Vice President of Policy candidate
Downtown Devil: What is the one way that you can improve campus?
Sally Lopez Bravo: “Organize how the students’ voices are being heard, essentially getting those students’ opinions and making forums or making an event for students to (become more aware of) student government.”
DD: What is one unique aspect of your skill set that makes you the most qualified for this position?
SLB: “The most important thing that I can contribute to the ticket is that I really have worked on specific things for the students, for instance going to the Capitol and talking about some of the bills that have come out. I have talked to legislators, I am a student organizer with the Arizona Students Association. I have learned how to oversee interns fully, know how to grassroots organize students and really get to know how the number of the students really increase community involvement and bring community engagement to the Downtown campus.”
DD: What is the biggest challenge with this position and how will you address it?
SLB: “The communication at the Downtown campus — if we improve the communication and visibility we can make the Downtown campus a better campus.”
DD: What has been your single biggest success at ASU? How would this translate into your student government position?
SLB: “My biggest success is really being involved with a nonprofit organization, which is the Arizona Students Association. … Knowing what is happening at the Capitol has really helped me know what is going on.”
DD: Address one flaw in the current government and how you intend on fixing it?
SLB: “The biggest flaw is the communication with the students and the student government. They’re lacking the visibility … collaboration or joining coalitions with other organizations will really expand the Downtown campus into a better community.”
Vice President of Services candidate
DD: What is the one way that you can improve campus?
Travis Moore: “I’d like to see more of the campus getting incorporated into the community. … I feel like it can be more of a college town than we give it credit for.”
DD: What is one unique aspect of your skill set that makes you the most qualified for this position?
TM: “I am a great representative of people. … I know how to take representation and get people to take action and compromise and hopefully get people to make the best choices.”
DD: What is the biggest challenge with this position and how will you address it?
TM: “The biggest challenge has to be the work hours to put in … It’s going to be difficult to hold together all the working hours and the work that comes with it but I think with a good work ethic and an attitude that is correct, it can be doable.”
DD: What has been your single biggest success at ASU? How would this translate into your student government position?
TM: “For my Leadership Scholarship Program, each year the freshmen put on a service project somewhere and just last week we initiated our career and college fair for an organization in Mesa known as Sunshine Acres. We raised about $2,500 worth of scholarships for the kids. We let them know that there is more out there than what they realize and get them excited about a career … A big part of (the position) is communicating with other people and communicating with businesses around. For my part in that service project, I had to communicate with other people and persuade them to come out on a Friday night … for the satisfaction that, to these kids, made a difference in their life.”
DD: Address one flaw in the current government and how you intend on fixing it?
TM: “They don’t promote enough what we’re doing. It’s a difficult task and I know that they are doing their best and I know that they have done many different methods, but we need to go directly to these kids a little more and let them know what is going on in the community that USGD is doing so that they can get excited about it.”
Downtown Devil: What is the one way that you can improve campus?
David Bakardjiev: “I would love to see people registering to vote more. We have a few ideas for voter registration. One of our ideas was to make it so that students have a chance to sign up to vote when they sign up for classes.”
DD: What is one unique aspect of your skill set that makes you the most qualified for this position?
DB: “I have lived on this campus since I was a freshman. I definitely know the needs of the downtown population more than probably any other candidate. I know how to specifically cater to the needs of the Downtown campus because I have lived here for so long.”
DD: What is the biggest challenge with this position and how will you address it?
DB: “The biggest challenge is getting students to listen to you sometimes; a lot of students are really busy and to take really new innovative ways to talk … doing a lot of grassroots campaigning, going outside, doing some rallies, we haven’t seen any rallies downtown and that will spark more engagement for students.”
DD: What has been your single biggest success at ASU? How would this translate into your student government position?
DB: “Our Buy Local Be Local campaign has been one big success and that’s because we got the local community involved and we got lots of students to show. … I want to see that tradition; I want to make that a tradition. I want to enhance it.”
DD: Address one flaw in the current government and how you intend on fixing it?
DB: “The one flaw that I see, personally, is accountability. … You can’t just fire people, you can’t just hold their stipends. There has got to be a different way to do it. Right now, how I see it is just changing the system to where there is more incentive to do better, it’s more proportional to the amount of work that you do. So if you do more work, you get paid more, you get more benefits getting your job done correctly.”
Vice President of Services candidate
DD: What is the one way that you can improve campus?
Leighana Moldrem: “The one way that I can improve campus is by building relationships with students and making sure that what they want to do on campus is actually happening and being followed through with.”
DD: What is one unique aspect of your skill set that makes you the most qualified for this position?
LM: “It would be my personable way of being able to communicate with people. I am a pretty bubbly person, people aren’t going to be afraid to come up and talk to me and be able to have a conversation with me because I am just pretty outgoing. But at the same time, I am very prudent and I know how to get things done.”
DD: What is the biggest challenge with this position and how will you address it?
LM: “The biggest challenge is going to be developing and strengthening the (University Spirt, Pride and Tradition committee). I am going to be able to address that pretty well because I actually have been sitting on the universal board since February so I am very aware of the organizational chart and what the greater picture of USPT is. … Finding a simplified and direct way to be able to explain that to people in order for them to understand it will be the biggest challenge but I definitely think that that’s going to be something that we are able to do.”
DD: What has been your single biggest success at ASU? How would this translate into your student government position?
LM: “My biggest success would be working in career services and peer advisor. … Being able to already know students and work with them in career services has been pretty successful for me because I’ve kind of been able to learn what students are looking for on campus.”
DD: Address one flaw in the current government and how you intend on fixing it?
LM: “USGD right now is kind of, in a sense, separated amongst itself. … It’s going to be very important to bring about a sense of family between them because it’s really important to be able to work on and get along with people regardless of disagreements or different opinions. … It’s going to be important to make sure that we are promoting unity with ourselves as well as unity amongst the campus and amongst ASU as a whole. … Being able to bring together the government on the Downtown campus is going to be very helpful as well as working together with the other campuses and their student government.”
Interviews and transcriptions by Domenico Nicosia.
Contact the reporter at domenico.nicosia@asu.edu
