It’s that time of year again, when officer elections are in full swing. That includes those for the executive committee of Case Western Reserve University’s Undergraduate Student Government. While many students only connect with USG through club funding, USG is there to help advocate for students as the liaison between the student body and administration. They play a foundational role in the campus community.
Voting takes place April 9-10, and we strongly encourage all who are reading this to vote—especially those who desire a change. Following interviews with all the candidates (see The Observer’s Instagram for the highlights and YouTube channel for the full interviews), below are the editorial board’s endorsements for this year’s USG elections.
- USG President
The Observer endorses Jin Kim for USG President. We believe Kim will be able to cultivate the change that USG needs. Her desire to proactively collect student opinions is important, particularly with USG’s overrepresentation of pre-health students from the College of Arts and Sciences. By creating student groups targeting different demographics, Kim can ensure that USG decisions take other perspectives into account.
Her experience as vice president of finance and treasurer also provides an important foundation of knowledge about the relationship between the student body and USG.
- Vice President of Communications
The editorial board endorses Khyla Wilson-Hill as vice president of communications. As we have repeatedly emphasized, student engagement is critical to USG’s success, making this role one of the most difficult on the board. We believe Wilson-Hill’s event-planning experience through LGBTQ+ advocacy group oSTEM and self-care club Se-xy, have given her the community-building skills to take on this task.
- Vice President of Finance
The position of vice president of finance is not an easy one. In many ways, it is the most outward facing position on the USG committee, and it means being on the receiving end of student frustration. With one semester under his belt, the sole candidate and incumbent, Shiv Nagajothi, should be able to serve as an excellent vice president of finance. The editorial board also believes his methods to address club inactivity create the right balance between ensuring clubs receive the appropriate funding and providing support to sustain unique student interests.
- Vice President of Academic Affairs
As the incumbent vice president of academic affairs, Selina Sun led the development of the Concern Bulletin Board, a space for students to share academic concerns and feedback, and advocated for clearer student advising tools. If elected, her plans include developing a student-run syllabus database and introducing office hours to expand communication between students and herself. For these reasons, we endorse Sun, the sole candidate for vice president of academic affairs.
- Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion
As the incumbent vice president of diversity and inclusion, Niousha Sima has worked on a wide variety of D&I advocacy, ranging from mentorship programs involving international alumni and students to establishing a central prayer space for students. In a time of increasing encroachment on students’ freedom of speech, she has also worked on developing a Freedom of Expression Student Committee and an Amnesty Resolution. The Observer believes her prior experience will extend to a fruitful second tenure as the VP of D&I, and endorses her for this position.
- Chief Judicial Officer
The Observer endorses Seungyun Hong as Chief Judicial Officer. We believe that Hong will bring the fresh perspective needed to revamp the inner workings of USG. She intends to work with the Judicial Board to increase the approachability of USG’s laws, maintain a safe but open environment for on-campus activities and reevaluate the current, convoluted process required of clubs to gain USG recognition.
While much of Hong’s plan relies on constitutional changes that won’t see action until next year’s elections (as well as the difficult task of convincing the student body to vote), we believe her strong pre-law background demonstrates a conviction for changemaking.
- Vice President of Student Life
The editorial board endorses Ilai Rabinowitz for vice president of student life. Both candidates for the position have strong experience with the student life committee; Hanniel Rudrapati leads the Spirit Task Force, while Rabinowitz currently serves as a subcommittee leader and the current Chief Judicial Officer. However, Rabinowitz’s realistic goals stand out. His pilot project, the Advisory Committee for Student Life, illustrates his understanding of an important issue at CWRU—the disconnect between students and administration. The Observer looks forward to seeing more productive dialogue between students and administration, and tangible results.
Regardless of the outcome of the elections, the editorial board hopes that the candidates remain steadfast in their mission to improve the CWRU experience. All the candidates have shown dedication and a passion that we on the editorial board admire, and we hope that the general student body takes the time to recognize their efforts by voting.