As the largest undergraduate college at Northwestern, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences represents half of Associated Student Government Senate seats available to candidates. Ivani Phillips, Shaik Obaidullah, Leila Armand, Madeline Vartanian, Genesis Hernandez Cabrera, Diana Oliver, Xander Hampton, Carridee Raymundo, Fiza Rohgat, Chloe Zhu, Sophia Tariq and Maeve McGill are competing for the 10 seats.
The 12 candidates highlighted issues closest to them and discussed what they hope to accomplish as senators.
Students can vote for representatives of their own undergraduate school on ’Cats on Campus by Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Candidates not featured include: Leila Armand, Madeline Vartanian, Fiza Rohat, Sophia Tariq and Maeve McGill.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Hernandez Cabrera: The reason I’m running for ASG Senate is I’m a first-generation, low-income student, so I’ve experienced not having the opportunities that most students have. Coming here to a school that’s full of opportunities, I want to be the voice for those who usually are shut down, those ones that want to attend all those student orgs but don’t have the funds for it.
I want there to be more community because I know for me there’s always been difficulty finding a community somewhere. So I hope, especially in Weinberg, that it’s such a big school that I will be able to create something new, create something that will allow for the students to actually enjoy their time here and to be happy in their own community that they find.
The Daily: What are your goals as an ASG Senator?
Hernandez Cabrera: The three main points are power, equity and justice. I want to empower the voices of the students. As a senator, you have that responsibility of listening to a diverse set of opinions, so I want to follow through with that throughout the year. My second point is justice. I want to put justice into action. The main committee that I want to focus on is the Justice and Inclusion Committee. That is also because I’m a Latina woman, so coming from there, I want to make sure that people who are like me — who feel like they’re left out or they aren’t focused or they’re scared of what’s to come in the future — I want to make sure that they receive the justice that they deserve and to maintain that. And then my last point, which is equity: equity for all. Kind of similar to the justice part, especially as senators, when we disperse all of our funds, I want to make sure that everyone receives the same focus and importance.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Hernandez Cabrera: I think what I bring to ASG Senate is my passion. I feel like everyone will probably say that they have the passion to do something, but I feel like, for me, for multiple years, I’ve focused a lot on immigration, on my community, and that passion hasn’t stopped. I’m fueled with it right now as we speak, but I want to continue that. I don’t think it’s dying down anytime soon. Passion to focus on the community that has given endlessly to me and to those students that are trying to continue on their journey and their academics and having a good time: I think that that’s the one thing that I’m excited to bring, and hopefully it can be something different that I can input into ASG.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Hampton: I’m running because I really care about the school community. I did Bridge, and for those first five weeks on campus, I really loved being here. And especially when I transitioned from Bridge into Wildcat Welcome, I saw a life and a color really flourish here on campus. As an ASG Senator, I really want to help keep that spark and that life alive in our students. I feel like through changing certain types of policies through ASG, I’ll be able to make things more enjoyable, and I’ll be able to help improve the student experience at Northwestern.
The Daily: What are your goals as an ASG Senator?
Hampton: I’m particularly passionate about advocating for our (first-generation, low-income) and our international student and person of color communities, as well as our LGBTQ+ communities. Our marginalized communities, I think, are what make Northwestern truly special. I was sitting in the auditorium, and it really came as a shock to me when they said that half of Northwestern (students are) students of color, and I thought, “Wow, that’s amazing.” I was not expecting that coming to this school. I think that we truly have something special here, and that’s something I really want to protect, and that’s a population I really, really want to serve, but I truly want to serve everyone in terms of specific goals and specific actions I want to take.
I know of a lot of student bikers on campus. I’ve also heard that we have a little bit of a bike theft problem. I think it would be great if the University could institute some program to subsidize bike locks to students. Additionally, I’ve noticed from being in the dining halls that there’s a possibility that there’s quite a bit of food waste, and I think (there are a lot of ways) to avoid some of that waste, other than composting that food, it could be allocated to low income residents in Evanston, Chicago, and there’s some program we could institute in that.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Hampton: I would say my willingness to really reach out to someone new, and reach out to someone that may not agree with me, or even be vulnerable to someone that may not even like me, and reach out to them and try to understand their perspective a little bit better. I feel like that’s the reason why I’m here. One of my main goals as an undergraduate student, apart from getting my degree and getting out, is to truly understand the human condition in the most authentic and genuine way. And I think that’s what truly separates me. I truly think that’s one of the goals that I had coming into Northwestern.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Oliver: From what I understand of ASG Senate, they actually have a lot of influence and power at Northwestern, specifically with regards to their connections to the administration. Right now, since everything federally is changing rapidly, I want to be part of that conversation and help the best that I can to keep my peers safe and just have a voice in where Northwestern goes for the next four years.
The Daily: What are your goals as an ASG Senator?
Oliver: As ASG Senator, one of my top goals is probably to — with regards to the financial budget cuts — make sure that whatever the other student body wants doesn’t get cut. And that also extends to (first-generation, low-income) resources, such as (Student Enrichment Services), any of the grants for winter coats and stuff like that. And then secondly would just be to make sure there’s more transparency from the administration with whatever changes they take moving forward.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Oliver: I think what I bring to ASG is an understanding that everybody’s going to have different opinions regarding stuff, and I’m willing to hear any opinions and take feedback on things. Where I came from, I was in a retirement community in Florida, so a lot of the opportunities that I have here now I didn’t have beforehand. I want to make sure that whether it’s rock climbing or something niche like Quiz Bowl, that I don’t understand or have any relation to, people who enjoy those things can still enjoy those things, whether I like them or not.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Phillips: I decided to run for student government because I want to be a bridge for students here at Northwestern. This is a very pivotal juncture now, with the president change and a whole (lot of) other events in the news. I just want to make sure that Northwestern students feel protected. They feel safe.
The main reason for me joining is because I want to truly serve students by protecting free speech. I also want to expand the Books For ’Cats programs for students and increase funding for underrepresented students here on campus.
Also, I want to make this a fun year too because obviously, under the quarter system, there are a lot of pressures, (and there are) mental health services such as (Counseling and Psychological Services). I want to make sure that students understand the resources here. But also that we have more programs catered towards students here, like athletic programs, and that we really make sure that students here have a good experience.
(There was) just a petting zoo here on campus. We have events catered towards underclassmen, but also it’s important to make sure that students have a community here at Northwestern because freshmen or just anyone, any upperclassmen or underclassmen, it’s easy to feel isolated here on campus. I want to make sure that students have a community, and I think that we should do intentional events to really combat that.
The Daily: What are your goals as an ASG Senator?
Phillips: My goal as ASG Senator is really being an ear for students. More than anything, I want to make sure that I respond to students and I’m really thinking about their needs. Like I said, number one, I want to increase funding for students here in different (organizations) on campus. I also want to have more intentional events geared towards students, and I want students to be in the loop about them. I want to make sure that we increase mental health services as well. Those are some of the pivotal things that caused me to be interested in student government as a whole. I want to make Northwestern one united front for students.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Phillips: I bring a perspective of a student that came onto campus understanding the resources, but not truly knowing what to expect. I will truly be an advocate for people who really don’t know what’s going on, people who are clueless in the sense of how to build community. I’m also an advocate for students that don’t have a lot of attention as well and aren’t being seen or heard. I’m an advocate for students who don’t feel safe on campus. That’s the uniqueness and freshness that I bring to Northwestern that I’ll really be intentional about if I serve in student government.
Also, I would say that I’m a hard worker. I know that Northwestern is built with a lot of different hard workers, but I really was intentional about the opportunities I pursued in high school and in college. Actually, over the summer after my freshman year, I interned for my mayor’s governor campaign for Michigan, and I have experience as a secretary here on campus for a dance group.
I think that the main thing that I offer, beyond my experience and oversight serving on the panel of my city, is that I truly care about students. I was in their shoes, and even upperclassmen, I want to make sure that they’re finishing this year strong. My willingness to put in the hours and care about students is what distinguishes me more than anything. You could literally come up to me on the street, tell me what you’re going through and give me perspectives about funding here on campus and any inequities that you find within any majors, and I’ll draft up some policy changes.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Zhu: I’m running for ASG Senate because I want to be involved on campus, specifically with the student government, which I know does a lot of important things.
I’m really interested in being on the Sustainability Committee and working with the other committees in pursuit of Northwestern sustainability goals. Northwestern has aligned a lot of their sustainable development goals with the United Nations. Specifically, they have goals to be carbon neutral by 2050, and the Sustainability Committee and the Senate as a whole does a lot of work to help Northwestern find ways to implement green energy or help them stay on track with these initiatives.
I think that’s really important, and it’s definitely a place where Northwestern can be a leader. I really would like to be involved in that, especially because in high school, I was also involved in a lot of sustainability work, specifically with youth advocacy and then just advocating for ending fossil fuels. It’s pretty encouraging to see that Northwestern is committed to these things but also that I can be a part of it.
Another reason is because I want to promote student wellbeing on campus outside of just environmental goals, being able to create initiatives like having study spaces that aren’t libraries, or more collaborative in a way, or having student events not just in (Wildcat Welcome) or Dillo Day, but throughout the year as well.
The Daily: What are your goals as an ASG Senator?
Zhu: I think some of my goals are just helping Northwestern align with their goals that they set for sustainable development, helping them create a path towards carbon neutrality because they have a timeline for that as well. There’s a lot of ways that can be implemented throughout the school, which is what the student government kind of regulates.
And then also helping out with student wellbeing by promoting events or promoting study spaces or other resources for students. Because I think it is important that every student has an equal opportunity to be able to be healthy and happy, especially at a pretty high pressure school, like Northwestern.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Zhu: I think that’s a hard question because Northwestern is such an amazing place with people who are all really unique and I think really talented in many ways. I think that what I bring, perhaps in a technical way, is just probably a background in environmental policy work.
I’ve worked with nonprofit organizations and other youth groups to advocate for environmental policies and stuff like that. I think working with the school would not be very different from what I’m experienced in.
On a macro-level, being part of ASG Senate is being able to represent what is good for the student body. I think that, not necessarily that I’m super unique in any way, but just that I want to represent how students do want a future for themselves and better wellbeing. Being able to represent their goals in the environmental space and what they want to see in the future is what I would hopefully bring and be able to advocate for.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Raymundo: Well, one of the primary reasons why I’m running for ASG Senate is because I’ve seen firsthand the difference that a passionate and efficient student body of student government can make on a school. One of my greatest involvements throughout high school was working as my school’s diversity chair. I was representing affinity groups and salient identities in a predominantly white and conservative school, so I definitely understand the hope and frustration that comes with advocating for change or visibility in general.
Definitely seeing the impact that that body of organization can make in leaving a constructive process for people who did struggle to understand what diversity meant in that institution. In this case, for example, why I want to run for ASG in this school is because I see many aspects of my high school that remind me of what can be done here. For example, Northwestern is different from other institutions of higher education (because) there’s not that culture where, if you’re not miserable, you’re not doing it right. I want to continue to promote that and work with it as a Weinberg Senator.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Raymundo: I’ve mentioned this in my campaign, but I’ll say it again. One of my forefront missions is supporting people throughout the mental health challenges that can come with seasonal depression. Whether or not you have experienced a Midwest winter, they can hit pretty hard. Recently, because of budget cuts, Northwestern has taken out some of those festivities like the Christmas lights, things that make campus feel more like a home — especially during times that may seem bleak — where it seems easier and easier to just stay in your room and not connect to that community. That’s definitely one part of why, of my goal for Northwestern as a senator.
The other part of that, as I mentioned, was kind of touching on the wide array of goals that people have at Northwestern because it is a very diverse school. There are people here who want their voices heard.
Another part of my platform would be supporting free speech in a constructive manner. I noticed just (during) my time here as a freshman, the intensity of protests and the intensity of passion that students feel about expressing their personal beliefs, and no matter political affiliation or ideology, that can definitely be expressed in a constructive way that doesn’t leave people with a negative idea of what free speech can be. Changing the rhetoric on expressing your opinion and practicing your free speech to be something constructive and positive that anybody can engage with.
I also understand there are people who at this school just want to get through the winter and get through seasonal depression as well. So I want to be able to support people with a wide array of emotions and where they’re coming from.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Raymundo: I do have a lot of experience working with student government, and I also represent salient identities that historically have been underserved. That could be, for example, being Latine, that could be me being Asian American and advocating for (first-generation, low-income) backgrounds.
These parts of my identity are important in what I bring to the table, and they guide the decisions and the thoughts that I bring when we’re thinking about where to allocate funding, especially now, where there’s such a contentious time about what deserves attention, what deserves limited funds and resources.
It’s important to advocate for those groups that can be easily marginalized or overlooked. Essentially, that ties into my goal that through my experience, I understand what it feels like to care and make you the minority, or caring about something makes (your belief) just not a popular opinion. I think that’s also something that I would bring that’s unique to this to the table: making sure that whatever you are going for, you won’t be doing it alone if I’m there.
The Daily: Why are you running for ASG Senate?
Obaidullah: I’m running for ASG because I want to address three important issues that I said. The first one is mental health, and then the second one is social life and the third one is academic life.
The first one is mental health. We have a lot of resources for mental health, but that’s not the only way a student seeks to have mental health counseling, but they need something that they enjoy by themselves — let’s say, playing outdoor games and getting involved in recreational activities. (Also) providing a recreational space. They do have these spaces (but) I don’t think that’s enough for specific things they want to adhere to.
The third thing I want to address is academics because everybody wants to excel in academics, right? Because that’s the most important thing in their life. So we do have the academic sessions where students can join (like the) peer guided programs.
Let’s say a major, they’re struggling (with). A student can talk to one of the trusted people that they feel they can talk to, they can share their problem. That’s why I wanna bring these changes at Northwestern that give his students more reach and then more advantages to grow and excel in their academic and social life and then the professional life.
The Daily: What are your goals as an ASG Senator?
Obaidullah: I think my goal is (for) student voices to be heard at Northwestern. They can give a space where they can enjoy the time and where they feel respected. They’re respected at Northwestern. But still, there are some things that need to be changed and something that needs to be brought towards the students. As I said, social life is not just exploring and meeting with people. It’s a lot more than that. I want to bring that happen at Northwestern and bring a positive change to the Northwestern community.
The Daily: What do you bring to ASG Senate that no one else would?
Obaidullah: As I said before, mental health is most important, and it’s a luxury to have resources at Northwestern that students feel they can enjoy. I’m going to bring to Northwestern, a place to enjoy (student) lifestyle, a place to meet new friends, a game to play where (students) can connect with the new upperclassmen and the lowerclassmen as well.
(Students) can speak to the department, but they can’t give them the permission to play or permission to use the fields. I think, as a senator, if I can bring this change at Northwestern, this will not only be a benefit for the current student, it will also be a benefit for the future student that is going to be coming to Northwestern, and they will appreciate this one.
Email: [email protected]
X: @migtsang
Email: [email protected]
X: @catebouvet
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