What to know before you vote for ASI’s Board of Directors

Jett Palmer

After spending two years on BCSM’s Board of Directors, statistics junior Jett Palmer plans to continue his focus on student wellness as Cal Poly prepares to expand enrollment.

“Cal Poly is seeing growth that’s unprecedented within the CSU system, and we’re fortunate to have that growth,”  Palmer said. “What’s going to be important in the next couple of years is figuring out how to manage an influx of students [and] the integration with [Cal] Maritime effectively, [and] transfer to a semester and year-round operation system.”

Last year on ASI, Palmer authored a resolution that revised Cal Poly’s excusable absence policy to recognize mental health.

Luke Hofstetter

Increased access to Cal Poly’s mental health counseling and food pantry is what biological sciences junior Luke Hofstetter is focused on during his campaign.

“Currently, the only way to access a [mental health counseling] appointment on campus is to call, and for many students with social anxiety, that is a significant barrier for them,” Hofstetter said.

Hofstetter believes he is the most qualified candidate because, as a transfer student, he can “compare and contrast” what works for other institutions.

Bella Santos

Bella Santos, an ASI executive staffer and a public health sophomore, plans to improve student safety, especially for female students at night, and rent control for off-campus housing.

“I’d like to advocate for student safety and in light of recent things that have happened in PCV and on campus in general,” Santos said. “Also, I plan to talk more about rent control in San Luis Obispo. I have a lot of peers who struggle finding housing and struggle paying for housing.”

Santos wants to accomplish these goals by adding more on-campus night lighting and ensuring that student opinions are seen and heard.

Joe Fewel

Running for re-election, biology junior Joe Fewel brings experience in committees related to DEI, academic senate research and the University Union Advisory Board.

“If re-elected, I’ll continue advocating for you, ensuring your voices shape Cal Poly’s decisions, and making sure every Mustang feels supported,” Fewel said. 

Fewel hopes to improve ASI facilities and create more student-forward spaces on campus. 

Jackson Martinez

Making student voices heard to implement practical change is the top priority for political science freshman Jackson Martinez.

“[Change] doesn’t have to be big, it can be small,” Martinez said. “I want to add TVs to Vista Grande; I think they’d be awesome.”

Though Martinez does not have any elected ASI experience, he served on the ASI Executive Staff this year and believes he is a “hard and proactive worker.”

Tanner Schinderle

Political science sophomore Tanner Schinderle hopes to continue the work he began this year as a member of the ASI Executive Cabinet. 

Schinderle prioritizes “being a student advocate as Cal Poly enters an era of mass change, from [Cal] Maritime integration to quarter-to-semester conversions.”

He plans to focus his efforts towards improving access to affordable housing, public transportation and on-campus parking. 

Alyson Engel

In her bid for re-election, Vice Chair for ASI Board of Directors Alyson Engel plans to represent student voices and ease anxiety regarding future changes at Cal Poly.

“A lot of major changes are happening across our campus, such as the [Cal] Maritime integration [and] the semester switch,” said Engel, a political science junior. “It’s important that we have representatives who listen to students’ voices now, and not just those in the future.”

Additionally, Engel plans to ensure ASI continues to support diversity, equity and inclusion.

Hudson Kammerer

As a member of ASI’s Executive Staff, Hudson Kammerer is focused on reducing the cost of campus housing and parking fees on campus, as well as promoting accessible transportation.

“My biggest goal is to connect students with the resources to advocate for themselves,” said Kammerer, a political science sophomore. “I want to be there for students and make sure they have a voice and are protected.”

Improving transparency with students throughout the Cal Maritime integration and transfer to semesters is also important to Kammerer.

Kyle Evans

Kyle Evans, an ASI executive staffer and a political science freshman, plans to promote productive collaboration with student clubs and organizations. 

“I’ve worked thoroughly with campus organizations, administration and clubs,” Evans said. “I work for Cal Poly Campus Dining right now, which enables me to have unique insight into their processes and help people who want to make changes.”

Additionally, he plans to emphasize transparency and sustainability. 

Scott Drouin

The goal of Scott Drouin, a political science junior and ASI’s secretary of accessibility, is to ensure students have safe campus experiences.

“I think for this role, you need passion, consistency and experience, and I bring that all,” Drouin said. “I’m super passionate about this, I’m consistent, and I will continue to bring that consistency.”

If re-elected, Drouin also plans to increase nighttime lighting on campus.

Olivia Cooke

Political science freshman Olivia Cooke wants to provide liberal arts students with more networking opportunities if elected.

“Students who are not going the direct engineering or agribusiness path here at Cal Poly deserve to have a chance to have career fairs and opportunities to really put themselves out there and build that confidence,” Cooke said.

Additionally, Cooke hopes to promote student voices within the college and connect students to more non-traditional career paths and opportunities.

Donya Ahmady

Transparency, inclusion and accessibility are the top priorities for graphic communication freshman Donya Ahmady.

“I want us all to feel included,” Ahmady said. “I think it’s really important to feel like this college belongs to you and you belong in this college.”

Ahmady served as an ASI Executive Staff member this year. She wants to speak up for CLA students and share information about their resources and opportunities.

Ava Marino

Seeking her third term on the Board of Directors, biomedical engineering junior Ava Marino intends to focus on improving transparency and amplifying engineering voices on campus. 

“I strongly look forward to my fourth year, and I would like to be your representative,” Marino said. “I would like to bring as much voice to our students as we can.”

Marino’s main focus includes expanding hours at the Campus Health and Wellbeing center to make healthcare more accessible to students.

Nimisha Thakur

Software engineering freshman Nimisha Thakur’s biggest goal is to increase communication between engineering students and student government. 

“[My goal] is to help be an advocate for any students that may feel like they have certain things holding them back from being as successful as they can be,” Thakur said. “[I would] be there and listen to everyone and act on any propositions students may have.”

Thakur brings experience from her current position as an ASI Executive Staff member. She has worked on various projects, such as improving student voter registration this past fall.

Jacob Larson

Electrical engineering senior Jacob Larson intends to increase communication, representation and accessibility for engineering students.

“I want to increase dialogue between all the engineers,” Larson said. “They’re busy creating, and I think ASI should also be cognizant of their concerns, their wants and their desires.” 

Larson believes that engineering students work and study incredibly hard, and as a representative, he intends to put in the same effort for them. 

Luis Chavez

Civil engineering freshman Luis Chavez brings a year of ASI Executive Staff experience to his Board of Directors bid, especially in researching the needs and wants of the student body. 

“I have been assisting in events to collect data to further improve our campus for current and future students,” he said.

Chavez prioritizes campus safety, especially regarding lights at night, and creating a variety of campus events.

Olivia Short

Seeking a second term on the Board of Directors, environmental management & protection sophomore Olivia Short plans to improving parking, transportation and accessibility on campus.

“I’m an advocate for anything to do with CAFES,” Short said. “I was receiving a lot of feedback about how students have had tension with parking and transportation, so I’ve been actively working with the CAFES Council and CAFES ambassadors to resolve those issues.”

Short is currently authoring legislation to protect undocumented students and those with undocumented family members. 

Joe Aguiar

The number one priority for CAFES Ambassador Joe Aguiar is his fellow students.

“I think another big part of that is unifying the university,” said Aguiar, an agricultural communication junior. “Sometimes it kind of feels like the six colleges are operating independently when really we’re all under one university.”

By collaborating with other academic colleges, Aguiar believes he and the Board of Directors can enhance the student experience and further Cal Poly’s mission of Learn by Doing.

Ashleigh Spragins

Current ASI President Ashleigh Spragins is passionate about making the most out of student-based fees.

“I hope my accessibility as a person and my willingness to speak with students has really made me more transparent,” said Spragins, a business administration junior. “I really try to make myself present in campus-wide events, initiatives and everything of the sort.”

Spragins plans to continue increasing club funding and building student connections. 

Sophie Gunter

Business administration sophomore Sophie Gunter is an advocate for Learn-By-Doing experiences and listening to student voices.

“I think that it’s really important to give everyone a platform and hear everyone’s concerns and needs,” Gunter said. “I just think that’s what makes Cal Poly what it is and more inclusive.”

Gunter intends to advocate for OCOB students’ needs and increase her college’s representation within ASI.

Clark Stafford

In his bid for re-election, architectural engineering sophomore Clark Stafford is emphasizing campus safety and transparency in the cost of attendance.

“I believe I have the experience in writing resolutions and working with other members of the board, as well as my connections to other students in the college, to be the best representative for students,” Stafford said.

Last year, Stafford co-authored a resolution to improve campus lighting, and he wants to continue expanding that to a “wider area of campus.”

Stone Ramage 

Architectural engineering freshman Stone Ramage hopes to increase on-campus dining facility hours and improve options for those with dietary restrictions.

“A lot of people in our college work quite late in the studio and studying, and there’s currently very limited late-night options,” Ramage said. 

Though Ramage does not have experience working on the Board of Directors yet, Ramage believes his work on his high school’s student government makes him qualified for the position.

Bishop-Amer Davis

Architectural engineering freshman Bishop-Amer Davis has two main priorities in his campaign: extending on-campus dining facility hours and better representing Cal Poly’s Black population in DEI initiatives.

“I plan to advocate for extending campus dining hours, which would be about anywhere from four to six additional hours,” Davis said. “Also, DEI never really includes the Black population, and it’s not because that’s their intention, but it’s just really hard with the population being so small.”

Davis believes that by using the experience he gained working with the Student Diversity and Belonging community and the Black Student Union, he can achieve these goals.