The completion of second semester midterms signals the winding down of a second full year for NYU Shanghai, and with it comes the student government elections for the 2015-2016 school year. With the numerous campaign ads and videos circulating among the school and online Facebook pages, NYU Shanghai’s student government candidates have put their best feet forward in competing for the student body’s votes. But with so much information about the upcoming elections, keeping track of each candidate’s individual position and platform is difficult and confusing. Many of your fellow classmates running for student government positions have generously donated their time to meet with On Century Avenue to offer their insight and clarification. Wesley Livingstone, running for Student Body President, explains his goals if elected. As president, Wesley plans to increase communication within the school, primarily through the use of WeChat and alternate online forums. “The current problem is that not all international students are using the WeChat newsfeed and most of the Chinese students don’t use Facebook religiously. We must be able to effectively get our message across by using an online platform so people can know what is going on at NYUSH." As the only elected freshman on student government, Wesley has established strong connections with NYUSH Class of 2019 and facilitated their transition into the NYUSH community. His competition, Michelle Huang, plans to narrow the gap between the Chinese and international students. “I will unite the NYUSH community by hosting more whole school events which promote people to just enjoy the event and enjoy each other's company. I have noticed that in large events, people tend to be more willing to step out of their comfort zones and talk to other people. I also propose themed events or parties, so we can find common points of unification." Michelle draws her experience from her time as an appointed member of the Student Events Committee, which created the extremely popular Amethyst and Halloween events. The next position being filled in the upcoming election is Director of Internal Affairs. Candidate Steven Yu explains the importance of this position. “In my eyes, the connection between student government and the student body does not exist. I am skilled at speaking with people one on one and care enough about NYUSH that I can establish this connection." Stephen’s competition consists of Haider Ali and Cheryl Li, who were not available for an OCA interview but have published details describing their platform on the NYUSH Facebook page. The competition for Global Director is tough, comprised of candidates Alexandru Grigoras, Sevi Reyes, Lilly Korinek, and Diem Hang Pham. If elected, Alexandru will work to transform all NYU campuses into one seamlessly connected institution. “Right now, NYU is a global network on paper. To be honest, there is a lot of miscommunication. I plan to strengthen NYU’s already existing projects, such as Hack Shanghai, which I contributed to the organization of. I also plan to create new projects which will further unite Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, and New York.” A member of his competition, Lilly Korinek, was inspired to run for Global Director after participating in the Dean’s Service Scholars Program. “Essentially I want to strengthen community service in order to unite NYUSH. I have also spoken with a representative of Abu Dhabi about setting up conferences between our campuses and expanding the OCA global section." Also hoping to win your votes is Sevi Reyes, who is also dedicated to establishing a stronger network between NYUSH and it’s sister campuses in New York and Abu Dhabi. “As a new school, NYUSH is not as connected as it can be. Students here are not connected to students here in New York and Abu Dhabi. The thing about me that makes me feel that the position fits in well with me is I’m really good at connecting people. As Global Director, you have the duty to help your peers establish strong networks in Shanghai and between the NYU campuses." Up next is Director of Student Organizations, with Bill Zheng, Puja Chandramohan, and David Lin competing for the seat. Bill describes his aspirations if elected: “First I want to build a club information center and facilitate the exchange of information. I want to build a platform in which every student can post and every student can see. In this way, students can get the information without many emails. Secondly, I want to promote the club evaluation system. What I want to do is to make sure that those clubs which do well can get more money from our budget, and those who fail to fulfill the promise will get less. Thirdly, I want to establish a platform for club leaders. I want to create a club summit between NYUSH and other top universities in China." His rival, David Lin, explains, “As an activist in various clubs such as the Collective Voice, Tennis club and Badminton club, I have discovered countless potentials to improve club activities. For example, the feedback system need to be improved, and some clubs do not have regular activities for club members. In addition, I am eager to promote the development of new clubs. I have previously worked in this department in my high school, have already helped NYUSH’s tennis club build up connection with other domestic universities, and am a good leader and cooperator." The position of Director of Student Events will fall to either Annie Seaman, Claire Song, or Taylor Smith. Annie sheds some insight on what the position means to her: “I want more participation from all classes, including Study Away students. I hope to bring staff and faculty into events to have everyone together as well. I was an appointed member this year, and I worked on nearly on the events. From working behind the scenes, I learned about what worked and what didn’t work. I can make future events cater more to our school." Last but not least is the position for Senator of the Student Senators Council (SSC). The SSC is a senate comprised of NYU students from all three campuses which meets to discuss and vote on issues relevant to NYU New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. Vying for this position are Kelvin Hu, Jarred Kubas, and Alexander Mayes. The most important characteristic of NYUSH’s future senator is approachability, explains Jarred. “I am qualified for this position because of the relationships I have with my peers. When it comes to personal and day to day relationships and direct discussions, this is my strong suit. The Senate is a team of students representing different sects of NYU and I’m effective in team communication." One of his competition, Alexander Mayes, discusses his plans for the future of NYUSH if elected Senator. “There are a number of things I want to do. Right now, if you go to the NYU New York campus, they’re selling Abu Dhabi and New York merchandise, but not NYU Shanghai. I seek to change that. Additionally, right now, all other NYU campuses use Career Net for internship opportunities, but we use OrgSync. I’ve been in contact with Career Services and we’re already establishing career net as our sole internship site, which is great. We need someone lobbying for our interests in the Senate." With such an ambitious group of candidates, the upcoming elections will certainly be interesting. Even more information about the individual members running can be found on their pages and in their campaign videos. Who will be the future representatives of NYUSH’s student government? The choice is up to you! Happy voting! This article was written by Lizzy LeClaire. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Musa Malik