The 2022 Candidates
For President:
Donald ZelayaSlate: Let's A.C.T.
Email: donaldjzelaya@g.ucla.edu Hello Bruins! My name is Donald Zelaya, a Master of Public Policy candidate. This past year, I have served as your GSA Director of Internal Affairs, where I advocated on behalf of graduate students, elevated issues concerning our educational experience, and engaged the university on advancing equity. I am running to be your next GSA President to work towards a better graduate education for all of us. My goals are the following:
Learn more about LET'S A.C.T.
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Noor NakhaeiEmail: noornk@ucla.edu I'm Noor Nakhaei, 3rd year Ph.D. student at the Computer Science department and I'm running as a candidate for GSA president. I am currently the director of campus relations at GSA and board member of EGSA (Engineering Graduate Student Association) and have learned a lot from communicating with my peers and fellow students and our current GSA executive officers. I have listened to the concerns and issues of different student communities and would love to be more involved and expand my responsibilities for representing the entire graduate student body. I am aiming to address the following issues:
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For Vice-President of Internal Affairs:
Adejah TaylorSlate: Let's A.C.T.
Email: adejah.taylor@gmail.com Hello Bruins, I am Adejah Taylor, a PhD student in Social Research and Methodology in the GSEIS, and I am running to represent you as the GSA Vice President of Internal Affairs. For me, this role and responsibility is an opportunity to foster community among graduate students across programs and schools, advocate for affordable graduate housing options and transportation benefits, and pursue greater access to and transparency from university officials on policies and decision-making processes. Through sharing my struggles transitioning to graduate life with others, I learned how common challenges building community, finding campus resources, and navigating university bureaucracy can be for all students. Those stories give voice to my goals as VP. I will continue to listen to accurately represent our collective vision, as I advocate for changes to support and enhance students’ well-being, and create events to foster a sense of community for all. Let's ACT Now, Act Together. Vote Adejah Learn more about LET'S A.C.T.
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For Vice-President of External Affairs:
Jamie Leonard
Email: jamieleonard89605@gmail.com
My name is Jamie Leonard and I am a current 2nd year Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD student running to be your Graduate Student Association (GSA) Vice President (VP) of External Affairs for the 2022 - 2023 academic year. I am the current VP for eGSA (Engineering Graduate Association) and it has been a privilege to plan and execute events for the engineering student body. I also am helping to organize the 2nd annual Women in STEM Conference (WiSTEM) at UCLA to further empower the student population. As the VP of External Affairs next year, I hope to expand my responsibility to represent the entire graduate student body to the University of California Students Association (UCSA), the Academic Senate, and to contribute to state and national lobbying for graduate student interests. It would be nothing short of a privilege to represent the ever-growing diversity at UCLA, and serve my fellow students! |
Ernesto Arciniega
Email: e.arciniega@ucla.edu
My name is Ernesto Arciniega, a proud Mexican immigrant and sixth year PhD candidate in Hispanic Literatures, and I am running to be your VP of External Affairs! My platform advocates for:
As student leader I have achieved different goals:
VOTE for ERNESTO and keep UCLA MOVING FORWARD!!! |
Danny Ying
Slate: Let's A.C.T.
Email: dannyduoying@gmail.com Let’s A.C.T., Bruins! My name is DuoDuo(Danny) Ying, a master’s student from the Statistics Department. I’m running for your 2022-2023 V.P. – External Affairs. Graduate school can be difficult. With research, projects, and life in general, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, isolated, and restricted from resources. As your E.V.P., my goal is to advocate for your well-being, experience, and sense of belonging through A.C.T.:
Bruins: Act with evidence; Act with impact; Act with trust. Let's Act Now; Let's Act Together! Learn more about LET'S A.C.T.
Follow Danny on Social Media
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For Vice-President of Academic Affairs:
Sonya BrooksEmail: brooks@g.ucla.edu As we lie within an ever-changing social and academic landscape, the need for a shift has come—a shift towards democracy! As your next GSA Vice President of Academic Affairs, I plan to highlight the voice of the graduate student and ensure a robust representation on the Academic Senate. Given my experience as a scholar and an advocate, I am just that much more committed to this position. Thus, I will be part of the vanguard who listens and acts according to the needs and the voice of graduate students. No one has a right to our voice nor our vote, so let both be heard when you vote for Sonya Brooks, your next GSA Vice President of Academic Affairs. |
Priyanka SigarEmail: priyasigar95@g.ucla.edu Hi Bruins, It is my great pleasure and duty to run to serve as your VP of Academic Affairs. I am Priyanka Sigar, a 1st year PhD in the Psychiatry and Biobehavioral sciences. Being an international student, I greatly appreciate this opportunity to bring about changes in our academic system to make it home for international students. I am working as Career Liaison in Biological sciences council. I have created newsletters for career opportunities and for the upcoming quarter, I intend to organize events to promote inter-departmental collaborations. My goals for upcoming year are: 1. Mitigate GRE as an admission criterion to promote underprivileged students. 2. Improve Professional Mentorship training for faculties to develop a healthy work environment. 3. Develop Work/Life programs in areas such as maternity/child-rearing leave, career reviews, stop-the-clock policies. Vote for Priyanka, to sail through your grad program with a smile! Follow Priyanka on Social Media
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Candace WangSlate: Let's A.C.T.
Email: candacewang@mednet.ucla.edu I am Candace Wang and am running again for VPAA. I took over mid-term and have since advocated for student campus life, safety, security, and administrative transparency. Students suffered because of CAE understaffing, and after communicating/advocating with the administration, four more CAE staff members were hired. To address COVID concerns surrounding the Return-to-Campus Spring plan, a new office was created to handle case-by-case needs of students who require adjustments (non-CAE accommodations). After UCLA’s high-level threat, I advocated for transparency, trust-building, and administrative improvements due to poor campus communication. Consequently, the Threat Response Task Force was created to review and revise future protocols. Additionally, I am currently advocating for a referendum to refund out-of-pocket NRST funds to international students who were affected by COVID-related policies. I want to keep representing so that I can Advocate, improve Campus life, and better Transportation and Transparency (ACT) for all. So ACT now, UCLA. Learn more about LET'S A.C.T.
Follow Candace on Social Media
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2022 Referendum
GSA GRADUATE OPPORTUNITY AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE (GOLD) REFERENDUM
Shall the Graduate Students Association (GSA) increase the GSA Fee to support and expand student programming and services, increase GSA capacity, and strengthen graduate voices at UCLA by $2 per quarter (or $3 per semester), effective Fall 2022, and subject to an annual $2.00 increase (or $3.00 increase for semester programs excluding summer sessions ) through AY 2025-2026 with inflationary adjustments thereafter?
The current level of the GSA Fee (“base fee”) is $12.75 per quarter (or $19.13 per semester) and will increase to $20.75 per quarter (or $31.13 per semester) in AY 2025-26. By the fourth year, the GSA Fee will have increased by $8.00 per quarter (or $12.00 per semester). Allocation of the fee increase is described in the supplemental information here. Per University of California policy, 25% of the fee increase will be returned to students in the form of graduate financial aid (Return-to-Aid). The remaining portion (75%) of the fee increase will be evenly split (37.5%) and allocated between the student government Academic Councils and the student government Central Office.
The fee increase portion of the GSA Fee - $8.00 per quarter (or $12.00 per semester) in AY 2025-26 - shall thereafter be adjusted for inflation annually starting Fall 2026 based on the LA County Consumer Price Index (CPI) as determined by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
YES __________
NO __________
Shall the Graduate Students Association (GSA) increase the GSA Fee to support and expand student programming and services, increase GSA capacity, and strengthen graduate voices at UCLA by $2 per quarter (or $3 per semester), effective Fall 2022, and subject to an annual $2.00 increase (or $3.00 increase for semester programs excluding summer sessions ) through AY 2025-2026 with inflationary adjustments thereafter?
The current level of the GSA Fee (“base fee”) is $12.75 per quarter (or $19.13 per semester) and will increase to $20.75 per quarter (or $31.13 per semester) in AY 2025-26. By the fourth year, the GSA Fee will have increased by $8.00 per quarter (or $12.00 per semester). Allocation of the fee increase is described in the supplemental information here. Per University of California policy, 25% of the fee increase will be returned to students in the form of graduate financial aid (Return-to-Aid). The remaining portion (75%) of the fee increase will be evenly split (37.5%) and allocated between the student government Academic Councils and the student government Central Office.
The fee increase portion of the GSA Fee - $8.00 per quarter (or $12.00 per semester) in AY 2025-26 - shall thereafter be adjusted for inflation annually starting Fall 2026 based on the LA County Consumer Price Index (CPI) as determined by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
YES __________
NO __________
The GSA Elections Board looks forward to working with the UCLA graduate student community to make this election season a success. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns at elections@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu.
Elections Commissioner / Attorney General
Akash Deep Singh he/him/his 3rd Year PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering My secret talent is... "The ability to nap whenever I want." Committees:
elections@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu |
Elections Commitee1 Representative per Academic Council
2 Representatives from the Student Interest Board |
ImpartialityThe Elections Commissioner is a director position within GSA that does not report to any elected officer. Further, by taking on the role of Elections Commissioner, the graduate student commits to not participating in the election they organize. They cannot run for office and cannot submit a referendum for the student body to vote on.
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