There are two tickets running for the executive offices of Undergraduate Student Government Polytechnic and five schools with representative seats in the USGP Senate.
The executive tickets
One of the two tickets has Cecilia Alcantar for president, Jake Okun for vice president of services and Emanuella Ntim for vice president of policy.
The ticket's top priority is food insecurity, a lack of consistent access to meals for students. Alcantar, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering systems, has worked with members of the Polytechnic community since last semester to tackle the issue. She has spoken with the House of Refuge homelessness nonprofit organization and Dean of Students Lance Harrop to get more resources on the campus.
Alcantar said the issue is one of the most pressing in the community. A recent ASU study revealed food insecurity in Arizona households had risen from 25% to 32% since COVID-19 began. Alcantar said students have had to make sacrifices like skipping meals.
"You can't just brush that off like, 'Oh, I'm just a broke college student,' it's more than that," Alcantar said.
In addition to food security, the ticket hopes to finish projects within USGP which have been "ongoing for years." Sexual violence prevention and making health and wellness items available at the USGP office are some examples of projects the ticket plans to complete.
Alcantar has been involved with USGP as the director of outreach and Changemaker Central, an organization that advocates for social change, for over a year. She is also the president of her own club, Poly on Wheels, and is a member of Devil's Advocates and Fulton Ambassadors. Okun and Ntim are currently freshmen serving as USG senators.
"Even though we may be younger students and we have not been part of USG for as long as other candidates, we personally have a wealth of experience that is unique to our candidacy and a drive like no other," Okun said.
The ticket believes the key to building effective policy is representing the Polytechnic campus equally, and being there for students to let them know about the kind of resources they have access to.
Ntim said when she joined USGP she learned about the resources available for students and felt she had a duty to help them be more informed.
"If they have any concerns, please do not be afraid to come to us. We want to hear all your concerns, we want to hear all your ideas, and we want to make sure that we are running for the people," Okun said.
The other ticket has Gianelly Esquer running for president, Hannah Stirewalt for vice president of services and Navaeh Cabebe-Yamamoto for vice president of policy.
The ticket's motto, "Educate, connect and sustain," encompasses their platform: advance ASU's goals to be more inclusive and sustainable, amplifying the voices of minorities and increase safety and security on campus, according to an Instagram post.
Esquer currently serves as the USGP senate president and has been a senator for the past two years, according to the ticket's Instagram. Esquer is also involved in Devil's Advocate, Relay for Life and Hispanic Organization of Latinx Awareness.
The ticket did not respond to a request for comment for the time of publication.
Senators
The W. P. Carey School of Business has two seats. The one candidate running is Jessica Quesada.
The Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering also has two seats. The one candidate running is Laura Roty.
Barrett, The Honors College, the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts and the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College all have two seats available with no candidates running.
USGP has three at large positions with no candidates running.
Campaigning began March 15 and will end March 30 when voting begins. Students can vote in person and through SunDevilSync March 30 and 31, with the results being announced April 1.
Reach the reporter at amley@asu.edu and follow @MartyLey_ on Twitter.
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