If elected Weinberg junior Ketica Guter said she will work to build a community that is not for members only.
Guter’s platform is focused largely on community-building — an old standby of ASG elections — but it takes a different slant with her proposal for a Winter Quarter “I Love Northwestern Day.” The event would commemorate the university’s founding, while trying to release students from the lull of a cold winter.
“It would be like the freshmen against the seniors playing Family Feud and the sophomores against the juniors playing Jeopardy,” she said. “And then the winner of both would duke it out for the prize of being the best class of the year.”
Serving as For Members Only coordinator — essentially its president — Guter has functioned as the official spokeswoman for NU’s black community. As coordinator, she played an instrumental role in the restructuring of Multicultural Student Affairs by advocating for the inclusion of students on advisory boards.
“It was a very challenging experience,” she said. “But it was very rewarding. I got to work with a lot of cool students and a lot of cool administrators and that finally made the work worthwhile.”
Guter’s experience is an asset for executive board members of Progressive Alliance because it gives her a foot in the door with administration, said Sarah Levy, who represents The Protest magazine for the alliance.
The Progessive Alliance endorsed Guter’s campaign this week.
“One of our biggest considerations was how much experience each candidate had in other leadership positions, especially with administration,” said Levy, a Medill freshman. “We wanted to make sure that whoever we endorse for president would know who to talk to and how the system works.”
As a freshman Guter worked on successful hate crimes legislation that brought her into contact with ASG and FMO, the black student alliance. Sophomore year she joined the African-American Theater Ensemble, volunteering as its ASG senator and as a stage manager.
Working as a senator gave her a chance to stay involved in politics while still indulging her love of the arts. She said being away from ASG for almost a year is an advantage. She sees herself as an outsider to the ASG establishment.
“Not only that, but I bring a new perspective to ASG, having taken a year off,” Guter said.
FMO is aimed at encouraging unity within NU’s black community and broader campus community through its programming. It coordinates 13 distinct satellite groups, social events and frequently brings speakers to campus .
“The benefit is that I’ve proven my leadership already,” she said. “I’ve proven I can run an organization at the top level.”
Safety concerns also predominate in her agenda, with plans to lobby for more blue phones in Evanston and Marlock keys that could open all of the residence hall entrances.
Reach Jordan Weissmann at [email protected]
