Candidates for the A.S. President position debated key issues facing SDSU students on March 20, the final day of the Associated Students Debates. A series of other debates took place on March 18-19, and voting is open from Monday, March 24 to Thursday, March 27.
This year, Associated Students had four candidates running for the A.S. President position. As A.S. President, the winning candidate would act as the Chair of the A.S. Board of Directors, overseeing school policies and objectives in addition to being the communicator between the student body and Associated Students. The A.S. President also represents SDSU in the San Diego County Collegiate Council, presenting SDSU student opinions at the county level.
Tajuddin Henry
Henry previously served on the A.S. Board of Directors last semester as Executive Vice President.
During the debate, Henry emphasized the importance of A.S. outreach, specifically at first-year Orientation. In accordance with his candidate statement, Henry hopes to enhance “access to resources, student involvement and open dialogue” by increasing the diversity of A.S. tables at Orientation, enabling students to become familiar with the different facets of A.S. early on in their SDSU careers.
Additionally, Henry pointed out a lack of financial literacy in General Education Courses, which he hopes to implement to ensure students have access to financial resources.
Chris Johnson
Currently, Johnson holds leadership positions in Greek life, specifically as President of Delta Sigma Phi and as President of SDSU’s Interfraternity Council.
Johnson highlighted increasing campus safety during the debate, with hopes of collaborating more frequently with the University and San Diego Police Departments to monitor areas students deems as less safe and increasing police activity on “times of high risk,” according to his candidate statement.
Additionally, Johnson mentioned how separated A.S. is from the student body. He intends to frequently table on campus with coffee, giving students an opportunity to voice their opinions.
Noah Stuart
During the debate Stuart strongly advocated for referendums and transparency to the student body.
In addition to this intent for transparency, Stuart advocated for the use of AI within A.S. operations and increasing accessibility for students, specifically adding a diction mode to the SDSU Safe App.
Kareen Holstrom
Holstrom, who served on the A.S. Board of Directors last semester, has held leadership roles as A.S. Campus Community Commissioner, in Gamma Phi Beta, SDSU Financial Aid and Aztec Shops.
Holstrom stressed the importance of uplifting student voices, noting that there are many flaws within the University Structure.
She mentioned how SDSU continues to become less affordable for students, citing tuition increases, planned parking structure closures and the student success fee, which Holstrom claims only 10% directly supports students, while the remaining 90% goes to other campus programs. Holstrom said she wants to increase student involvement in administrative issues to make sure individual student needs are met.
All students are encouraged to cast their votes by Thursday, March 27.
