What the ASI Presidential candidates said at this year’s debate

Ashleigh Spragins: “I’m here to be present, to listen to student needs and take action. I am a business administration major concentrating in qualitative analysis with a statistics minor. With that, I am one of four representatives for the Orfalea College of Business on the ASI Board of Directors, which is the elected voice of the students. Additionally, I have previously worked on the Inter Housing Council, which is the student government for residence halls. Finally, I’m a treasurer for a student organization of over 230 members managing a multi $100,000 budget. I have the operational experience to take on the full responsibilities of this role. I intend on being an ASI president who listens and cares for the students’ needs. Additionally, from me, you can expect monthly e-newsletters and connections. I will be an engaged leader of the student body ready to take on the needs of our campus.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “I initially ran because there are a lot of things that I would like to see changed. One of those is I think we all have an incredible voice here and I feel like some of us are either afraid to take advantage of their voice or don’t know that they have a voice here. I want you all to be heard and I want student feedback. I’m a student just like you and I want to be able to promote student wellbeing here on campus. I was an employee at Vandenberg Space Force Base and I can use that knowledge to help provide student leadership here, club voices and organization activities with the promotion of overall student betterment. I’m proud to be here today in front of you. It was a long, good journey and I’m still going to put that fight for us students here so that our voices may be heard.”

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “I’m running to be your next ASI President. I use she/her pronouns and I’m a third-year business administration student at Cal Poly. My campaign is fostered around community, so I really want to make sure that everyone on campus feels that they have a place on campus where they can thrive and can call home. This means fostering communities that are already on campus, providing resources and support to those who need to come on campus, as well as making sure that these connections between different communities are fostered. With this, I want to promote different communities, focus on sustainability, diversity, tuition, fees and different clubs and communities throughout campus.”

Jordan Schleifer: “I’m running to be your ASI President because I believe that every student deserves the best representation they can get. The ASI President is responsible for representing each and every student and their interests behind closed doors and being a liaison with the professional aspects of the university. You deserve someone who is going to fight for your voice and work for your priorities and not work for their own pet projects. I’m here to offer myself to you as a candidate so that you can choose someone who will represent you in all aspects and foster the community and give the students the support that they deserve.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “Student participation is something that has deeply shifted my college experiences. As someone participating in several organizations on campus, I’ve found that not all of them receive club funding simply because they bank off campus. I want to increase equity of funding for all organizations on campus, specifically for those with historically marginalized student groups. Nobody should be denied resources, as that should be provided to them. I will implement these policies through my previous experience on the ASI Board of Directors by changing these processes, making it equitable for all registered student organizations as ASI is here to support the students. If we’re not funding community engagement on our campus, what are we doing? This also comes with accessibility to club funding. I intend to provide monthly optional training to club leaders to give them these resources and provide them with the knowledge to apply for club funding as well. Both changing policies and providing resources are tangible.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “First off, the change that I would like to make is to create a system of feedback for students, whether it’s either physical or digital boothing, so your feedback is instantaneously heard on issues regarding student engagement and club involvement. I’ll create programs to promote club and organizational growth. This will aim to assist in helping club and community growth as well as include diversity between clubs and events of whatever type they may be. I find this to be very important because feedback is going to be my first and utmost thing that will be heard here in my presidency. Student feedback is the most important tool that I will use within this presidency.” 

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “As ASI President, a vibrant college community and campus-wide activities are extremely important to me. The first thing I would do to increase community is through awareness. I would make sure that all students are aware of everything going on on campus because that’s the first step in making sure that we can uphold this vibrant community. Also, I want to have a centralized place where clubs and organizations can come directly to ASI with one newsletter, little words, to have events so people are aware of when activities are occurring. For those historically marginalized student groups,  I would promote student representation and leadership of students from marginalized groups, and as ASI president I’m able to do that and appoint them. Finally, I want to increase accessibility for students so that everyone is able to participate and join in creating this vibrant college community.” 

Jordan Schleifer: “The ASI President sets the direction that Cal Poly and ASI go in. I want to set a direction that allows all students to get involved and have those transformative core college experiences that are so key to our education. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in the mock trial program and it has taught me so many skills and formed so many relationships. I want to encourage and support instructionally-related activities as well as give clubs a platform to advertise to students beyond just the club fairs. It feels impossible to get your message out and gain new members if you miss that fall club fair. One program I want to implement is having clubs use ASI-supported resources in the University Union throughout the whole year so that they can recruit new members.”

Scott Drouin: “Getting involved on campus has honestly changed my life and given me so much purpose. I found community, great relationships and I think that’s something that everybody at Cal Poly deserves and needs to feel like they belong. As a member of student government, there have been times when legislation has come through that would have affected campus groups, such as student diversity and belonging, that specifically cater to historically marginalized students. There was one such resolution that came through that would have made it extremely difficult for those groups to get social justice program funding, and I voted against that.

The easiest way for students to get involved is just to make it easier to have events. I’m a member of multiple club boards. and I can speak from experience that the amount of red tape and bureaucracy it takes to just host one event is outrageous. It makes it so hard for events to happen, so it makes sense why people aren’t even able to get involved. 10,000 to 12,000 students are involved in clubs on Cal Poly’s campus, which means half of students aren’t. We need to get that number up. I want to see more events like Noel Miller and let’s create more events that bring the community together.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “First off, I’ve gotten to educate myself better on particular issues within Cal Poly as a transfer student. A lot of these things became very apparent and quick for me to see. I’m a sociology major, and within my major classes, a lot of these questions are posed, whether it be theoretical or systematic, and discuss how we can make change related to this topic. Marginalized groups are very important; your voice is crucial to having diversity here on campus. It would be an absolute game-changer to have the voices of all these marginalized groups be heard, and with the promotion of better student voice boothings, we can do that.”

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “For me as ASI President, DEI is extremely important to me and my campaign and everything I do around campus. I would say Cal Poly has done a pretty good job recently trying to increase our DEI and institute it into multiple different foundations and places throughout campus. However, it is not unknown that Cal Poly has been a predominantly white university throughout its history. I would say that DEI is extremely important and one way that I have demonstrated this idea in roles that I have had in the past was when I was a Week of Welcome (WOW) leader. DEI is something that I wasn’t completely aware of before becoming a WOW leader. However, through that and the training that we had to do, DEI was something that we had to make the incoming freshmen aware of. This is an important aspect that I feel could make me a point of contact where people could come to me as a leader and make everyone feel included on campus.”

Jordan Schleifer: “I’ve had the privilege of finding myself in leadership roles around campus in the past. In the mock trial team, I have tried my absolute hardest to foster an inclusive, diverse and supportive community. I hope that the members who have had the experience of being on the mock trial team with me would agree with me. When I was a WOW leader, we started with 38 students in my group, and we ended with 58. I’ve been committed to creating an inclusive culture in everything I do on campus, but I want to build on something I mentioned in my last answer. I want to bring those cultural clubs and communities to the University Union in the public to speak in front of all of you and be visible. I have gone and spoken to many of these communities, and my educational journey is still ongoing.”

Scott Drouin: “ASI is a student voice, and I don’t understand why ASI has not been advocating for justice issues on this campus. I have been talking the talk, I have consistently advocated for DEI in ASI and the Board of Directors, and at times I have been the lone voice advocating for equity. Current ASI leadership over this year has been trying to get rid of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. I fought and I won to keep the committee. As a queer drag queen, there have been times this year on campus where I have not felt safe being myself, and it’s scary. While I understand the free flow of ideas and the purpose of debate and discussion on college campuses, at the end of the day, ASI’s priority is to make sure that civil discourse is not in contradiction with the safety of our students.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “I want to start off by recognizing my position as a cisgender, white woman. I know my goal in my role as ASI president is to serve all of you. I hold these privileged identities, and I am coming here to be present and listen to the student body. One of my goals as ASI president is to build community on our campus. It is impossible to build a community without diversity, equity and most importantly, inclusion. I exist to serve the people as a leader and to support the student body and use my influence in order to amplify that voice. I want to hear from every group and each person on campus. I’ve been meeting with a diverse range of students and groups on campus to learn about how I can support ASI as a president, and I’m confident in my abilities to do this. I want to be that voice for students from our diverse community of backgrounds and identities.”

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “As ASI president, it’s extremely important to me that Cal Poly is not only involved with our own communities within Cal Poly but also in our surrounding local communities. As an individual, it’s in my role and personality to [do] outreach and become involved in the surrounding communities and not just in Cal Poly. I hold many positions within Cal Poly and outside of it, which has given me knowledge of outside communities. Besides my involvement, I would say I would first go and see what a community needs assessment would look like to see what the community would want to see from Cal Poly as well as what Cal Poly would like to see from outer local communities. From there, I would look into internship, mentorship and apprenticeship programs that would give people the opportunity to get involved with those communities outside of Cal Poly. I really want to hear from you guys, your voice, what you would want to see from the local businesses and communities outside of our college campus.”

Jordan Schleifer: “The best advice I’ve ever been given by an attorney was, ‘If you want something, you have to ask for it.” People don’t know what you want unless you go out and make your voice heard to let them know what you need. That’s the job of an advocate. I have been an advocate in this community since I graduated high school. I’m a local, and I have deep ties in this community that allow me to be especially effective. I want to get the students the opportunities that they truly deserve. I don’t think there’s anything that is out of reach as long as you’re willing to put in the time, the effort and the work into accomplishing it. I have spoken and worked with members of the SLO City Council on several occasions. I’ve been involved with several businesses in SLO city. I will make the connections that students need.”

Scott Drouin: “Honestly I think the number one way to bridge the gap between residents and students is by being a good neighbor. It starts when you move into your new house by knocking on your neighbor’s door, introducing yourself and just leading the way with respect. As this deals with community relations, I do want to bring up St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t want St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to leave, but I acknowledge that change must be made in order to keep it. We as students must acknowledge that we must go forward with respect for our community and for our campus, and we must learn how to celebrate our holidays safely. We have to lead the charge, and I know that as a member of the student government External Affairs Committee, I am the best person to do this. I’ve worked with the city, I’ve worked with the campus and I can lead this charge so we can still be college students. Let’s do this and let’s learn to respect our surroundings to celebrate safely.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “To me, this is relying on my team that looks into our community. Understanding what an important role this is, is clear to me. I want to create continuous opportunities to engage with your representatives who communicate with the city, including myself. Providing this opportunity allows the city to believe that this school is valuable to our city as well as the students inside of it. I understand that we’re part of the larger SLO community. It’s important to coexist, but ensure the students are able to participate safely in activities rather than prevent them. I currently work with our representatives on the student community liaison committee which meets with students from our school as well as the city. I’m ready to facilitate that operation as that’s one of the roles of ASI president. I want to make sure that I’m the most fierce advocate for students, and this is something that we currently struggle with within the city. We are voters and taxpayers of our city and we have the opportunity to have an amplified voice within. Our voice matters.”

JT Hernandez: “Cal Poly has a saying, “Learn by Doing.” With me as ASI president, I will do exactly that. I will learn, whether that be from mistakes or from successes, that action is most important. I’m going to take action to do what must need to be done, whether it’s communicating, building the team, or getting the knowledge to learn exactly how I can serve this community and the betterment of students overall. Clubs, organizations, businesses: your voice is what’s going to lead that to happen and I’m going to be here to amplify your voice. This is going to be better for us overall, and it’s of utmost importance to me to make sure that happens.”

Jordan Schleifer: “The focus of my campaign has been on what the students want. The way I built my platform was [by] walking around and talking to members of the student body like you. Whenever somebody told me something that they saw as an issue that they want[ed] to change, I wrote it down on a spreadsheet and I have kept track of every single thing that people have told me.

I want to represent all of you in the ways that you deserve. I have a lot of professional experience being an advocate. I work for an attorney, which requires me to deal with very delicate situations and interpersonal relations every day. As ASI President, I have the skills and the experience to bridge the gaps between the administration and the student body and make sure that your voices are heard and your priorities are prioritized.”

Scott Drouin: “Let’s not lie, I am a loud and very strongly opinionated person. If you know me, a hill I’ll die on is that we don’t need a sequel for every single movie ever, but also that I stand true to my beliefs. I got a couple [of] boos on the last question asking about DEI, but I don’t care. That’s what I believe, that’s what I’m going to do. But as President, I know that my perspective isn’t the only one and I would be naive to think that my ideas are always gonna lie with everybody else’s. I will always go through with integrity; integrity is one of my guiding values and I would not be doing my job with integrity if I wasn’t listening to you and hearing from you. It’s my job to hear your concerns and listen to your priorities because at the end of the day, the role of ASI president and the ASI president’s job is listening to you.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “Building right on what Scott said, it’s absolutely about listening to the students. I want to be here to listen to you and I know that I can do this. I don’t want to speak to you within the four walls of the student government office. I’m here to come out, be in public, booth in the UU or on Dexter so that you have access to me personally. I want to directly work with the students and figure out what issues are most pertinent to us, I’m here to amplify these voices. Personally, I was in Muir Hall last year where there was over $60,000 in damages. I had to advocate within the student government to provide accessible opportunities for students to pay for these fines. This was an unequal opportunity where I was able to work with University Housing to discuss how we could best mediate the situation. I understand that there are students in different situations that I’m going to have to work with. I’m ready for this job. I will prioritize listening to students overall.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “As ASI president, I am going to do better every day. I might not speak as well as my fellow candidates, but one thing I can tell you is I have heart. I wouldn’t be up here today and putting in the effort if I didn’t truly have passion for what I’m acting to do. It’s going to be through learning and it might be through mistakes, but [in] the end, I promise you, under me as ASI president, we will overall find improvement on our campus and your voices will be amplified. Marginal or not, your voice will be heard and we will be better united.”

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “As ASI president, it’s extremely important for me to effectively communicate student concerns and priorities, which is my main priority within my campaign. Within this, that means creating multiple communication channels such [as] anonymous forums, online forums, suggestions, social media, regular meetings and methods where you guys have direct accessibility to me so that your concerns and [the] things that you want to see changed on campus can actually happen and I can give you the ability and the resources to create those changes. With this, I created a forum and I got hundreds of responses from students to see what things they wanted to see changed on campus. I’m actively, as a campaigner, and hopefully your next ASI president, already seeing what you guys want to see changed on campus, and I can make it a priority to make these changes actually happen. I want to be the voice for the people.”

Scott Drouin: “I’m just one person. I definitely could not do this role on my own, it just wouldn’t be feasible. The President appoints an executive cabinet at the beginning of their term that fills out their roles and I will strive to make sure that my cabinet is representative of the vast perspectives that go on this campus. You know, liberal arts, we are a smaller college, we don’t even have our own our own building. There are major and programs out there that just aren’t given the spotlight as much as others and I think that we should hold all of our voices as equal. I think honestly there’s a barrier between [the] student body president and the greater community and I think that just starts and ends with engagement. ASI should be out there more in events and in the community engaging with students at events, at meetings but I also plan to make myself accessible to you with office hours giving you my contact information. If you go to any of my posters anywhere online my phone number, personal phone number and personal email [are] out there. I want to hear from you and get feedback from you.”

Ashleigh Spragins:  “I vow to you that I will be a president working directly with the students; I will work to form an executive cabinet touching all aspects of our student life. I will also serve on the Board of Directors which directly represents all six colleges. I fully intend on working with them to ensure that we are representing the student body best. I know what it’s like to advocate for your college and I want to use my experience to continue doing that for you. I also want to make sure that students are aware of their opportunities through one of my initiatives of ASI transparency. I want them to also have a better relationship with their Club Council so that they can have the best engagement possible. One specific of my campaign is to work with the Provost’s Office. I personally have switched from engineering to business and I’ve gone through the sleepless nights full of anxiety knowing that this may not happen for me and I might not fulfill my dreams here at Cal Poly. It’s not a streamlined process that I want to make much more equitable, accessible and fair. This is just one initiative that I intend on working on with the university. I will speak up for all of you.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “In addressing this issue I’m going to address building [a] team that will have the diverse perspectives required in order to bring in all of these colleges’ perspectives and their needs into action. With this being said, I’m going to take the time to really consider who are to be these representatives within this team. This team is going to be the overall voice of what is representing your different colleges as well as myself on these issues. I’m going to aim to be informed, get the knowledge, get your voices, get your feedback. I want all of these things because it’s going to build a better campus here. It really is. So I cannot reiterate enough: your voices are [the] number one concern.”

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “As ASI president it’s extremely important to me that we focus on these six distinct colleges on campus and that we provide equal opportunity to all these colleges. So college is a place where we obviously want to have a good life while we [are] here and foster communities and have our best possible time in these four years that we have here. However, college is setting us up for our careers and I think there is unequal opportunity within the different colleges. Right now, coming from my perspective, where I’m in the College of Business, OCOB has many opportunities [for] career mentorship and different opportunities within its specific college, which is amazing. However, I want to see these same opportunities within all the other colleges. As ASI president I vow to you that I’m going to make this a priority so that all of the colleges on campus can have equal [opportunities] for their careers, mentorship and all these specific opportunities.”

Jordan Schleifer: “Addressing the unequal opportunities of the colleges is vitally important. But, let’s be honest. The only way for someone like me or any of the other candidates to know about the diverse issues that face students by talking to them. Just two days ago I talked with three architecture students just over there and they told me that one of the issues that they’re facing is that they have to provide their own funds, they have to pay for their own materials on the projects that they build and work on that are required in their classes. That’s a unique issue that I would never know about if I hadn’t had that conversation and I’ve only scratched the surface. If you chose to elect me, the advocacy and and the outreach would not stop. I want to learn all of the concerns and struggles and challenges that face people and all students from every college so that they can be addressed.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “As ASI President, I know that this is a time commitment that I can take on. I currently take on the role of being on the Board of Directors serving about 10 hours a week on top of serving on my executive board for my organization. I know the time commitment that it’s going to take and I’m willing to give up everything to work for this position. I also understand how to manage academics with this heavy workload already. I will be prepared for this role according to the time commitment. I’ve raised my hand to serve the student body on a bad day and I’m here to serve the students that are having an even worse day. My focus is students and a sense of belonging that will come to me through being involved with students. I will be involved in my organizations but my first priority is this campus. I will gain a lot more directly from work from working directly with our community. Additionally, I will use my time over the summer to lower the learning curve and put in the work before my term officially begins. You should expect to hear from me as your president as someone prepared.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “As ASI president I know I have the ability to be here during the times that are needed and required of me. I used to be a commuter of an hour plus distance. I’ve recently moved here specifically to be more active here on campus. I will take the time required to be here on campus. I will attend the meetings, I will do what is needed. I will have office hours. For the voices that need to be heard, time should be available. I will be here with the availability, for that time to be heard, whether it be office hours, whether it be outside of that, wherever it may be, just know that you will be heard.”

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “As ASI president, it is very important to hold skills like organization, planning, clear communication and especially time management. However, luckily these are all skills that I possess. As a full-time college student for the past 3 years, I’ve always had a job. If you guys have a job on top of a full load of classes you understand that your job with extracurriculars is a big time commitment and you need to have the organization and planning skills in order to do that. So, given the fact that I’ve had a job my past three years of college thus far, this already shows that I have these time management and organization skills in order to be the best ASI president possible.”

Jordan Schleifer: “I just want to say a little bit about my schedule. Last quarter, I had the privilege and and opportunity to work for a very successful attorney in Arroyo Grande, I go to work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I come to school I have class from 2 to 4, or 4 to 6 then have club meetings, then I have mock trial from 8 to 10 p.m. I get home at 11. If you were to choose me as your representative, I would leave my job at the at the attorney’s office so that I can focus on you and give the students the attention and care they deserve. But as far as time management goes, that’s not something you’ll have to worry about with me. It helps that the job of the president representing students is something I’m extremely passionate about as a political science major and giving people the representation and zealous advocacy that they deserve. If you choose to elect me, I will work for you 24/7, 365 and it would be a pleasure to do so.”

Scott Drouin: “As a current member of student government, I have been going above and beyond what has been asked of me with regard to time requirements. I’m involved in multiple committees I’ve been involved in volunteer events and initiatives such as Flex Your Right, where I was part of a very small team that got more students registered at Cal Poly than in all of the rest of the CSUs. I’ve also gone to City Council meetings to represent students and I have worked on resolutions to put my money where my mouth is. All the while I’ve been able to put my schoolwork on the back burner, I’ve maintained a 3.95 GPA. Last quarter I was in 17 units [and] got a 4.0 but all the while I’m still able to put 20 hours a week into my ASI engagements. I am ready for this. I am fully committed and enthusiastic to give you all of my time you as a campus and you personally deserve someone who’s ready to give a 110%.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “Firstly, as ASI president I’m going to have a committee that’s going to address groups within campus and that’s going to be their sole purpose, to deal with those particular issues. I will be present on all committees on all related issues that are happening on campus. But I will have the committee put dedication and focus into it. I will take in student feedback I will find out what’s working, and what’s not working and put action into it. I do not want to use words or make promises, I want to just do the actions and hear the voices and get the feedback.” 

Marlena Deleeuw: “I would say disability is obviously a very large focus that I personally want to focus on as ASI president. I think the biggest thing is just figuring out the need for it. So actively talking to people with disabilities and making their voices heard to see where they would like to see resources and support allocated. Actually figuring out a need and not focusing our resources and time on things that are unneeded on campus. Then from there, focusing on accessibility, making sure that I’m actively working with the DRC and places like that to fulfill the needs of people with disabilities.” 

Jordan Schleifer: “A concerned student just in the doorway of 1901 about a month ago told me that they went around and pressed all of those buttons that are supposed to open the door to provide access for people with disabilities and they told me that they were shocked with how many didn’t work. That’s an issue that I wasn’t aware of before I spoke to that person but it’s an issue that those with disabilities deserve to have addressed. But, here’s the catch. That’s more of a facilities issue. ASI doesn’t have direct control over those buttons. But if you elect me, one thing that I will be focusing on is cooperation with different departments. I will be an advocate [for] the venues that have the power to make the changes that we deserve. My cabinet will be dedicated to addressing all of the diverse issues that I’ve learned of, including those that concern students with disabilities, and especially making sure they can get in the door.”

Scott Drouin: “I think this is a really great question and another area where I’ve been putting my money where my mouth is. On the Diversity Inclusion Committee in ASI, I’ve personally worked along my close friend Sydney Lehr,  the ASI Secretary of Accessibility on multiple disability issues on campus, including hopefully [the] new implementation of NaviLens in ASI facilities, which helps visually impaired and low-sight people explore and get around the facilities. We’ve also talked about issues [on] how in ASI and around campus elevators don’t work. Automatic doors haven’t been opening and these are all issues that we have to fix. Also, sensors on campus, [are] not specifically an issue for people with disabilities, but people with darker skin colors, the sensors when washing your hands don’t pick up their skin color and you can’t use the sensors and that’s a big issue. Tomorrow, I’m actually speaking with the Disability Alliance to get their feedback for my campaign, speak with them because these voices are really important to me.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “I believe this is a topic that directly relates [to] my campaign. My three campaign points are ASI transparency, student fees and community.  I’m here to raise awareness through my ASI transparency initiatives. I’m here to put your student fees in the right place, such as putting them into increasing club funding to make sure that these communities are well sponsored. That all leads [to] community. Having a community to support you is what my main goal is. Having this community around accessibility will only raise awareness. I know that my executive cabinet will be sure to make these issues aware and I will advocate for them alongside my cabinet, [whom] I will work with to make sure we have an effective voice together. Our facilities are not all accessible, such as these heavy doors that are inside Vista Grande and I know that that’s something that I want to advocate for. I’m here for the students and I’m here to represent all members of our student body.” 

(Write-in) Marlena Deleeuw: “I would say first, I would like to point it over to Jordan so you discussed how you were a WOW leader at Cal Poly and you talked about inclusivity and how you got more people to join your WOW team.  How do you think that was inclusive to other WOW leaders having extra people join in on your team when it’s equally split between two WOW leaders. So, I think that was a question based on DEI, so talking about specifically diversity and inclusion. Obviously, this is an important aspect we’ve talked about how this is a main priority as ASI president. I think that having people join your team during WOW is slightly unfair just because when you’re a WOW leader, you have extensive training and you’re aimed to make your group as involved as possible and having other people join that group is slightly unfair to the other WOW leaders that put in so much time. Instead of having other people come and join your team, I would say it’s best to be inclusive [of] the people that you were given.”

Jordan Schleifer: “I will respond to my candidate that addressed my group. Really, people were just coming to me and asking if they could join; a lot of them just wanted to be involved and me and my partner said yes. I want to take this time to talk about what the choice means to me and what I think and hope it means to you. Because truthfully, there are a lot of great candidates here. The most important thing is that the students, all of you, get to pick somebody that you believe in and you believe will represent your interests and will put in the time and effort to accomplish all of their goals. Each of us has made several promises on our campaign trails and on our platforms and some of them are very lofty. My own list is exhaustive; every single time somebody tells me about something they want to see changed or improved I put it on the list. What I can promise is that if you elect me, I will be spending every day, every minute working as hard as I can accomplishing as many of those goals as I possibly can. If it’s possible, I will make it happen. But that being said, I can’t promise that each and everything will be done and that honesty is important to me and I hope the other candidates will be that transparent as well.”

Scott Drouin: “I think, similar to Jordan, people have said things that aren’t the sole project they’ve done or promise things that I don’t think ASI is capable of doing. I have not talked about anything I believe that ASI cannot personally do. I know that with a lot of campus engagement, we can get these things done. I just want to give you a quick list of things that have been done by ASI in the past year. We’ve got menstrual pads in bathrooms. We brought back the exec staff. We’re building engagement back from the ground up. We got The UU 24/7 with the library closure. 70 new computers in a computer lab. We opened a new facility, “The Forum.” We’ve expanded the study hours of 1901. I’ve personally been a part of advocating for that. When 1901 first opened it wasn’t open late enough. DSI, [Diverse Students Network], [is] the first event on campus that brings together students of marginalized identities. I’ve been a part of a team that’s registered several hundred voters. That’s really important for engagement as well. We’ve got our second Club Fair. To Jordan’s point, I do believe that we need more opportunities to engage clubs throughout campus. We’ve done that. We got the second Club Fair. And NaviLens, like I mentioned earlier, that’s something we’ve also been doing that’s about to go in. We have resolutions in place, we have been getting stuff done I just want to highlight that nothing that I’ve been saying is anything that I believe or just ideals. These are things I know I can get done and we can work towards together.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “I just wanted to explain that I am here because I know ASI. I’m here because I understand what grasp I have and the reach that I know that it has to the students. I know exactly what we can do and what we cannot do. We can change policy. We can take action. I know that we have these capabilities but I know that some of these promises that candidates have made might be a little lofty for our for our actual capabilities. I’m here because I have tangible ideas. I would have loved to hear that from some of the other candidates. Personally, some of the things that I’ve done are working on mental health policies on campus as well. One of my current endeavors that I’m actively pursuing is on the back of your poly card, you’ll see the long National Suicide Prevention line. I’m working to get that to the 988 line so that everybody knows the 988 as much as they know 911. Additionally, I’ve advocated for Night Safety from Mustang Shuttle or for ASI sponsorship for Mustang Shuttle because that’s something that’s near and dear to me. Moreover, I’ve had Council engagement outside of ASI and I have a good grasp on that this is something that I’d like to see from the other candidates as well but I don’t know if it was exactly shown.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “I think just picking up on that point, I think a lot of great points were made. I think mental health should be a big focus here on campus. I feel like all of us as college students are more susceptible to things like anxiety, possibly depression, things like that. These are things that go unsaid on campus. They may not be visibly shown at face value. I want those resources out there. As you might see, I have a little bit anxiety too and I’m not afraid to show it. It is a real thing that affects people day-to-day in classes. All of the  resources that we have at ASI should be known and available. So with promotion of getting student voices out there, our resources as a university could be better shown to students. With me as president, I will make sure that all those resources that you might not know are accessible to you.”

Jordan Schleifer: “I want to thank you all for taking the time to come out here and and be involved students and be informed voters. As a political science major it’s very important to me, the democratic ideals that make up the foundation of our country. If you choose me to be your representative I will be there for you. I’m going to stick around after this for a while and I hope that if any of you haven’t gotten the chance to meet me and tell me the things and concerns that you want to see changed and improved around campus you’ll consider coming and talking to me. Because I want to make sure that when those doors close and when no one’s there, we’re sure that we’re advocating for the students properly. [You] can trust me to represent you and your interest, not me and my personal pet projects. I want to be there for all of you and I hope that if you choose me, you’ll work with me to make sure that we accomplish all of the goals as a university.”

Scott Drouin: “There’s there’s a lot I want to say, but at the end of the day, we’re all great candidates and we all really want to give back to the school we love. So, choose the person you think is right based [on] passion, commitment and experience. I may not be the most well-spoken person up here, but I think I am the most sincere. My parents met here when they were students, I wouldn’t be here without Cal Poly. Cal Poly’s been my dream school since I was eight years old. I have so much I want to give back to the school and my heart is bursting with love. I hope you can trust me with your vote.”

Ashleigh Spragins: “I’m here to take action for our campus. This is something that I’m capable of doing, I’ve done it in the past and I’m ready for it. I’m here to support that through ASI transparency, making sure you know what’s going on and that you can connect to me. Putting your student fees in the right place, making sure that we have increased club funding so that we can increase our engagement within our community and recruit more members to become [a] part  [of] clubs. Moreover, creating student connections is of utmost importance. That’s something that has changed my experience and I know will change every other person [who] will have accessibility to these options. I have the passion to be your leader and I want to take the action you want from me.”

Julian (JT) Hernandez: “As an ASI president it’s really going to be an “us” rather than a “me.” I want each of you to be able to have a direct line to me. I will be here after we discuss today, on a personal level, if you would like to know what I’m about. It’s more than just public speaking, it’s more than just what I say, it’s about what I do. So give me direct, give me actions, tell me how I can learn from you, rather than the other way around. I’m here because I want to learn, I want to take action and make the community a better place, so help me do that by just getting to know me and give me a chance.”

Marlena Deleeuw: “First of all I just want to thank you all for taking the time to listen to us today. I think it’s pretty obvious after talking to a lot of students on campus that not a lot of people know what ASI student government is. But, I do really want to change that. Going off of what Scott said, my parents also met here and I truly just care about Cal Poly. I care about this campus and the students that are in it. I might not be in ASI and may not know all the specifics and details, but I am ready to learn and I am enthusiastic about being a leader and an advocate and a voice for the students on this campus. I want to make sure that every student on campus feels like they have a place that they can come to. That they are welcome and safe and have a community.”