Tanner Schinderle always knew he wanted to become ASI president, but it was fall 2025 when he figured out the “why” behind his campaign.
“I just really landed on how I love Cal Poly, and I love the students and the work that I’ve been able to do,” Schinderle said. “This year has been so fulfilling, not only for me, but for the students on campus, and I want to be able to make that impact even bigger.”
Mustang News sat down with Schinderle five times, from before his candidacy was announced to the public to hours after ASI announced he won the election, to gain a clearer window into what the ASI president campaign process looks like behind the scenes. Schinderle ultimately prevailed over business administration junior Caleb Shick, 4,103 votes to 269.
According to Schinderle, the most important requirement to become ASI president is a genuine love for Cal Poly. He credits his admiration for Cal Poly, combined with his two years of leadership in ASI, for fueling his confidence in his decision to run for president.
After the motive behind his mission became clear, Schinderle’s next focus was on building his core team of five people to handle graphics, club communication and outreach planning.
“I picked people who are in ASI because I think it’s really important to understand what the role is, what ASI is and have an understanding of what the mission of the organization is,” Schinderle said.
The work had only just begun after he had formed his core team. Schinderle and his campaign workers landed on “Time for Tanner” as the campaign slogan, paired with a retro theme and clock symbolism. As more tasks ramped up, Schinderle reached out to his professors to discuss his special circumstances regarding his run for ASI president.
“When I created my schedule, I intentionally created a lighter load, so I’m only in 12 units,” Schinderle said.
During active campaigning, Schinderle said he had to “take a step back” from classes to manage the workload. Despite this, Schinderle said he had a midterm to attend two days after he was elected.
“That’ll be super fun,” Schinderle joked.
Once active campaigning started, Schinderle was at his booth, talking to clubs and speaking to students throughout campus for more than 13 hours per day on most days. Schinderle spent the majority of this time speaking with students and listening to their concerns.
“A lot of people didn’t even know voting had opened today,” Schinderle said. “So [we are] making sure people are aware voting’s open; if they haven’t heard about my campaign, making sure that they hear my main platforms, what I’m running on and making sure that they’re educated about their votes.”
In between booths, Schinderle visited 1901 Marketplace, the University Union, the Kennedy Library and various student clubs and organizations to spread the word about his campaign.
While Schinderle emphasized that physically going to students is important, his social media campaign was the main place students interacted with his campaign. Schinderle reserved the “tanner4asi” Instagram username weeks before active campaigning began and kept the account private and blank until then.
However, Schinderle’s social media team had his bio and initial posts prepared well before the account went live. Each week, the campaign team met to plan what would happen next.
“It’s really nice to have another set of eyes to make sure there’s not anything that I’m overlooking,” Schinderle said.
Once the debate rolled around, Schinderle was prepared to share his four pillars in 90-second sound bites. After the debate, he reflected positively on his performance.
“I think debates are super awesome,” Schinderle said. “I’m really glad to be able to have everyone in one space, to be able to talk about both platforms side-by-side.”
Sitting on a concrete bench in the UU just minutes after the debate, Schinderle reflected on the debate process. His main talking points during the debate focused on his campaign points of affordability, resources, community action and student voices. Schinderle noted his leadership in the ASI Grocery Shuttle program as an ASI-led initiative that resonated with the student body and that he wants to continue addressing these needs.
READ MORE: LIVE: ASI Presidential Debate – Mustang News
“There’s a lot of interest in this public transportation system provided by Cal Poly,” Schinderle said. “I think it gives us a direction of, not only ASI, but what the university needs to be providing in terms of resources, which is direct transportation. People don’t want to spend an hour and a half on a bus to grocery stores. In the last week and a half, that has become extra apparent to me.”
Along with the struggles of San Luis Obispo students, Schinderle is tasked with representing students who are physically 200 miles away.
“My goal and my responsibility will be to make sure that the voices of each campus are heard, and that we approach it out of a place of respect for the different cultures of our campuses, and making sure that we’re one school, but with different student needs,” Schinderle said.
As the debate came and went, Schinderle spent hours at his booth each day, speaking with students with varying opinions. Schinderle described this period as a moment of personal growth for him.
“Most of them are going to be nice to you, but you’re always going to, every day, get those not nice comments,” Schinderle said. “You really have to believe in what you’re saying because it can be really easy to fall for the negative things.”
Schinderle said he feels there is a disconnect between ASI’s work and student awareness. During his campaigning, he discovered that some students were still unaware of the free Grocery Shuttle program.
”We want them to know everything we are doing,” Schinderle said. “This is a really cool moment of being able to share all of the things that I’ve been able to do this year, and that ASI has been able to do.”
Schinderle and his team of 35 campaign workers closed out two weeks of what he called “really being at Cal Poly” by winning the election. In the hours after he won, Schinderle expressed immense gratitude to his support system and the student body.
“I’m so lucky to have had so many people who are willing to put in such time and energy into a campaign that wasn’t theirs,” Schinderle said. “You have to be surrounded by people who are going to put in the work.”
Schinderle officially starts his term on the last day of spring quarter, but his work does not stop after the election. His next few weeks involve meetings with Michelle Crawford, ASI executive director, and Marc Cabeliza, ASI president, to appoint a new chief of staff and executive cabinet. As he transitioned into this period, he shared his advice for future candidates running for ASI president.
“You have to go directly to students. You have to meet them where they are,” Schinderle said. “Have a platform that other people can believe in. Be confident in what you’re saying, and more than anything, have love for the people and the place.”
