AS Elections 2016-17: Adán Chávez, VP of External Affairs

Adán Chávez got his start in student activism as a freshman. Rallying against tuition hikes eventually became protesting against anti-immigrant chalkings on campus, and that became working on a committee to ensure funding for undocumented students.

“I think for me, I’ve been really able to see how it’s important to have [activist voices and legislative efforts] in unison and that’s something I’m really hoping to continue weaving in together, because at the end of the day, it’s going to take both to make real change happen at our institution,” Chávez said.

This year, Chávez, a political science and spanish literature major, is running for Vice President of External Affairs on THRIVE. His platform focuses on promoting student activism, involving the community with decisions and actions made by the UC Student Association (the official organizing body of UC students), and lobbying local legislators to improve issues within the UC, like food and housing insecurity.

Specifically, Chávez said one of his goals is to strengthen the relationships A.S. and UCSD have with local legislators to promote more of student voices and concerns when making policy decisions, like finalizing the state budget.

“We’re going to have a slate of local legislators come visit our campus so students can engage with issues locally and legislators are mindful and prioritize student voices in their work and the projects they want to work on,” Chávez said. “Having a connection like this one can have multifaceted positive outcomes. Legislators will be more aware in terms of the student agenda and student concerns.”

Chávez said he has experience bringing statewide campaigns to the UCSD community, which is one of the main goals of his platform. He is the current Associate Vice President of Local Affairs and the former Chief of Staff in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. In his freshman year, he was also the At-Large Representative for the Marshall Student Council.

Within the Office of Local Affairs, he is currently working with a project to formulate a book club at one of the local prisons that would encourage inmates to think of their educational opportunities.

“We’re starting to enable a prison-to-school pipeline,” Chávez said.

But he’s also focused on trying to take the work he’ll be doing with the wider UC system and apply it to life at UCSD.

“In the same way as it’s important to have organizing and legislative efforts, it’s just as important to be able to bring our state-wide campaigns home,” Chávez said. “Based on my experience working with and actualizing the campaigns here, I’m planning on taking these efforts to the next level. I already have experience in doing so.”

He also outlined a few specific goals for supporting student activism on campus. He hopes to work closely with the Statewide Organizing Director of the UCSA to help provide protest-organizing resources to the campus, as well as implementing a Student Activism Project.

“We would get together a cohort of about 20 students who would get exposed to different social justice issues, get exposed to the history of social justice on this campus,” Chávez said. At that point, we will teach this cohort of students the ins and outs of what it is to mobilize, organize, rally, coalition-build.”

He noted his previous experience implementing projects like this within the past year, with his efforts to initiate a political partnership program at the Preuss High School that teaches high school students how to become civically engaged.

“Given the political climate, there’s so much energy. Our job is to facilitate it in a positive direction,” Chávez said. “We see ourselves as being that facilitator. If students need resources, funding, the support of their student government, I want to be that direct connection, so that students have the ability to reach out and garner support.”

Chávez said he has already begun discussions with UCSD Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Retention and Success to work on expanding the resources at the Undocumented Student Services Center. He also plans to meet with the UC Office of the President to work on re-committing funding to undocumented students. He also wants to look into establishing carpool transportation programs, expansion of legal services and “Know Your Rights” events.

“Funding [for] Undocumented Student Services Center will be phasing out soon at a system-wide level, and I want to ensure we are doing everything possible to guarantee that the Center can run and function to the best of its capacity, on our own campus and throughout the University of California,” Chávez said. “I plan on making our undocumented community a priority of mine, and I am committed to continue the work I have done around the Sanctuary UC Initiative on our own-campus.”

Chávez identified himself as a strong believer of true change occurring with efforts from inside and outside of the executive board of AS, a blend of two forms of leadership he says he has experience with during his time on campus.

“Student government [to me] has always been about how we can propel the change that happens outside, given the resources and access we have on student government and how together, at the end of the day, we can make both [inside and outside] efforts a lot stronger,” Chávez said.

“Because really, from my experiences on campus and from the history on campus, change is a collective process… I’m confident that in my four years I’ve been able to bring in both.”

The 2017-18 AS elections are scheduled for April 10 through 14. Polling stations and online voting will close Friday at 4 p.m.

Natasha Vyhovsky is a staff writer for The Triton. Jaz Twersky contributed reporting to this story.