Get to know the Dangremond 2017 executive ticket, the only ticket running in this year’s Undergraduate Student Government Downtown election. Presidential candidate and health innovation junior Jackson Dangremond is joined by Vice President of Policy candidate Ryan Leith, an urban and metropolitan studies junior, and candidate for Vice President of Services and journalism junior, Jade Nicole Yeban.
What are your policy and platform ideas?
Ryan Leith: "The main three pillars of our campaign are engage, excel and empower. It's three parts for the three different people. We want to focus on these things both separately and together."
"Excel was mine, which is focusing on utilizing other campus' USG's to excel in our lobbying efforts. Also that means trimming down the bureaucratic parts of our government, changing the bylaws so that it's less jumbled up."
Jade Nicole Yeban: "Engage is the part that goes along with my priorities. We need to make resources more available to students, and then really change the way USGD outreaches and engages with the student body. I think that it could be done better, a lot of students don't know about what USGD does and we have the power to do that."
Jackson Dangremond: "We hope to empower our students to use their voices to make changes on university and state wide levels. We really aspire to be a resource for students, and we really want to provide meaningful support for them. We believe that the best kind of leaders are not the ones that stand in the front of the people and tell them what to do, but those who stand behind them and their efforts to enact change themselves."
Why are you qualified for the offices you seek?
RL: "This year I worked directly under Jimmy Arwood, our current VP of policy. I'm the only one that is officially in the policy department, and I've worked with him very closely with all of our policy initiatives. I felt like moving into this position is a natural progression for me."
JY: "I'm currently chief of staff, and I work directly under Jackson. My sophomore year I served as a senator for Cronkite, and then I was the chair of the government operations committee and I was sent pro tempore, so I was really immersed in student government. I am really focused on the infrastructure of USGD, changing bylaws, changing the ways that we operated."
JD: "Over the last year I have had the honor of serving as president of USGD, and in my position I have been really fortunate to work with and amazing group of student leaders. I have done my best to make sure that downtown students have their voices represented on local issues and on a university-wide level. As much as we have done we really can and will do much more. I have learned the importance of accountability, communication and empathy."
What motivates you to want to run for this office?
RL: "This year there were a lot of changes that I wanted to see, both internally and externally — our student government, and the way we operate as well as how this campus serves its students. I also knew that I needed to step into a higher position to really garner the positive change that I could bring to this campus."
JY: "I deeply admire both Jackson and Ryan. I think they are some great individuals that are going to make some really impactful changes. I am just honored to run alongside them, and I wanted a position where I could really practice some more outreach and engagement with students. I feel like I'm a really good fit for the position, simply because of seniority and seeing exactly what needs to get done."
JD: "Assembling our ticket comes down to our shared values that go into the platform of our ticket. The idea of the ability to excel, engage and empower not only student government but a state-wide level. The idea that each one of us has the desire to act to better the daily lives of students and are just committed to giving students a voice to create change if they want to see in their university. That is a shared principle that really brought this ticket together and motivated the three of us to run."
Read more: Everything you need to know about USG elections, a voter guide
Reach the reporter at isaac.windes@asu.edu or follow @isaacwindeschef on Twitter.
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