Sammy Raucher, a UC Berkeley sophomore, is running independently for ASUC Senate on a platform centered around uplifting the queer/trans people of color, or QTPOC, community and promoting external advocacy, as well as improving accessibility and accountability in academics.

Raucher has worked in the office of ASUC Senator Naomi Garcia to spread awareness about the queer/trans+, or QT+, census and affirm the ASUC’s dedication to civil rights. According to Raucher, who is endorsed by the Queer/Trans community, she wants to make sure QTPOC-identifying students’ concerns are addressed.

Her choice to run independently stems from a desire to not compromise her platforms for any party.

“While I am just one queer person at Cal, I believe my ability and desire to listen to and connect with the diverse experiences and needs of the QT+ community will enable me to lead an office that fosters discussion, collaboration, and action,” Raucher said in an email.

Raucher noted that students who are QTPOC experience housing and food insecurity at a much higher rate than other students; therefore, one of her initiatives is ensuring QTPOC have access to basic needs such as secure housing and food.

Working with the campus Basic Needs Center and QT+ organizations, Raucher plans to address this issue by hosting workshops and panels giving guidance on basic needs. She also hopes to expand existing basic needs initiatives, including a winter break housing initiative and safe parking program.

Raucher also noted that there is a “lack of intersectionality” within campus curriculums, including in STEM fields. She expressed the need for UC Berkeley to make sure students learn about the diverse communities their work will impact.

“We hope to work with the AAVP and other Senators to advocate for ethics/social implications classes in STEM majors,” Raucher said in the email. “We believe that students should not graduate Cal without a critical understanding of biomedical racism and bioethics in MCB, or the ways in which design can be racist, ableist, and antihomeless when pursuing a major in Civil Engineering.”

Additionally, Raucher wants to ensure students are able to learn more about LGBTQ+ history and theory both inside and outside of the LGBT minor. She hopes to collaborate with the ASUC academic affairs vice president, or AAVP, to make the minor more accessible by offering a larger quantity of related classes every semester.

Open and receptive to student concerns, Raucher hopes to make tangible change on campus if elected.

“I can answer to the needs of QT+ students and every other student passionate about intersectional approaches to STEM and basic needs security, because I am one of them,” Raucher said in the email. “I genuinely care about the issues, and know that I will serve as an empathetic, strong advocate in the ASUC.”