On the penultimate day of ASUCI election debates, forums for the single-candidate Internal Vice President (IVP) and Student Programming Commissioner (SPC) elections were held at the Crystal Cove Auditorium on April 8. The forums were conducted by ASUCI Elections Commissioner Nicole Nowak and New University Editor in Chief Skylar Paxton.
IVP candidate Joshua Gonzales, a second-year public health policy and political science major, was the only candidate for IVP who signed up for the debates, prompting the elections commission to change to a forum format. Incumbent IVP Antoine Mbok is also running for the position.
The IVP forum began with Gonzales explaining the changing role of IVP for ASUCI members; he emphasized the importance of efficiency within ASUCI to expedite student services, create worthwhile student experiences and ensure that ASUCI advocacy campaigns are working on behalf of students.
Gonzales shared his understanding of the monetary impacts that the IVP role oversees. Grant allocating commissions such as the Student Programming Funding Board (SPFB) and The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) are all subject to IVP oversight. Gonzales believes his experience as SPFB commissioner will be advantageous for the potential IVP role.
Another qualification that Gonzales noted was his current ASUCI position as Head of Staff for the Office of the President.
Combined with his recent SPFB internal director position, Gonzales said during the forum that these experiences, “are a huge part of the ASUCI IVP office. This is something that is unique to only a couple of people on campus right now.”
Gonzales’ additionally spoke to his work with the upcoming ASUCI bylaw drafts and their current constitution to round out a flurry of IVP qualifications.
When asked about the most important issue currently facing the UCI student body, Gonzales brought attention to the need for proper resource accessibility. He noted that ASUCI and the IVP role should be used to not only improve advertisements of campus resources but to further expand these existing resources.
The following question presented the need for connecting students to these aforementioned resources; in his response, Gonzales mentioned his desire to establish better relationships with UCI’s Registered Campus Organizations (RCO).
“I want to make sure that the IVP has an RCO liaison who is going to work with all of these different campus centers, along with all of the different clubs on campus to see what needs are not being met by ASUCI,” Gonzales said at the forum.
Another crucial oversight of the IVP is the representation of students on different campus advisory boards — for things like the Student Health Insurance Committee, Gonzales believes in having students on these boards that would be directly affected by the committee’s decisions.
“For the [Anteater Recreation Center] (ARC) Advisory Board, I want to make sure that we have students who both use the ARC frequently, so that they know what is needed to add to the ARC, but also those who may not go to the ARC yet because they see that there are gaps in what they need,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales was asked about the initiatives he would advocate for when determining how the Bren Events Center is used, since the IVP role has heavy involvement in the Bren Events Center Advisory Board. Referring once again to his time as SPFB director, he explained the concerns raised by students over the expensive price of renting the Bren.
The initiative, as he proposed, would be to introduce discount prices for campus clubs and even an additional legacy discount for clubs that have already rented the Bren in the past.
The final questions presented to Gonzales pertained to comradery within ASUCI, but he was also asked about the new name and responsibility of the internal vice president, which will now be the “Chair of the Senate.”
“The main job of the Chair of the Senate is ensure that there is order, that motions are heard,” Gonzales said. “Basically, that everyone is following and listening to the Senate rules, and it continues to go through as normal.”
After the Internal Vice Presidential forum, the forum for the Student Programming Commissioner was held for the SPC candidate, second-year biological sciences student Sarah Gagnier.
The SPC role will replace the Student Services Vice President role, which Gagnier addressed in her opening statement.
“The role of SPC is a new one, and I have the new unique opportunity to build a strong and lasting foundation for how student programming will serve the undergraduate community,” Gagnier said at the forum. “At its core, my goal is to to develop a structured, collaborative and student centered commission that expands opportunities for connection and engagement across campus.”
When asked about the newfound responsibilities of the Student Programming Commissioner, Gagnier expressed a desire to center student collaboration for her commission, aiming to strengthen on-campus traditions by creating and improving on several entertainment and recreational opportunities.
Gagnier served as an intern for campus spirit in the Office of Student Services Vice President (SSVP) and currently serves as the co-commissioner for the Student Experience Commission where she supports initiatives such as the winter formal, homecoming and spirit weeks at UCI.
The experience of handling the largest events that UCI hosts has allowed Gagnier to learn many of the skills necessary for a Student Programming Commissioner.
During the forum, Gagnier proposed potential new events that the SPC could undertake while also recommending ways to change current UCI events. Her platform centered around creating community for students on a campus that is not always known for such.
“The events we create are about more than just entertainment. They give students a chance to meet new people, build friendships and celebrate who they are if given the opportunity,” Gagnier said. “I’m committed to building a commission that is organized, collaborative and responsive to the needs of the student body.”
Students can visit elections.uci.edu for more information about candidates’ campaigns, and to participate in the ASUCI general elections starting April 13 at 9 a.m.
Avery Rosas is a Features Editor. He can be reached at rosasaj1@uci.edu.
Edited by Geneses Navarro.
