AS Endorsements 2019: Vote Eleanor Grudin for AS President

The Triton’s Editorial Board endorses Fresh Start candidate Eleanor Grudin for Associated Students of UC San Diego (ASUCSD) President.

Grudin has been involved in student government since her first year, initially as the first Muir College Council Overflow Housing Representative, and now as a Muir College Senator. Grudin’s platform acknowledges the setbacks of ASUCSD and the disconnect between the UCSD administration and the student body.

As AS president, she hopes to keep students in conversation with ASUCSD about their needs, particularly as ongoing expansion leaves many students feeling as if the campus exists to serve future students. A part of this plan is holding the administration accountable. The AS President has the power to regularly meet with UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, and Grudin hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to bring UCSD’s focus back to current students’ issues.

Furthermore, we expect Grudin to engage in constructive student dialogues to inform her policies. For example, Grudin plans to attend the meeting of at least one different student organization every week, including college councils and clubs, in order to remain involved and accessible to the UCSD community.

Building on the work of past AS presidents, Grudin plans to make the UCSD Basic Needs programs a continued top priority. She intends to fundraise by first reaching out to local community members before developing a more permanent system for sustainable funding. Using the platform of AS President, Grudin also hopes to ensure that students’ voices are taken into account in future discussions with administration about budgets and campus-wide plans.

Grudin presents a vision for continued stability and progress on issues such as basic needs and student input. Although she is now the only AS Presidential candidate, The Triton stands by our original decision to endorse Grudin for the 2019 ASUCSD election.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Triton Editorial Board. If you’d like to submit a response, or comment on a different issue affecting the UC community, please submit here.