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2016 Graduate Students Association platforms

Seven candidates are running for four positions in the 2016 GSA elections.

By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

April 11, 2016 12:27 a.m.

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(Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Jonathan Koch
Running for: President

Platforms:

  • Improve graduate student housing
  • Making the procedure for approving campus fees more democratic
  • Improve sexual harassment policy
  • Improve working conditions for graduate students

Experience:

  • Formerly worked on decreasing class size as a head steward of the UC Academic Workers for a Democratic Union
  • Recording secretary of United Auto Workers Local 2865, a union that represents all teaching assistants, tutors and readers

“The GSA doesn’t have to be an opaque anonymous organization. It can … respond to students and really represent them. But for that to happen, it has to be navigable.”

 

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(Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Michael Skiles
Running for: President

Platforms:

  • Make graduate student housing more affordable
  • Increase graduate student socials
  • Increase access to mental health resources
  • Maintain Kinross Recreation Center, or KREC, until a new gym is open
  • Increase GSA lobbying at the UC level

Experience:

  • GSA representative to the Academic Senate
  • Helped limit the increase of apartment rent to only 2 percent this year, down from a 3 percent minimum increase in previous years
  • Scheduled meetings with assistant vice chancellor of campus life about sustaining KREC as president of the Weyburn and Hilgard Residents’ Association.

“All budget decisions in GSA will be passed by a viewpoint-neutral basis (under my leadership).”

 

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(Miriam Bribiesca/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Ian Coley
Running for: Vice president of internal affairs

Platforms:

  • Focus on code and constitution improvement
  • Increase transparency and accountability, including publishing forum minutes and making funding decisions a more democratic process

Experience:

  • President of the GSA’s Math and Physical Sciences Council
  • Presented student concerns about current GSA President Milan Chatterjee and cabinet transparency
  • Worked on housing affordability and transportation issues with current Vice President of External Affairs Andres Schneider

“I want things to work slower, more thoughtfully, where we don’t vote on everything we see right off the bat, especially having to do with money.”

 

web.news.GSA.IoanIstrate.DA.jpg
(Daniel Alcazar/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Ioan Istrate
Running for: Vice President of Internal Affairs

Platforms:

  • Increase collaboration between graduate schools and build community
  • Increase number of career-focused and social events
  • Work on initiatives, such as maintaining KREC

Experience:

  • Vice president of international student relations in the Anderson Student Association at the UCLA Anderson School of Management
  • Experience in improving student organizations through consulting work

“There is no short supply of issues on campus (to tackle). I want to take a faster, more efficient approach to campus issues.”

 

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(Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Alexandra Latshaw
Running for: Vice president of academic affairs

Platforms:

  • Improve gender and ethnic graduate student diversity
  • Support the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services center with funding
  • Make graduate student housing more affordable

Experience:

  • Secretary of the Weyburn and Hilgard Residents’ Association
  • Co-chair of Women in Physics and Astronomy, a student group that strives for diversity in physics and astronomy

“(Minutes) should be easily available, more than having to seek them out. It’s about bridging the gap between students and GSA.”

 

web.news.GSA.TessArmstrong.DA.jpg
(Daniel Alcazar/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Tess Armstrong
Running for: Vice president of academic affairs

Platforms:

  • Build relationship with teaching assistants’ union and advocate for smaller class sizes and higher pay
  • Increase social events for graduate students
  • Hire mental health clinicians to respond to greater enrollment
  • Improve graduate student access to child care and advocate for maternal and parental leaves

Experience:

  • Treasurer of the Weyburn and Hilgard Residents’ Association, involved in decreasing graduate student housing rate

“We have a lot of underrepresentation for women in science, technology, engineering and math fields. We want them to feel like they have support in STEM fields and not be criticized.”

 

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(Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin senior staff)

 

Andres Schneider
Running for: Vice president of external affairs

Platforms:

  • Maintain KREC until a new gym is open
  • Make graduate student housing more affordable and improve housing transparency
  • Improve transportation for graduate students
  • Build a relationship between UCLA and University of California Student Association
  • Represent UCLA graduate students in UCSA

Experience:

  • Current vice president of external affairs
  • Advocated for the NextBus service for Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus

“(I have a ) motivation to keep participating and engaging in an institution that is important for students in general.”

Contributing reports by Ravija Harjai, Deanna Necula and April Hoang.

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Alejandra Reyes-Velarde | News editor
Reyes is the Daily Bruin's News editor and an Editorial Board member. Previously, she was the Science & Health editor covering research, the UCLA health system and graduate school news. She also writes Arts & Entertainment stories and photographs for the Bruin.
Reyes is the Daily Bruin's News editor and an Editorial Board member. Previously, she was the Science & Health editor covering research, the UCLA health system and graduate school news. She also writes Arts & Entertainment stories and photographs for the Bruin.
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