Editor’s Note: The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board interviewed seven candidates for the position of Student Council representative. Each interview lasted approximately 15 minutes, and all candidates were asked the same baseline questions. The endorsements below are based solely on the content of these interviews.
This year, The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board is endorsing four candidates running for Student Council College of Arts and Sciences representative — second-year College students Brian Ng, Ian Travis and Jackson Sleadd and third-year College student Imane Akhanous. During their time on Student Council, each of these candidates have made significant impacts on student life by spearheading initiatives for financial sustainability and accessibility. Furthermore, each of these candidates passionately established their focus on the protection of student resources through bargaining with administration. We are confident in the ability of these candidates to thoroughly take on adversity in an increasingly tense environment for student self-governance, leveraging collective action to deliver practical results in the University community.
Ng has served as a Student Council representative since his first semester on Grounds. In his capacity, his leadership has been characterized by fierce advocacy on the behalf of students. Ng’s wide range of passions, from lobbying for student safety to improving dining, prove that he will be a sincerely thoughtful representative of student interests at all levels. Additionally, his vast organizational knowledge of Student Council is especially relevant because it establishes a historicized framework for tangible student initiatives. Crucially, Ng has thought ahead as to the current relationship between student self-governance and Board of Visitors, determining key areas for growth in the bargaining power and collective action of students. The Student Council would be lucky to retain such a vibrant leader as Ng as it enters a new term and seeks to uphold student interests.
Travis is one of the current representatives of the Student Council. A passionate defender of necessary student services like the transit system, equitable access has been the cornerstone of Travis’s platform. Consistently, Travis prioritized a vision of Student Council that makes its services accessible and easily understood by community members. He aspires to promote larger changes to the Council’s structure that will consolidate committees, fostering a culture of collaboration in order to address key institutional challenges. This progressive approach prioritizes internal changes to improve efficiency and further inspire improvement to the Student Council’s available resources. Travis’s readiness to balance accessible resources with common-sense reorganization promises lasting, student-centered change on Grounds.
Sleadd’s current experience as a College representative, as well as his goals for this upcoming term, present a prepared and enthusiastic candidate. His dedication to making internal improvements to Student Council’s efficiency and ensuring an external response to student needs demonstrates an effective approach to Student Council. By implementing committees tailored to specific topics such as nutrition or housing, Sleadd has thought intentionally about building out the Student Council internally to be a more effective bargaining organization. Furthermore, Sleadd thoroughly emphasizes the importance of practical, student-centered initiatives in his role. With his enthusiasm to pass resolutions catered to specific solutions for student needs, he believes the Student Council can improve its influence while refining its internal structure. We are confident in Sleadd’s leadership to strengthen the Student Council’s productivity.
Akhanous has served on the Student Council since her first year with experience as a representative and Chair of Community Concerns respectively. Motivated by the gap between student needs and the work that Student Council provides, she hopes to prioritize tangible gains for students. Akhanous especially emphasizes her goals to create a more equitable University through housing, dining and student accessibility. Akhanous’ willingness to leverage student voices through collective action is emblematic of her overarching desire to bargain for students as comprehensively as possible, and in doing so, maximize the efficacy of the Student Council. With her advocacy skills and clear commitment to student needs, the Editorial Board is confident in Akhanous’s leadership.
We write these endorsements in a period of significant political polarization on Grounds, where a degree of mistrust characterizes the relationship between administrators and students. Categorically, these candidates represent the qualities necessary to protect Student Council from administrative overreach and to bargain for student interests. While they acknowledge the threat to self-governance, these candidates promise to use their agency as outlined by their platforms to fight it. The Editorial Board is confident that Ng, Travis, Sleadd and Akhanous will continue to work for practical improvements to student life on Grounds through collective action.
The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors, the two Senior Associates and an Opinion Columnist. The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.
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