Before you vote for your ASW candidates for president, vice president, chief justice and clubs president, learn more about the individuals and their platforms. Voting takes place today and tomorrow on Canvas. The following responses were provided to The Forum via email and have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Name: Ben Pok
Candidate for ASW president
Ben is a second-year Honors student triple majoring in pre-law political science, justice studies, and communication. Born and raised in Cambodia, Ben moved to the U.S. at the age of 15 to finish his last year of high school at Juan Diego Catholic High School.
Ben has been a fighter against gender discrimination, sexual assault, domestic violence and corruption ever since he was 13, working as an intern for a non-profit organization in Cambodia, and in governmental affairs.
As president, Ben has worked tirelessly to decrease the divide between ASW and the student body by increasing democratic participation and involvement and increasing both ASW and administration transparency.
Ben has been proud to relentlessly fight for student input on college policies, to advocate for increased funding for student projects and ideas, to stand up for marginalized students and our community, to have played a role in declaring Westminster a Safe Haven and more.
Ben plans to continue and enhance the work he has been doing in three main areas:
1. Diversity and inclusion: Ben will strengthen the role of the ASW Commission on Diversity and Inclusion; create a diversity fund for student initiatives; closely monitor and report the progress made on Westminster’s designation as a Safe Haven; and continue to build relationships with our city and state leaders.
2. Community outreach: Ben will reach out to more businesses for better discounts and deals for students and work with local organizations on service projects and important initiatives.
3. Communication: Ben will work to explore additional features on the ASW app; better ASW Talks and ASW Kickback events; develop a monthly lunch program for students with President Morgan; and create a framework for communication for the administration to relay information to the student body.
Name: Ruslan Mavlanov
Candidate for ASW vice president
Rus is a junior at Westminster College majoring in theatre arts. He is an international student who was born in Russia and is ethnically from Turkmenistan. Rus is very excited and passionate about running this year for vice president. His goals, if elected, are to bring more students into ASW, make campus life more interesting for students with different activities and events, work with the Career Center to help students plan their futures and implement unprecedented energy and sustainability programs. He also feels passionate about protecting minority groups and making sure everyone has the same rights and opportunities no matter what their backgrounds and views are. Besides participating in several clubs, doing community youth projects with the World Citizen club and volunteering at the hospital, Rus enjoys reading books, watching movies, Harry Potter’s wizarding world, playing chess, swimming, drawing and singing.
Name: Sabi Lowder
Candidate for ASW vice president
Sabi Lowder is a second-year student running for ASW Vice President. She is president of the Westminster College Feminist Club, a Title IX student adviser, an Honors student, and a bystander intervention trainer.
She is currently working on establishing a Sexual Assault Peer Support Network to provide and promote advocates on campus and has been working with and loving other social identity groups on campus since she got here. She loves stickers, the color coral, and grassroots organizations. She dislikes the patriarchy, systemic violence and the disconnect between environmentalism and social justice.
Her platform is:
– Fostering relationships between Westminster and the Salt Lake community
– Working with alumni and other on-campus resources to connect students to being active in the larger Salt Lake Community.
– Creating inclusion through collaboration
– Feminism is 4 everyone
– Environmentalism is 4 everyone
– Intersectionality is 4 everyone
– e v e r y o n e
– Ensuring follow-through from the Westminster administration
– Continuation of conversations on issues brought up by students, and holding the administration responsible for how they address these issues.
Name: Bex Kemp
Candidate for ASW chief justice
Bex is a third-year neuroscience and justice studies student, while also devoting her time to the Outdoor Program, Information Services, the Great Salt Lake Institute and the Salt Lake Peer Court. She does all she can to better herself and the communities that she is involved with. Westminster College is the place Bex now calls home and she wants to give back to the community that helped her find the things that matter most.
Platforms:
Transparency, Involvement, and Awareness
· Increasing Transparency within ASW
· Increasing Judicial Council’s Involvement within ASW while keeping neutrality
· Increasing awareness of the Judicial Branch
Name: Grayson Massey
Candidate for ASW chief justice
Grayson is an international business and political science major at Westminster College, where he is also a member of the Honors and Scholars (WestARCHES) programs. In his time at Westminster, he has served in various leadership positions, including two years as a member of ASW.Senate. Grayson has been heavily active in politics, starting his own political consulting company in 2016 and interning for Rep. Rob Bishop in Washington D.C. He hopes to use his experience, connections and involvement on campus to your benefit this year as ASW chief justice.
Platform
• Review constitutionality of all legislation
• Increase GPA requirements to minimum 3.0 for associate justices
• Increase awareness about Judicial Council
• Serve as an appeals board for students
Experience and involvement
• Former high school student body president
• Former ASW first-year senator
• ASW sophomore senator
• Presidential ambassador
• ASW peer mentor
• ASW Finance and Entrepreneurship club
Name: Diana Mavlanova
Candidate for ASW clubs president
My name is Diana, and I’m running for ASW.Clubs president. I’m a junior majoring in nursing. In my free time, I like to go hiking, play violin and swim.
My platform is focused on involving more students in clubs, listening to their ideas and getting a feedback so we can improve our clubs on campus. I noticed that there are a lot of people who don’t even know that we have so many clubs on campus. I want to go out there, talk with other presidents and promote our clubs. If students just go to school and go home and don’t participate in anything, their lives would be so boring. But if they are involved in the clubs, they will be well-rounded and it will help them in their future lives. I believe I can make this happen and I can make a change in students’ lives.
I’m the best candidate for this position because I’m a good leader, I’m responsible and hard working. I’m also involved in three clubs on campus. I’m on the Westminster Spirit Team (dance and cheer), and I’m the only international student among all the candidates [for clubs president]. I work as a lifeguard and a yoga instructor in the Health, Wellness and Athletic Center, I work with the maintenance and athletics department, and I work at the concierge desk. All my jobs help me to be more aware of our campus and its goals!
I’m a transfer student (it’s my third semester at Westminster), and I have been in the student government and a president of Foothill Sports Club at my previous college (Foothill College), which is in Los Altos Hills, California. With my experience, my attitude and my passion, I hope you will consider my candidacy for ASW Clubs President!
Name: Elaine Sheehan
Candidate for ASW clubs president
I am running for ASW.Clubs President because I believe in the power of clubs as a force for positive change on our campus. Not only can clubs support individuals and strengthen the community but clubs can also leave a lasting impression on the wider community, proving that a group of like-minded, passionate students can stand in solidarity ofpurpose to make long lasting change. I feel that, with my skills and previous experience as a campus and club leader, I can help the ASW Clubs body further unlock its potential as this force for change by personalizing the clubs recruitment process to better cater to individual passions, further connecting the community to better take advantage of resources and acknowledging and broadcasting our accomplishments to garner support for the changes we are making. I am dedicated to this cause not just as an individual student but as someone who loves Westminster and knows that I am part of something bigger because I chose to attend this school, get involved in clubs, and run for this office. With your support, I know we can accomplish change on a grassroots level in a world that needs it now more than ever.
