ADVOCACY PLATFORM
The Student Association President plays a crucial role in advocating for the student body on issues that affect student life. I have a strong track record of advocating for causes that are important to students. I worked with H&D to create an all-gender bathroom at Brown and with the Rice Management Company to reinstate the Committee on Investor Responsibility. I collaborated with other College Presidents to strengthen the Diversity Facilitator program, and to provide $2000 in auxiliary funding to the SSI Pantry.
Leveraging my past experiences as Brown President, College Senator, Diversity Facilitator, and SA Environmental Commission Chair, I hope to further my service to the university by serving as Student Association President. As SA President, I aim to pursue the areas of advocacy listed below. While I acknowledge there may be logistical challenges and hurdles in pursuing these goals, I am committed to earnestly pursuing each objective to the best of my ability.
I. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (beyond just the words)
Rice University’s beautiful diversity is one of our greatest strengths. However, for all the things that we’re doing right, there is much room for improvement in how we support minority students.
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During my tenure as College President, I worked on various projects that addressed food insecurity, provided support for FGLI students, and created a more inclusive environment for minority students. My work as a Diversity Facilitator (DF) also taught me invaluable lessons in cultural competency and active listening. As Student Association President, below are areas of advocacy I will pursue to ensure that Rice University can truly feel like home for all students.
1. Addressing food insecurity, creating late-night food options, and providing flexibility for on-campus meal plans
Food insecurity is a growing concern for college students, with nearly 1 in 5 college students nationwide having experienced it. The Student Success Initiatives (SSI) Pantry is an amazing resource on campus that provides non-perishable food items to students in need. I’ve previously worked with the other College Presidents to provide $2000 of auxiliary funding for the SSI Pantry. As SA President, I will advocate for the Pantry to receive an increased (and sustained) budget.
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In addition, I believe that Rice should provide more late-night food options. I am currently assisting the director of H&D with an initiative to install fresh food vending machines in residential buildings. As SA President, I will work to see this project come to fruition while further collaborating with H&D to explore other means of providing late-night food options.
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Finally, I believe it is an undue financial burden to necessitate that all students who wish to live on campus purchase a full meal plan (3-4 meals/day). This lack of flexibility in meal plans is especially difficult for students with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies. As SA President, I will tirelessly advocate for dining changes that allow on-campus students the option to purchase Meal Plan C (2 meals/day).
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2. Strongly supporting the recommendations made by the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice
Rice University is just beginning to reckon with its history. The Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice recently published its final report, containing a list of recommendations the task force urges the university to adopt.
As SA President, I will actively seek avenues of collaboration between the SA, All Black Clubs, and the DEI Office regarding the recommendations in the final report. I will use the SA’s unique platform to strongly support recommendations #4 ~ #8, which pertain most directly to Black students.
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3. Creating a sustained and streamlined funding process for cultural clubs
The various cultural clubs at Rice play a crucial role in creating a vibrant, multicultural environment for students to connect to and learn from. However, the process by which these clubs receive funding is complicated and variable across years. In hosting events, cultural clubs must navigate SAPP funding, initiatives funding, ALFA funding, independent fundraising, and more. Also, most of the funding sources mentioned above are reserved for new events––and cannot be used for annual events that have been proven effective in fostering community.
As SA president, I will work with the Dean’s Office, Student Activities, and Multicultural Center to advocate for a sustained and streamlined funding process for cultural clubs on campus. Cultural clubs deserve the support to plan robust events celebrating Rice’s diversity.
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4. Making sure each residential college can accommodate transgender/GNC students and obtaining blanket tax status for Rice Pride
Many of the older residential colleges do not have the facilities to be able to accommodate transgender/GNC students. Rice University’s current approach is to assign transgender/GNC students to select residential colleges. However, many students only come to understand their gender identity in college, and leaving behind their community and transferring colleges should not be the only option for such students. I am currently working with H&D to create an all-gender bathroom at Brown College.
As SA President, I hope to extend this advocacy campus-wide by collaborating with the SA DEI Commission. Although not every college might be able to accommodate transgender/GNC students to the same extent, I will work to ensure that there are minimum accommodations in place so that transferring is not ever the only option.
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In addition, I will work closely with the SA treasurer to obtain blanket tax status for Rice Pride (following the precedent established by RWRC). Blanket tax status will allow Rice Pride to foster community among queer students with a source of sustained funding.
II. Thoughtful university expansion
In 2021, Rice University announced plans to enlarge its undergraduate student population by 20% by the fall of 2025 (which would total an 80% student body increase over two decades). A larger student body allows for a more diverse and dynamic learning environment. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that the university’s resources and facilities are inadequate to support a rapidly increased student population.
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Throughout my term as a College President, I worked closely with countless administrative departments to champion student interests within their proceedings. As Student Association President, I aim to ensure we can reap the benefits of a larger student body without experiencing the drawbacks.
1. Creating more study spaces on campus (indoors & outdoors)
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Currently, the only non-res college study space available to students for extended hours is Fondren Library. A university of Rice’s size and caliber would benefit greatly from having more than just one central library, to provide various studying environments that can fit every student’s needs.
As SA President, I will collaborate with Fondren and other relevant departments to explore the creation of new dedicated study spaces on campus. As shorter-term fixes, I will advocate to:
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Extend hours of operation and remove swipe restrictions for select academic buildings on either side of campus (O’Connor & Kraft)
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Install more outlets in outdoor spaces to allow for outdoor studying during days with beautiful weather
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2. Developing a plan to make housing quality comparable across residential colleges
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Rice University is building two new residential colleges to accommodate the growing undergraduate population. However, the construction of the new colleges should happen concurrently with the renovation of the older colleges. If Rice University is to maintain our strong residential college culture, housing quality must be comparable across all colleges to ensure that each college represents the university's diversity.
As SA President, I will extend campus-wide the housing equity conversations I have had with H&D and FE&P as Brown President. While it is unrealistic to think that multiple renovation/refurbishment projects will be completed within my term, I will work with relevant departments to collaboratively develop and publicize concrete plans on specific renovations and refurbishments for old residential buildings.
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3. Making sure student-run businesses, QRC/RWRC, and media organizations are prioritized (not merely accounted for) in the RMC redesign
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RMC is the hub of student life, and an RMC rebuild is on the horizon to accommodate an increased student population. The initial design proposed in 2022 compromised student-run businesses and media organizations’ spaces––Pub was to be placed in a food court, Thresher & KTRU in the basement. Although student input was taken, it seems it was an afterthought in the final proposal. Importantly, the proposed student center was also only 15% bigger than the current student center, when the undergraduate student population is 72% greater than what it was at the time of the student center’s construction. The relocation of CCD into the student center makes space allocation even more of a concern.
Luckily, Rice has recently reset the RMC rebuild project, starting from a clean slate. As SA President, I will tirelessly advocate for a student center rebuild that not only accounts for, but prioritizes, the student-run businesses, student support services, and media organizations that play a crucial role in shaping Rice’s culture. I will also advocate for a bigger student center building with a capacity that accommodates the increased student population (especially larger spaces for RWRC & QRC, and a more visible location for the latter).
III. Sustainability & Climate Action
The summer of 2023 was Houston’s hottest since 1969, setting an all-time heat record of 109 degrees. Houston has entered an unprecedented era of extreme heat, and it will only get worse in the years to come. In addition, Houston’s geography makes the city highly vulnerable to floods and flash floods, the latter often disrupting student life on days with heavy rainfall. Rice University must pursue robust climate action and sustainability initiatives in response. Climate change poses an existential threat to life on Earth, and the Houston community, which we are proud to be a part of, is at the forefront of projected climate catastrophes.
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Having served as the SA Environmental Commission Chair for two years, I have worked closely with the Office of Sustainability, H&D, and the Rice Management Company to advocate for sustainable practices. As Student Association President, below are areas of advocacy I will further pursue to ensure that Rice University plays its part in addressing climate change––both for its students and for the greater good.
1. Developing a comprehensive plan of action for reducing Scope 1/2 emissions
Rice University has recently pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030. Although carbon offsets can achieve some immediate impact, we cannot offset our way out of the climate crisis. Our plan for reaching carbon neutrality must also include robust emission reductions.
As SA President, I will work closely with relevant university departments to develop a comprehensive plan for reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (Scope 1: emissions from fuel combustion on campus, Scope 2: emissions from purchased electricity). I will simultaneously advocate for more accessible, smaller-scale changes such as ensuring compliance with Rice’s building temperature policy (so that your classrooms aren’t a walk-in-fridge) while beginning conversations on larger-scale projects such as installing more solar panels on rooftops and conducting energy retrofits on old buildings. Although meaningful emission reductions are beyond the timespan of my term, conversations about them should be elevated and prioritized as soon as possible. The climate crisis will not wait for us.
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2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and Compost)
Waste management is the easiest way for all students to get involved in sustainability. I am currently working with SA Environmental Commission members to install a 24-hour sustainable goods-vending machine in residential spaces (think bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo bars, etc.). As Student Association President, I will work to see this project through.
In addition, I will work with First Year Programs to implement a dedicated and straightforward composting/recycling education program for O-Week. Lastly, I will advocate for H&D to maintain a well-stocked inventory of compostable utensils to reduce mixed messaging on what is compostable and what isn’t.
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