Undergraduate Student Government Tempe held its second-ever USG-T Executive Ticket Debate, which allowed the University body to hear directly from five presidential and vice presidential candidates on student issues.
The debate was moderated by Regan Clewell, the USG-T elections commissioner, and was divided based on position, with candidates from the different tickets being given 25-minute slots to debate two different questions.
President
The five presidential candidates as represented by their tickets are Brandon Ngo, Rishik Chaudhary, Nathan Edlebeck, Cayla Kirschbaum, and Hayden Nguyen.
The candidates were first tasked with defending their abilities to challenge University leadership on decisions that adversely affect the student body.
Most candidates, such as Ngo, Edleback, Nguyen, and Chaudhary, answered similarly, intending to use their position to challenge the University, should policies or decisions negatively impact the student body.
"We have the duty to fight for our students," Ngo said.
Kirschbaum did provide a slight deviation from this answer, as she proposed more collaboration with the University to deal with issues that may arise.
"A lot of people view it as us versus admin, but how I view it is us and admin versus the problem at hand," Kirschbaum said.
Each candidate appealed to demographics they saw as facing threats from the University, whom they hoped to advocate for with their position within USG-T.
Ngo and Chaudhary kept things the most vague, with Ngo referencing recent actions that have negatively impacted "special groups" on campus. Chaudhary appealed to the diversity of his ticket, allowing him to "have every voice heard for every single separate college."
Other candidates provided more specific groups they hoped to fight for.
For example, Edlebeck emphasized efforts to "fully back the international students and protect them at all costs."
Kirschbaum raised concerns of lack of support for "women, nonbinary students and marginalized groups facing harassment and discrimination," and Nyguen advocated for a "united front of progressives" and referenced his ticket’s endorsement by the ASU Rainbow Coalition.
"We need to attack this on all fronts," Nyguen said.
The candidates were then asked what steps they would take to ensure transparency and accessibility to the student body through the Council of Presidents.
The Council of Presidents consists of five elected presidents from each of the main ASU campuses and the graduate student body, according to ASU’s student government website.
Edlebeck focused on getting students more involved in the University, as a way to indirectly get them closer to the Council of Presidents.
Edlebeck identified policies like implementing a "director of funding" into USG-T, to streamline the club funding process and to encourage student involvement.
Vice President of Services
The candidates for vice president of services discussed USG-T's role in addressing substance abuse and mental health, and providing support for student concerns.
Each candidate focused on slightly different policies for dealing with mental health, ranging from implementing new programs to increasing funding and awareness for those that already exist.
Isaac Burdge, the candidate for the Nguyen ticket, and Neha Ponnapalli, the candidate for the Edlebeck ticket, both keyed in on fighting food insecurity as a point of focus for improving mental health within the University.
Ponnapalli said her ticket’s goals are to increase funding for the Pitchfork Pantry, whereas Burdge promoted new strategies, like a "meal swipe donation program." Burdge said the program will allow students to donate their excess meal swipes to students in need.
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Gracie Smith, the candidate for the Ngo ticket, placed more emphasis on the link between academics and mental health.
By the end of questioning, all of the candidates made it very clear they had a sense of responsibility for the position they were running for.
"I'm running for vice president of services because I know that service means nothing if they’re not made with students and for students," Ponnapalli said.
Vice President of Policy
The five candidates for vice president of policy were asked about how the candidates would handle a situation in which federal or state legislation harms marginalized communities on campus.
Each ticket had a different plan for addressing the situation, with some focusing on international and first-generation students, and others on providing a safe space and resources for students.
The candidate for the Nguyen ticket, Neida Romero Montes, said providing health care to first-generation and international students is a priority for their campaign.
Romero Montes, along with Hillary Garcia, the candidate for the Chaudhary ticket, agreed on ensuring LGBTQ+ students are aware of and have access to the resources available to them.
"Those resources are out there," Garcia said. "It's all about being able to ensure that students are aware of those."
According to Brooke Ganzini, the candidate for the Kirschbaum ticket, expanding access to financial and mental health resources, along with advocating for fair tuition policies, will ensure "that no student is left behind."
Olivia Braymiller, the candidate for the Ngo ticket, said her plan for protecting marginalized groups would start with asking students how they would want their needs met.
Similarly, Macy Haugland, the candidate for the Edlebeck ticket, said her first step to supporting marginalized groups would be transparency and access to resources.
"With those marginalized groups, being able to hear how they feel about that," Haugland said. "Being able to directly work with them to enact policies that do support them."
The candidates were later asked how they would promote equitable participation in student government.
Garcia and Romero Montes agreed on making sure that USG-T remains a diverse group by hiring students based on merit and efficacy, not association with a particular group.
Braymiller said — in choosing to get involved with USG-T — members agree to represent the student body fairly. She said her plan for promoting equitable participation would be to hold members accountable in USG-T Senate meetings.
Ganzini said she planned to build out student programs for a professional clothing drive, working to address food insecurity and hosting town halls to get students involved in USG-T programs.
Ballots for the USG-T election, including the executive and senate branches, will be open from April 1-2.
Editor's Note: Neha Ponnapalli is an illustrator for the State Press.
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Ramirez and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporters at sebrowde@asu.edu and sluba@asu.edu and follow @sophia_browder and @samluba6 on X.
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Sam is a freshman studying political science with a minor in justice studies. This is his second semester with The State Press. He has also worked as editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper.
Sophia is a sophomore studying political science and sociology. This is her first semester with The State Press.
