CalSERVE Senator Wendy Pacheco introduced the bill Sept. 25 to address cultural insensitivity on campus after the campus fraternity Delta Chi hosted a quinceanera-themed party Sept. 21.

The bill, SB 16, was discussed at Monday’s external committee meeting, where members of both the multicultural and Greek communities gathered to discuss concerns about Delta Chi’s party.

Many members of the campus Latino community said at the meeting that they were upset by party’s theme, which they claimed appropriated Latino culture and mocked Mexican traditions. Members of the Greek community at the committee meeting recognized the concerns about Delta Chi’s behavior.

The bill was amended significantly during the committee meeting after students in the Greek community raised concerns about what they said was harsh language in the bill. Student Action Senator Lauren Week, who is in a sorority, said she felt she was “being attacked” by the language of the bill.

Interfraternity Council President Andrey Kisel also emphasized at the meeting that the bill’s language was especially harsh toward the Greek community.

The amended version of the bill was altered to reflect these concerns and notes that “this incident (at Delta Chi) is not reflective of the individual sentiment of each individual in the Greek community.”

The bill’s title was changed from “A Bill to Censure the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) for the Appropriate of Latin@/Xican@ Culture” to “A Bill Condemning the Negligence of Cultural Awareness within the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC).”

The amended bill addresses more specifically what the ASUC believes it and the Greek community should do to make the Greek community a more “culturally aware body.” According to the bill, Delta Chi will be asked to write a public apology to the Xican@ and Latin@ community, and “cultural awareness training (will) be urged by ASUC for all student organizations on campus.”

The bill calls for the implementation of additional training programs and provisions within the Greek community to increase cultural sensitivity as well as communication and collaboration between the IFC and the UC Berkeley LEAD Center to raise cultural awareness.

“This bill is not about communities of color versus the greek community,” Pacheco said in a statement. “Instead this is the start of a conversation and hopefully a partnership between both communities to not only address the issue at hand but also to create a safe campus environment for everyone.”

Kisel echoed Pacheco’s sentiment that both communities should work together to address the incident at Delta Chi.

“(We) agree that what happened is major issue,” Kisel said. “We don’t want this to be a battle between any two communities.”

After a short senate meeting Wednesday, SB 16 passed without discussion.

“I wasn’t that surprised that it passed, only because there had been a considerable amount of working together with the Greek community and the senators that represent (it),” Pacheco said after the meeting.

Jennie Yoon is the lead student government reporter. Contact her at jyoon@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @jennieyoon_.

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Maliq Nixon left no student group untouched.

A UC Berkeley sophomore and a political activist, Nixon was pronounced dead early Saturday morning at Stebbins Hall, a Northside co-op on Ridge Road where he was living. He was 19.

The cause of death is unknown, according to the Berkeley Police Department.

Since Saturday, there has been an outpouring of condolences on social media and from Nixon’s friends as they recall his infectious spirit.

A history major who friends say was known for his strong convictions and tireless energy, Nixon was active in campus politics. Last year, he volunteered for Cal Berkeley Democrats, interned at the Gender Equity Resource Center and worked on multiple campaigns for the campus political party CalSERVE. This year, he was already hard at work volunteering for CalSERVE Senator Briana Mullen.

“If you were to ask someone if they knew Maliq Nixon, they would know Maliq Nixon,” said CalDems President Sofie Karasek. “He was one of those people who you could bond over knowing. He brought people together just by virtue of being himself.”

Despite having a packed schedule, Nixon made time to enjoy a number of outside interests, according to close friend Ross Cunningham. He was always listening to rap group OFWGKTA, and he loved La Burrita horchatas. He also used to carry a purse — a habit Karasek remembered fondly.

“Even if he wasn’t happy, he’d make sure that other people were,” said UC Berkeley junior Marcel Jones, who knew Nixon through CalSERVE.

Many friends remember Nixon as a captivating orator. His voice would rise in volume as he became more and more engrossed in a debate.

Caitlin Quinn, a CalSERVE senator, said she first took notice of Nixon’s civic engagement before he arrived at UC Berkeley. The incoming freshman was an avid poster on the Class of 2016 Facebook page, where he often engaged in debates. While most freshmen were just settling into the residence halls, Nixon helped Quinn register incoming students to vote.

Cunningham, a UC Berkeley sophomore, also connected with Nixon early in their freshman year. The pair met during Welcome Week and quickly developed a close friendship.

“He lived in his head, often quiet and withdrawn, but he was always willing to talk with you when you’re feeling upset,” Cunningham said in a Facebook message. “He gave so much and expected nothing in return.”

At the time of his death, Nixon was working for Mullen, advocating greater access to mental health services on campus. Mullen said Nixon felt the university “wasn’t doing enough.”

Mullen and others recall Nixon advocating the inclusion of Northside co-ops in the ASUC-sponsored Berkeley redistricting map at a recent ASUC Senate meeting — another issue about which he was vocal.

“He was at every senate, every committee meeting,” Mullen said. “You couldn’t pay most Cal students to sit through those.”

Interim Dean of Students David Surratt said the campus has reached out to Nixon’s family since the death was announced. Plans for a memorial service are pending, Quinn said.

“He was very passionate and very radical, but he would be really really respectful of people that wouldn’t always agree with him,” Quinn said. “And that’s rare. I was really looking forward to seeing where he was going to go.”

Contact Libby Rainey and Savannah Luschei at newsdesk@dailycal.org

Correction(s):
A previous version of this article incorrectly said that Maliq Nixon was a prospective history major. In fact, he was a declared history major.

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This Friday marks about two weeks since the end of one of the most historic ASUC elections in our time at Cal. Finally, our student government leaders are back in class, political opponents are hanging out together at Taco Tuesday and exhausted candidates (including myself) have been rejuvenated by that almost mystical Cal Day energy. ASUC life feels back to normal. But before our newly elected class of ASUC officials takes the reins and the entire election cycle begins again, we have a little reflecting to do. The questions must be asked: How can we consciously learn from the results of this historic election to improve our student government? Where do we go from here?

In my eyes, the answer lies in a respect for party differences and increased collaboration both inside and outside the senate chambers. This year’s senate class achieved many notable (even tripartisan) accomplishments; however, it would be naive to ignore the countless times party egos, power struggles and bloc voting inhibited a productive and inclusive conversation and marginalized communities lacking political power. I firmly believe that next year’s class can do better if they read between the lines of the election results and see that this year’s elections were not simply a victory for CalSERVE or a loss for Student Action. This year’s elections were a wake-up call to our entire student government that elected officials should stand for something more than just a party; the ASUC must represent the under-represented, and parties should focus less on the political game and more on the political collaboration that drives tangible results for students.

A record voter turnout, a mixed-party executive cabinet, and a senate in which no major party holds a majority demonstrate that our student body is ready to move beyond pure party politics. Party and community collaboration will not be easy, but to be successful, the incoming executives and senators from all parties must be willing to proactively work with other parties and communities to accomplish their legislative and advocacy goals.

As SQUELCH!’s candidate for ASUC president, I strived to demonstrate my enthusiasm for cross-community collaboration. If elected, I wanted all students on this campus to know my door was open to them regardless of their party and that I was willing to learn about the issues impacting their communities. From the very start of my campaign, I made it a priority to reach beyond my own communities by participating in multiple town halls, meeting with various community leaders and making my campaign an opportunity to learn about the issues facing all communities at Cal, regardless of the parties they traditionally affiliate with. Despite my narrow loss of the ASUC presidential race, I think SQUELCH!’s efforts to change the discourse regarding Cal’s party politics impacted this year’s election for the better. But this impact will only lead to tangible positive change if our newly elected ASUC officials respond with action to the campus’s call for collaboration.

This cross-party collaboration can take on many different forms. For example, elected officials can increase the number of projects that bring communities together, such as the ASUC Perspectives Showcase, and co-author more legislation. They can work together to create and institutionalize a nonpartisan, multicommunity/organization advisory council to the ASUC. And, most importantly, they can simply ensure that senators have mutual respect for one another during contentious conversations. None of this will be possible until all of the involved parties respect each other’s work and recognize the importance of what they each uniquely contribute to the campus and their respective communities.

Furthermore, increased party collaboration opens up new opportunities for senators and executives to engage directly with communities that are not their own – to build partnerships between constituencies traditionally represented by different parties. And, by doing so, commit to making this university a smaller, more closely knit campus. Next year’s leaders should and must seize this moment.

The bottom line is that Cal’s political parties are not going anywhere, and all of them deserve a seat at the table. While Student Action can’t possibly represent “every student, every year,” it does represent thousands of students, holds 10 out of 25 elected positions and has demonstrated strong leadership over the last few years. CalSERVE may be strictly beholden to a progressive political ideology that excludes some students, but the coalition work it does hold our administration and lawmakers accountable to the diverse community that makes Cal the No. 1 public university in the world.  And, despite much speculation, SQUELCH! is not trying to “squelch” the big parties. Instead, we strive to provide a third-party perspective to the often two-party-dominated ASUC conversation to remind our student leaders that their responsibility lies with the student body, not a party, and to stand for a more productive ASUC. If we can finally accept that a truly representative ASUC is one that incorporates a combination of Student Action, CalSERVE, SQUELCH! and independents, then we can establish a respectful relationship that allows for a more collaborative and productive ASUC.

The composition of next year’s ASUC is not an accident. The incoming elected officials have a responsibility to recognize that they have been given a unique position to foster a drastically more collaborative and less partisan ASUC that can more effectively serve the entire student body. The rhetoric of one party or one community’s political domination at the expense of another is simply counterproductive and must end. During one of the most pivotal moments in the history of higher education – especially in the history of this institution – now more than ever is the time to come together, realize that we all share a passion for this campus and serving our communities, and do the work we were elected to do.

Jason Bellet is an ASUC senator with the SQUELCH! party.

Contact the opinion desk at opinion@dailycal.org or follow us on Twitter: @dailycalopinion.

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SB 158, originally introduced as an alternative to divestment bill SB 160, was authored by SQUELCH! Senator Jason Bellet and Student Action Senator Rafi Lurie. The authors themselves requested that the bill be tabled indefinitely saying that to that the bill’s language had been too watered down in the ASUC’s Committee on University & External Affairs.

“The authors of this bill submitted the bill with certain language and the bill was edited down and edited down,” Lurie said during the meeting. “The language we (originally) put in there is what our community wanted to see. Table this instead of passing some half bill.”

The bill would encourage the ASUC to take financial and political action to help end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recognizing harm inflicted on both side and affirming the right for a Jewish State. The bill would also indicate that the ASUC supports a two state solution.

Lurie maintained that the discussion surrounding the bill would not be laid to rest but instead addressed in a different bill.

Other senators, including CalSERVE Senator Nolan Pack and Student Action Senator George Kadifa, also addressed issues with the bill’s wording.

“I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to passing the bill as it came out of committee, but I am definitely opposed to many of the changes the authors are proposing,” Pack said in an email. “Specifically, the authors are packing the bill with loaded language that implicitly endorses disagreeable policies that may not be obvious at face value.”

Independent Senator Sadia Saifuddin said that that she felt portions of the bill were exclusionary to non-Jewish people living in Israel.

“I was not in support of some of the proposed amendments by the senators because the language was exclusionary by its nature and extraordinarily vague,” Saifuddin said in an email.

Bellet addressed concerns about the language of the bill saying that the bill is grounded in international law and correct in referring to Israel as a Jewish state.

“Jewish people and Palestinian people have a right to self determination,” Bellet said during discussion. “This bill supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.”

CalSERVE senator and ASUC President-elect DeeJay Pepito said she voted against tabling the bill because she felt the discussion while worthwhile, was too short.

“To be clear, Senators who voted yes on SB 160 were more than willing to vote yes on SB 158 also,” Pepito said in an email. “We just wanted a conversation on amendments and language use within its text. I am troubled tonight knowing that the conversation on 158 was so short. This bill deserved time on the Senate floor — the community supporting SB 158 deserved time on the Senate floor.”

Ally Rondoni is the lead student government reporter. Contact her at arondoni@dailycal.org.

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A variety of factors could explain CalSERVE’s ascendance this year. First, a new limit on party spending probably helped to level the playing field for all candidates. To that end, the fact that SQUELCH! departed from its largely satirical past and ran an entirely serious senate slate in addition to nominating a presidential candidate cannot be ignored. This year, SQUELCH! became a legitimate alternative to the two strongest student political parties, providing voters with more diverse choices.

While students saw SQUELCH! and CalSERVE reinventing themselves, Student Action remained unflinchingly static. But CalSERVE’s biggest strength over the other parties was its organization and the caliber of its candidates.

When thousands of students elected CalSERVE candidates to three of the four main executive offices and seven of the 20 senate seats, they voted for a party with a clear set of values. Where Student Action seemed vague and unimaginative, CalSERVE successfully delivered a strong message centered around progressive politics that resonated well with the student body. CalSERVE’s newly elected executives and senators are passionate leaders who will not shy away from taking decisive stances on tough political issues. Students know where they stand.

Yet the CalSERVE elected officials must also be wary of becoming too divisive. Debate around the ASUC Senate’s controversial divestment bill last week has reinforced in students’ minds how easily the campus climate can be strained and fractured. At the same time that they work to uphold their beliefs, the CalSERVE officials — especially the incoming executives — must try to build coalitions among all students.

Similarly, they will be largely responsible for setting the tone for the ASUC’s relationship with incoming chancellor Nicholas Dirks. As promised during the campaign,  they will need to establish a strong connection with Dirks that keeps him visible and accountable to student interests.

The students who voted in the ASUC election spoke loud and clear this year: They supported the promise of a change in leadership. Now, CalSERVE must deliver on its mandate.

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DeeJay Pepito, president-elect from CalSERVE, said her first move will be to continue working to improve campus safety, especially with regard to sexual assault, considering that the ASUC Senate recently passed a bill expressing no confidence in the university’s sexual assault policies.

Pepito said she has already met with with her co-authors on the bill, SB 130, to talk about creating more resources for victims of sexual assault and clarify the reporting process, among other policy changes.

Another big issue Pepito must grapple with as president is that of the campus climate in light of the recent senate vote to divest from companies affiliated with the Israeli military. Grant Fineman, a recently elected senator from SQUELCH!, said the vote “disheartened” many within the Jewish community.

“There’s definitely some rebuilding to be done, especially because some people are not confident about the ASUC,” Fineman said.

As part of this rebuilding process, Pepito said she intends to establish a campus climate department within the ASUC to address these issues and create opportunities for disparate communities to collaborate with one another.

“Regardless of what ‘side’ students might identify with, there were people hurt, and there were people impacted on both sides of the issue,” Pepito said. “We want to stay away from framing this as a one-sided issue. This bill (SB 160) really highlights that there are still problems on our campus. We all need to take responsibility and accountability by taking responsibility for our actions and acknowledging that our words hurt others.”

Pepito will start shadowing current ASUC President Connor Landgraf in the coming weeks.

Executive Vice President-elect Nolan Pack of CalSERVE emphasized that he aims to work closely with the new senatorial class and will meet with senators individually before the end of the semester to build constructive relationships.

“For the past few years, the power dynamic has been such that executives believe they do not have to act at the direction of the senate, and the senate has been reluctant to exercise its power as the final legislative and administrative authority of the ASUC,” Pack said in an email. “Instead, the senate has assigned itself an unreasonable amount of administrative tasks. This has made the senate a structurally inefficient body.”

Pack said he hopes the senate will feel more comfortable in assigning more tasks to the executive slate, which will allow senators more time to work on platforms and community projects.

Valerie Jameson of CalSERVE and Safeena Mecklai of Student Action, academic affairs and external affairs vice presidential-elects respectively, echoed Pack’s sentiments. Both said they look forward to reaching out to the new senators. In the past, Jameson said she has seen a “strong disconnect” between the executive officers and senators.

“It’s twofold,” Jameson said. ”The senators have to keep the executives accountable, and the executives have to be out there and to help them in their ideas.” Along with reaching out to senators, Jameson said she will continue working on her textbook scholarship program.

Although Mecklai was the only Student Action candidate elected to executive office, neither she nor any of the other newly elected executive officials expressed concern over partisanship.

“The four of us want to do what’s best for the student body and are going to work well together,” Mecklai said. “I am not looking to the future as concern but as a challenge. There are a lot of external issues and so much to be done.”

Contact Sophie Ho at sho@dailycal.org.

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The charges were dropped because most of the candidates in question lost their bids for office, so any censures against them would have no effect, according to ASUC Attorney General Hinh Tran.

Petitions were filed last week against the entire Student Action executive slate — presidential candidate Rafi Lurie, executive vice presidential candidate Chen-Chen Huo, academic affairs vice presidential candidate Ryan Kang and Mecklai — for sending unsolicited emails. A petition was also filed against CalSERVE senate candidate Taylor Fugere alleging the same charges.

“According to the Council, censures for losing candidates are not an effective remedy for the violations alleged in my petition,” Tran said in an email. “Although Safeena did win, my office had filed suit against the entire Executive Slate in a single petition, and apparently the Council rejected the petition in its entirety.”

The Judicial Council will assess a separate charge against Mecklai for campaigning in the residence halls at a trial scheduled for May 2 in Unit 1’s Slottman Hall at 8 p.m.

The other candidates were charged with violating Section 12.5 of the election bylaws, which prohibits candidates from sending unsolicited emails.

Had the candidates been found in violation of this section, each would have received one censure. In order to be disqualified from the election, they would need to receive a total of five censures.

According to Student Action party chair Joey Lam, the email in question was sent due to a miscommunication. He said that the executive candidates met other people with the same name and accidentally sent it to the student who made the complaint.

Fugere cited a similar reason, saying one of her staff members accidentally sent the email to the wrong listserv.

Andrea Guzman covers academics and administration. Contact her at aguzman@dailycal.org and on Twitter @guzmanandrea5.

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Tony Zhou/Staff

Change was the buzzword in this year’s ASUC election. Not only did CalSERVE successfully elect its first presidential candidate in four years, but traditionally satirical party SQUELCH! claimed its stake in the campus political scene as a viable third-party contender.

CalSERVE won a majority of the executive slate positions, ending Student Action’s dominant streak of the last few years. Student Action also lost its 11-seat majority within the senate, relinquishing one seat to CalSERVE and the other to SQUELCH!. Notably, the Cooperative Movement party lost its single senatorial seat for the first time in four years.

“I thought that in this election year, more than others, there was the most number of curveballs,” said SQUELCH! party chair and former columnist for The Daily Californian Noah Ickowitz. “It’s the craziest election in the last four years.”

The emergence of SQUELCH! as a serious party is perhaps the largest “curveball” of this election season; its decision to run a nonsatirical slate made it a “driving force” in the campus political arena, according to CalSERVE Communications Coordinator Matthew Enger.

Student Action Party Signatory Joey Lam also emphasized SQUELCH!’s new presence and effect on the election.

“It’s definitely disappointing that we couldn’t repeat the success that we’ve had in previous years,” Lam said. “SQUELCH! having such a strong presence and serious slate definitely had an impact on us this year.”

According to Lam, some of SQUELCH!’s candidates and some from Student Action had mutual friends, which might have split votes during the election.

“I would say that Student Action wasn’t used to be challenged, especially from two strong parties,” Enger said. ”SQUELCH! running a serious slate could seriously encroach on the communities that Student Action usually represents.” He noted that presidential candidates Jason Bellet of SQUELCH! and Rafi Lurie of Student Action were drawing on many of the same communities.

SQUELCH!’s success this year — electing two of its seven senatorial candidates and having its presidential candidate come in second — may not be short-lived, either. Ickowitz said that SQUELCH! intends to continue running as a serious third party, pointing to Bellet’s success as indicative of its ability to elect a candidate to an executive seat.

Parties also had to deal with new spending caps, which meant in some cases redesigning their campaigns. CalSERVE redesigned its spending budget to reduce costs and maximize visibility, Enger said, declining to give specifics on the exact changes.

CalSERVE Elections Coordinator Anais LaVoie attributed CalSERVE’s success to the broadening of its coalition by slating a larger number of candidates from a variety of communities. Along with apportioning funds to amplify its online presence, CalSERVE began running workshops to train candidates in campaigning, recruiting volunteers and maximizing social-media presence, Enger said.

In comparison, Lam said that Student Action’s campaign did not differ dramatically from that of last year. Similar to CalSERVE, Student Action ran a retreat for its candidates to train them as potential senators. Lam said that Student Action aimed to spend its budget as transparently as possible, noting no specific changes from previous years.

LaVoie, however, said she felt that Student Action’s slate was not as strong as in past years.

“When it came down to it, they were complacent, having swept two years in a row,” LaVoie said. “I don’t think they were very ambitious about picking their candidates.”

While Student Action did run a smaller senatorial slate than it did last year, Lam said he believed this year’s slate was just as qualified as any other.

“We slated every single one of our candidates because we always have great belief in them and think they’re going to make great changes,” Lam said. “We pick our students to represent as wide of a community as possible. We did the same this year.”

All party leaders look forward to the next year with high hopes. In particular, Ickowitz said he hopes that the changed makeup of the senate, in which no party has a majority, will force collaboration among senators.

“When parties have to learn to cooperate with each other, it does more than create an atmosphere of collaboration,” Ickowitz said. “The larger diversity in the senate creates an atmosphere of collaboration in the wider Berkeley campus.”

Contact Sophie Ho at sho@dailycal.org.

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Tony Zhou/Staff

Experience the announcement of the 2013 ASUC Election results, as seen from 155 Dwinelle. Read more here.

The post 2013 ASUC Election results appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Tony Zhou/Senior Staff

CalSERVE candidates secured all but one partisan executive position in this year’s ASUC elections.

The crowd that gathered in 155 Dwinelle Hall to watch the results erupted in deafening cheers as CalSERVE not only picked up three executive seats but also obtained seven seats in the ASUC Senate Thursday night. Student Action retained nine seats, and SQUELCH! candidates took two senate seats, with one independent  one additional third-party candidate also being elected.

This year’s election drew a record number of voters, with 15,430 people participating — significantly larger than last year’s turnout of 12,600.

“As soon as the tabulation hit, everyone was telling me ‘you got it, you got it, you got it’, and I was like just ‘wait’ … As soon as that bar went up, all I could think about was the last three years of me being here at Cal and how everything has been so instrumentally placed,” said DeeJay Pepito, who won the presidency, in the aftermath of the results.

CalSERVE candidates Pepito, Nolan Pack and Valerie Jameson took the positions of president, executive vice president and academic affairs vice president, respectively. Student Action candidate Safeena Mecklai won the external affairs vice president position, and Timofey Semenov — an independent endorsed by both Student Action and CalSERVE — took the position of Student Advocate.

“You know you run with a group of people who I’ve literally spent every single day for months and months with, so it’s really heartbreaking to see them not with me because they worked equally as hard as I did, and they deserve it more than anything,” Mecklai said. “I’m excited, nervous, I can’t believe it’s real. I’m stoked — in a really sad way.”

Four propositions — the Class Pass Renewal, the Fossil Fuel Divestment Referendum, the People’s Rights Referendum and the Constitutional Amendment to Improve the ASUC Advocacy Lobby — passed. Results of the health and wellness referendum are pending Judicial Council review.

This is the first time since the 2008-09 academic year that CalSERVE — a progressive coalition party founded in 1984 — has held a majority of executive positions.

“I hope that that drive for positive change will overcome partisanship and no matter the party make-up of the Senate or Executives, lead to a productive, cooperative, and successful year,” Mecklai said in an email before tabulations. “I’m so thankful for the support, words of encouragement, and excited smiles of my peers and friends.”

Nanxi Liu, executive vice president from the Student Action party during the last divided executive slate in 2010-11, said she found that working across party lines made executives more effective and accountable to one other.

“We questioned each others’ work, which encouraged us to think very carefully and diligently about the programs we worked on in our individual offices,” Liu said in an email. “There was also a competitive spirit between the exec offices to do more or do better than the other party’s offices.”

In the senate, CalSERVE secured seven seats, the largest number of seats the party has held since the 2009-10 academic year and one more than its current number.

The CalSERVE senate seats went to Destiny Iwuoma, Justin Kong, Briana Mullen, Wendy Pacheco, Caitlin Quinn, Sevly Snguon and Sean Tan.

“We ran a clean, positive campaign rooted in shared values,” Pack said in an email. “We promoted ambitious and attainable ideas that will improve the student experience at (UC Berkeley), and we presented a bold new vision for the ASUC and the campus.”

Still, Student Action will continue to hold significant sway in the senate, as it has in recent years, with its nine seats to be occupied by candidates Courtney Chow, Katherine Chung, Karen Lee, Sahil Pandya, Liza Raffi, Quinn Z. Shen, Pavan Upadhyayula, Lauren Week and Eric Wu.

Whimsical third-party SQUELCH!, which switched campaign tactics this election season and ran an all-serious senate slate for the first time, secured two seats on the senate with Grant Fineman and Emily Truax. They will be joined by one independent senator, Naweed Mohabbat, and Solomon Nwoche of the newly created Independent Campaign for Common Sense party.

“I think (Pepito is) extremely qualified to be president,” said Jason Bellet, the SQUELCH! presidential candidate. “I have so much love for this school and so much love for everyone involved in the ASUC and all the individuals who put countless hours into this race. No matter what, I think everyone in this room has the same goal in mind: to create the most effective and productive ASUC as possible.”

CalSERVE elections coordinator Anais LaVoie attributed the party’s success this election season to ethical, strategic and values-based campaigns.

“Our strategy was simple: run more candidates to grow the coalition, spend more time training them to be competent campaigners but even more effective elected officials and make the campus believe that CalSERVE is relevant and capable of fulfilling a more influential role in the ASUC,” LaVoie said in an email.

Staff writer Libby Rainey contributed to this report.

Ally Rondoni covers student government. Contact her at arondoni@dailycal.org.

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