Kretz is equipped with the institutional knowledge, care and awareness pivotal for a prosperous term as student advocate.
Having been a part of the student advocate’s office, or SAO, since her freshman year and most recently serving as its external chief of staff and conduct caseworker, Kretz possesses the perfect balance of internal and external experience. In addition to having personally counseled and educated more than 250 students on their rights, Kretz currently leads the formation of policy initiatives aimed at injecting equity into campus’s accountability structures.
Kretz is running on three central platforms: university accountability, empowering student success and diversity, equity and inclusion. Transparency about university policies, building systems to pointedly serve students and extending anti-racism efforts represent the keystone of Kretz’s values.
In an interview with The Daily Californian, Kretz was honest about the failings of the SAO. A lack of internal diversity coupled with unexamined data about the drivers of inequitable outcomes such as financial aid allocations and denied DSP requests has centered diversity, equity and inclusion within their platform in a meaningful, attentive way.
Kretz desires to continue the anti-racism initiative in the SAO she kickstarted, as well as furthering partnerships with the Disabled Students’ Program and the African American Student Development Office. Moreover, Kretz hopes to ameliorate leadership and recruitment processes within the ASUC to further promote equity.
It is also vital to note that Kretz is running independently, without ties to any specific communities. This aversion to politics and a genuine desire for honesty and transparency will buoy Kretz’s ability to support students and create a positive culture for their office.
Kretz is running against Ava Moudi, who The Daily Californian was unable to communicate with as of press time. Given the lack of public information about Moudi’s campaign, we are unable to make a definitive statement about the strength of Moudi’s candidacy. However, Kretz’s passion for the SAO’s mission and morals is evident, driving us to be confident that Kretz will heartily and wholly serve the UC Berkeley community.
Vote Ariana Kretz for student advocate.
