsibility Committees to further implement projects that will better our campus climate.
I believe in a creative approach in managing the affairs of ASCMC. I have a firm belief that a creative approach to our event planning will result in a more robust social scene. We have all heard of the myths of the parties long gone, but instead of living in the past, ASCMC needs to look towards the future and take risks by applying more creativity to its event design. However, creativity doesn’t just stop at the social scene. ASCMC needs to be creative in the way it interacts with the Consortium, how it works with the other 5C student body governments, and in many other ways in which ASCMC operates.
If you agree with my vision, I would love to have the opportunity to continue to champion student voices. Together, we can improve CMC. Vote Su.
Executive Vice President (2)
Iris Liu ‘16
What does CMCer mean to you?
I think about leadership, passion, and dedication. Drive, creativity, and the know-how to get stuff done. In my 3 years at CMC, I have been constantly amazed by fellow CMCers and their work, whether in the classroom, in the community, on stage or on the court. CMCers are interesting, inspiring, talented, hard-working and lots of fun.
CMCers are also activists, volunteers, tutors, artists, dancers, photographers, singers, debaters, entrepreneurs, feminists, musicians, geeks, black, white, Hispanic, Asian-American, international, gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, survivors…the list goes on.
My name is Iris Liu and I want to be your Executive Vice President (EVP) because I want to make sure ASCMC represents the student body’s interests earnestly. While I don’t myself embody all of the above traits, what I do possess is the genuine desire to bring in this diversity to ASCMC and to the role of EVP.
Why I will make a great EVP:
I have years of experience on ASCMC, having been elected both freshman and sophomore class president of the class of 2016. I have worked firsthand with 2 different executive boards and I believe I have the leadership experience and skills to productively motivate and engage not only members of the new ExecBoard, but also Senate. I’ve seen what works well and what doesn’t, both in terms of Board communication and also event planning and learned from seasoned ASCMC leaders from years past.
I have established relationships with DOS, and student leaders at the other 4Cs, and other involved players on CMC’s campus and within CMC’s alumni and parent community, which will position ASCMC well for any partnerships and negotiations moving forward. I’m a no BS communicator and very action-driven and will use my position as EVP to be a strong voice advocating for the needs of the students, whatever they may be.
What I will bring to Senate
While abroad last semester, I got a chance to step away from ASCMC and CMC as a whole, which gave me perspective on what an amazing place CMC is, yet shed light on how much more support the student body could get from ASCMC beyond party planning.
The Senate is designed to be a check on ExecBoard and an additional financial resource for the student body. The $12,000 Senate budget is huge student resource that is not being utilized well (re. drone…) and I believe this is due to student apathy regarding Senate. What Senate needs is not reform, but rather a larger and more diverse voting body. If elected, I will work to bring in more opinions and more buy-in, through inviting campus organizations to speak about upcoming events and partnering with class presidents to encourage their classes to participate. I also would like to propose Senate minute updates via social media and/or video to be sent out to complement the typed minutes to make it easier for students to stay updated.
A vote for Iris is a vote for a loud and proud voice!
Cole Mora ‘17
My name is Cole Mora and I love the incredible people at this school with voices, ideas, and passions that never cease to amaze me. I am running for ASCMC Executive Vice President because I know the weight that a CMC student’s voice holds, and I want to help empower our student body by actively empowering those voices. Students should have a larger and more powerful role in decision-making processes, both in ASCMC and institutionally at CMC. There should be more pathways between student ideas and meaningful action.
It is often the case that when decisions are made, especially those that impact our campus community, students are left out of the discussion. It’s not surprising then that students often doubt the relevance and power of their voices on campus. We’re often left out of the process, and this can reasonably lead to apathy. It seems that it is only when decisions have been made that students are finally given the opportunity and agency to act, and by then it can be too late.
This can change, and I am ready to do the necessary work to change it. I want people to know that if they see something at CMC that needs to be challenged or improved, they as students have the power to make that happen. When the incredible talents of our student body are connected to the decision-making process, great progress is made. Things like It’s On Us or The Mirza Summit or the Pay-It-Forward Initiative happen and we as students claim ownership of our campus. There truly is a great power behind the voice of a CMC student, and we need more opportunities to exercise it.
I want to create those opportunities — avenues for meaningful student action. I believe that ASCMC should, above all else, work to involve and empower our student body, and that Senate is integral to this process. ASCMC should be a resource for students, and Senate should make that resource accessible. I want to make going to Senate mean something because it can connect and amplify student voices.I want people to know that when they attend they will be heard, and I promise that our voices, ideas, and passions as students will be met with the resources and support needed to see them realized. As Shannon Miller put it, “Civilization doesn’t prosper with commerce, it prospers with citizenship.” I want to create better ways for CMC students to be informed, active citizens in our community. I promise that our voices will be as powerful as they should be, that we will be connected to institutional agents of change, and that we will have ownership over our campus. I will advocate for us as students, because I care deeply about this community and the people around us. I believe that I am experienced and qualified for this position, with a track record of taking meaningful action. I will always fight for CMC students, with a drive and commitment that can be counted on.
Vice President of Student Activities (2)
Christine Horne ‘17
Hello CMC! My name is Christine Horne and I would love to be your new VP of Student Activities. This past year, I have served as the Executive Secretary (Exec Sec) on the ASCMC Executive Board and started planning events last spring with Mr. Stag.
This past fall, I decided I wanted to take on a larger role in our social scene. I expanded my Exec Sec role to plan Wedding Party, as well as assist with TNCs and Saturday events. That’s why I was so excited about this new position and the opportunity to bring CMC community even closer.
I hope to introduce club-partnered events so I can bring awareness to our clubs and have diverse, engaging events. I’ll continue Hub Quiz and Sunday Night Snacks (yay food!), plan creative TNCs, and throw awesome Saturday events. For TNCs how does on campus laser tag sound? Some potential Saturday events include a day pool party or a campus wide paint party. Additionally, I want to have more Friday events, such as Green Beach BBQs and open mic nights with the Cave. Above all, I want to keep our social scene flourishing and improving.
My experience over this past year gave me event-planning experience that is needed for this position. Additionally, serving as Exec Sec allowed me to see how to avoid past mistakes, as well as create a small learning curve so I would hit the ground running in my term as VP of Student Activities.
Most importantly, position is about working with a team, which is something I have done extensively as Exec Sec. I coordinated and collaborated with different event planners to create and execute ASCMC events as a team.
I’ve done the nitty gritty to set up the parties: submit the paperwork, wake up at 6am to get flowers for an event, been there at 3 am to clean them up. I’ve been devoted over this past year to helping the board and I’ll be even more so dedicated in the upcoming year. I’ll be here through thick and thin, making sure CMC’s social scene is still vibrant, thriving, and inclusive.
Vote Christine for a great social scene!
Robert Moore ‘17
My name is Robert Moore, and I have the incredible pleasure of running to be your VP of Student Activities next year. As a potential new member to the ASCMC cohort, I hope to bring a fresh perspective and approach to the way in which student government operates on campus. This task involves bringing you, the student, back into the realm of ASCMC and the ways in which it functions around campus; the student voice has been neglected far too long, and I hope that we can work together to help change that. Though my ideas and the larger platform underlying my candidacy are fairly extensive, I would like to highlight three major areas of improvement that I will work towards throughout my service as VP of Student Activities.
First, I plan to work closely with dorm presidents and RA’s across our campus in order to solicit information from their residents regarding events, parties, and activities they would like to be involved in and see ASCMC support. Furthermore, I would like to specifically target the role of the dorm president as the person who not only plans and throws events for their dorm, but is actively tasked with listening to their residents and taking the time to understand their opinions on school issues, events they’re interested in, and how overall life here at CMC can be improved.
Along similar lines, I would like to work with my fellow ASCMC members to create more spaces on campus where students feel comfortable voicing themselves. This includes feeling able and willing to participate in life on campus, and being able to engage with diverse sets of members of our community. The student population at CMC is an immensely incredible and influential group of people, with which I hope we can all begin to engage with in order to maximize our time here as students.
Finally, I hope to begin repairing the student-administration relationship here at CMC; our sustainable growth and success as students, and ability to pursue the activities and events we desire will be impossible without this pursuit. This task will prove, perhaps, the most challenging, but I know that we can achieve it in stride together.
If anyone has further questions, comments, or concerns regarding my campaign, please feel free to email me at rmoore17@cmc.edu or stop and talk to me around campus. And remember; you deserve more. Rob Moore.
Dormitory Affairs Chair (3)
Felipe Afanador ‘18
Hey CMC, I’m Felipe Afanador and I’m running for Dorm Affairs Chair (DAC) because I care about the wellbeing of the student body and aspire to strengthen the sense of community both within each dorm and between different dorms. I want to be able to give back to the ASCMC community and want to ensure that our dorm life is active and robust.
Next year, I want to make sure that there is a strong, lively and inclusive dorm environment and increase the role of dorm presidents. I want to publicize and incorporate more inter-competition between the different dorms and make the Dorm Cup something more people talk about and participate in.
ASCMC has put in a lot of hard work this past year to listen to the needs of the students while working with DoS and the school’s administration to promote responsible behavior; nonetheless ASCMC is currently on a precipice in its relationship with the Dean of Students and this next year will be a pivotal year in ensuring that DoS and ASCMC work together effectively. If elected, I will be sure to fuel the communication between ASCMC and DoS and work tightly with both entities to foster cooperation to in effect meet your needs.
I would also like to focus on using dorm funds as efficiently as possible and using all of the resources available to make our dorm life the best it can be. I will always be open to listening to new ideas and receiving new input — after all, “I’m all ears.” Feel free to talk to me or stop by my room (Marks 116) if you have any suggestions.
I look forward to having the opportunity to serve you and devote my energy to ASCMC. Thanks CMC!
Nicky Blumm ‘17
Athenas & Stags —
My name is Nicky Blumm, and I hope to serve as your Dorm Affairs Chair in 2015–16. I am running for DAC because I will be effective in getting students what they want from ASCMC and DOS. As DAC, I will bring people together and defend the values we hold dear. Dorms are the building blocks of CMC’s community, and so should be given the resources they need to thrive. The dorms, and the greater community, flourish with the positive parts of CMC’s culture. I will preserve these values, and try to find again the healthy balance between ASCMC and DOS.
As a sponsor and active member of CMC’s community, I will support you by urging careful deliberation with Heggblade. My already strong working relationships with members of DOS will help me communicate positively and effectively so that I can ensure our campus preserves the values that make CMC iconic. My biggest goal is for dorms to continue being inclusive social hotspots on campus. My experiences with DOS help me work with them — for us.
I have also had experience serving two terms on the Dorm Affairs Council as a dorm president. I understand how the council functions. Further, I understand the things that dorms must have in order to achieve their aspirations. I have met before with deans about residential life, and found success with calm discussion. My association with DOS is a splendid compliment to the empathy I have for the dorms from my long-term involvement with the DAC.
I have spent my first two years at CMC building connections with many of you and with the deans who control the way our campus functions. As DAC I want to focus on building community and facilitating more effective, transparent, and ultimately successful discourse between students and DOS.
Laura Reifsnyder ‘18
Hello, my name is Laura Reifsnyder, and I am running for DAC.
Why you should vote for me: I am a self-described goober, I own a Scooby-Doo pillow pet, and my name is on the skylight at the hub.
If that didn’t convince you, maybe this might.
This year I’ve loved participating in the infamous Berger-Phillips rivalry (#Bergerftw) and bonding with fellow Bergerians over free In-N-Out and milkshakes (cuz who doesn’t love free food?). Since Berger didn’t have a lounge this year, I found that the best way to meet my dorm neighbors was by participating in intramurals. Getting crazy competitive and poorly maneuvering in an inner-tube is a great way to break the ice and develop relationships that vastly improve dorm life experience. However, I was only able to meet the people who liked intramurals. There was a large group that I never met, that I only saw cool glimpses of, and it made me realize the importance of effective dorm management. My goal is to make your dorm feel like home, and your neighbors like your family.
I have a unique perspective of how CMC’s dorm community can evolve. I have no preconceptions or expectations about how CMC used to be; I just want to make it better so that, no matter where you live, you feel like you belong. Our community is stronger when we know one another, and CMC is much more fun when people can walk to any dorm and be surrounded by friends. I want to make this happen.
Some ideas:
· Dorm Cup #bringingitback
· More inter-dorm events, such as Bubble Soccer competitions and campus-wide capture the flag tournaments
· Rentable hammocks
· Making dorms more artsy and giving people the ability to express themselves creatively, like the Pitzer murals
· Bridging the divide between the quads
Class of 2016 President (1)
Kathryn Chakmak ‘16
Hey Class of 2016!
I wanted to introduce myself and let you know how excited I would be to serve as your senior class president! These past three years have been incredible, and next year should be no different!
As senior class president I would have a variety of responsibilities unlike years past. Not only am I responsible for planning some awesome class events — nothing like having someone who grew up in Vegas plan a Vegas trip — but I will also act as the liaison between our class and the Alumni Association, working closely with them next year and after gradation. This means that I am taking on the responsibility to be your class president for life!
We only have one more year at CMC, so lets make it the best!
Vote Chakmak for Senior Class President!
Class of 2017 President (1)
Kris Brackmann ‘17
Greetings good people of the Class of 2017! If we haven’t had the pleasure to meet just yet, let me introduce myself…I am Kris Brackmann, your one and only candidate for Class President. I would like to thank you in advance for voting for me (plzz…still need to get that majority).
Junior year will be a chaotic year; In the fall half of us will be making wild memories abroad, while the rest, for whatever the reason may be, will be left here to navigate into some new social scenes. In the spring we will have to balance the excitement of reuniting with our friends who are returning from abroad, the anxiety of finding summer internships, and the stress of managing to improve our GPAs we so regretfully wish hadn’t been so bad freshman year.
Amidst all of the chaos that accompanies this next step in our lives, I hope as your class representative to ease these transitions and make it easy for our class to grow closer together.
Some things I can promise you:
1. Throwing a bomb ass Monte Carlo that’s been outdone by countless people before me.
2. Card writing parties during each semester so that our friends abroad feel the CMC lovin’ even thousands of miles away.
3. More support for our crazy-talented classmates, whether it be hosting tailgates before big games, having student showcases at late-night snack or BBQs, or just throwing out shout-outs on the daily.
4. Transparency of what’s happening at CMC and how your voice can be heard and of course, a hella good time.
So use your vote wisely and vote for me! (You only have one option)
K Brack City out.
Class of 2018 President (4)
Jordan Aronowitz ‘18
Hey Class of 2018, I’m Jordan Aronowitz and I would love to be your Sophomore Class President. The last 6 months have been amazing, but the next 12 can be even better. I plan to really integrate our class. We have a great group of people, but we can definitely become closer and there are two easy steps to accomplishing this:
First, create a more transparent SoCo compared to the outgoing FroCo. FroCo worked hard, but most of the time the majority of the grade was left in the dark about exact discussions during those meetings. I plan to completely integrate SoCo with the grade by means of bi-weekly email updates and open forum meetings. Second, more fun, frequent events. Class President is one of the only ASCMC positions that strictly focuses on fun. By having more exciting events more often, we will feel more connected as a grade and have a great end of the semester. ASCMC has so many great things planned for CMC and adding a 2018-only component will be great for us.
My experience in leadership positions make me a perfect fit for this role. In high school, I served as class secretary for four years, showing that I have the capability to lead a group of 300 in grade-wide and school-wide events.
After the summer, my main goal is to really integrate transfer students and freshmen into our community. At such a tight-knit school, it may be intimidating to assimilate. By making everyone feel welcome, through transfer-sophomore parties and dinners, or freshmen-sophomore speed dating, we will welcome the new students while having fun.
Overall, our grade has so much potential, and my experience and leadership will enable us to have an amazing sophomore year.
Kevin Covarrubias ‘18
Hey everyone,
Half a year ago, I arrived at CMC thinking, “What will CMC offer me?” After a semester here, though, I now tell myself, echoing the words of JFK, “Ask not what CMC can do for you, but rather what you can do for CMC.”
As a first-generation college student from a low-income family in the Bay Area, I’ve had a difficult time adjusting to CMC culture. Even now, I still struggle, but I know that I embody the CMC way: that is, to grab life by the antlers and do what I’m passionate about.
I’m an International Relations and Econ dual major. I’m passionate about social justice and music. And I’m also semi-fluent in Chinese. After graduating from CMC, I want to go back to the Bay Area and inspire students from all walks of life to pursue their passions just like I’m doing right now.
And that’s why I’m running. To bring this worldview to ASCMC.
As class president, my priorities lie in accountability, inclusivity, and transparency. We can throw campus-wide events that are both safe and fun. It’s solely a matter of stronger communication between the administration and ASCMC (we’re all a part of ASCMC by the way!).
Moreover, another popular concern I’ve heard from many of you is that we need more dry campus events. And I hear y’all! I personally prefer spending my weekends with friends going on a trip to LA or attending a concert by my favorite bands. That is why I plan on working closely with CPB to get more fun dry events at CMC.
I could talk abouy my leadership qualifications, but I’m a firm believer in the mantra that actions speak louder than titles. I’ll let you all judge my leadership capabilities for yourselves during these next few days.
I believe in CMC. That’s why I haven’t transferred yet. As I’ve talked to each and every one of you, I see unique dreams, backgrounds, and interests. But despite our differences, we are all bound by our drive to leave a positive mark in this world.
E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one. That’s my CMC way and I would be honored to bring this perspective to ASCMC as your class president.
Kind regards,
Kevin Covarrubias (aka The Kobra)
Reid Dickerson ‘18
Hey beautiful people,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to represent our class. You all were my inspiration to work this year.
There was nothing I enjoyed more than planning the Freshman In-N-Out snack; I loved every minute that I got to help our class and am asking all of you to give me the opportunity to continue doing what I love.
Some of the big things I’ve worked on this year are having office hours, getting as many people’s opinions as possible, conveying these opinions to the administration, social responsibility, Monte Carlo, Wedding Party, It’s On Us, Parents weekend, an absurd amount of funding requests, TNCs, a few Saturday night parties, CMC 26.2, the CMC student imperative, and a few budgetary concerns.
I, along with Froco, have organized the In-N-Out snack, Thai food snack, ice-cream cake snack, scavenger hunt, tank-tops and sweatshirts and a few other events.
The biggest thing that I want to focus on next year is transparency. If elected I will post a weekly update as well as all of my notes in a shared (with everyone in the class) folder on google drive.
Once again, I can’t reiterate enough, how much I have loved talking to and representing each and every one of you. It has been simultaneously the most humbling and rewarding experiences of my life. There is nothing I want more than to be able to represent all of you for another year.
Thank you, Love all of you, Reid
Russell Salazar ‘18
CLASS OF 2018,
To those of you who, like me, have absolutely loved your first year at CMC: think hard about the “why”.
My initial response would have been “the people; the amazing sense of community”. Yes, we have talented, humorous, compassionate, and inspiring people all over campus, but simply having everyone in the same place isn’t what built that sense of community.
It was what drew me in from the first day — W.O.A., Disney-themed dorms, mentors, all the groups begging for newbies to pick on — it seemed like everyone and everything was dedicated to making us feel welcome. Freshman treatment. That’s what I would call it.
Next semester, while the Class of 2019 soaks in their Freshman spotlight, I’d like to be the one amp-ing up the Sophomore spotlight. As Sophomore Class President, I want to give all of you Freshman treatment. Here’s how:
REAL Informs: You’re all used to knowing when the next ASCMC event is going to happen, but outside of your own friend group, do you have any idea what the rest of the Sophomore class is doing? If someone in our class has done anything from obtaining ‘legend’ status at TNC to travelling to become an Olympic-level horse-rider, EVERYONE deserves to know.
ASCMC — VLOGS? HOT SEAT?: We tend to forget that WE (the students) are what make the ASCMC, not some alien administrative being. It’s time to change that image. #weareASCMC. So much is discussed within ASCMC meetings, and all of that information NEEDS to be easily available to you. If shooting a weekly Vlog, or doing a weekly SophPres Hot Seat is what it takes, then that is what has to happen.
I want to spend this coming year defining our class culture. GET PUMPED.
Vote Salazar for Sophomore Class President.
