Two undergraduate students, junior Nicole Kang and sophomore Brian Nakhaimousa, are running for the position of Associated Student Body President. Elections will be held Tuesday and Wednesday. All undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to vote at vote.tulane.edu.

ASB is the organization which oversees Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Association. The ASB president serves as the chief student representative to Tulane administration and is a member of the University Senate, the policy-making body of the administration.

Below are the platforms submitted by the candidates to the ASB Elections Committee. The student elected will succeed current president Chris Halbohn in March.

Junior Nicole Kang

My name is Nicole, and I am running for the office of Associate Student Body President. I am a junior and plan to graduate with a major in neuroscience and a minor in psychology. I am currently a Resident Advisor in Butler [House] and will be working as a Housing Services Coordinator in Warren [House] next year. I am involved in Greek life and love being part of the Tulane community.

I am interested in this position because this would give me the chance to make a difference on a larger scale. As an RA, I have been able to meet and help students individually, but being ASB President would allow me to affect many groups of students. I have also gained social and administrative skills that I would hope to use to their potential in this position.

I am involved with organizations that attract many diverse men and women. I have been able to create relationships and gotten to know students with various backgrounds and campus involvement. Having already created connections with the [Honors Program], the [School of Science and Engineering] and Greek organizations, I have an understanding of what further could be done to develop the groups. ASB also emphasizes the importance of creating a unified community. By my involvement on campus, I could develop relationships between the student governments and other organizations, so that they could work together and create a more integrated campus. Furthermore, being an RA has allowed me to create and develop leadership qualities necessary for holding such a strong leadership position. I have experience dealing with students, RAs, Tulane administration and leaders in other organizations that I could utilize as ASB President.

With my leadership experience and campus involvement, as well as my dedication, responsibility and time-management skills, I believe I am qualified for this position and would be a devoted ASB President.

Sophomore Brian Nakhaimousa

It’s been a long and hard year for the students of Tulane University, with numerous tragic accidents. People are there for one another in times of great sorrow, but it’s the smaller moments that bring people and a campus together. If elected, I plan on starting “Be My Brother’s Keeper”, a series of events that help bring students of different ages and backgrounds together without there being a common sorrow as the middle ground.

Update

Junior Sarah Hostetler announced a write-in campaign Monday night on Facebook. Her name will not be listed on the ballot, but voters may choose to write her name as their choice. If no candidate receives a majority vote, the top two candidates will move on to a run-off election.

Hostetler’s platform, which was posted in her campaign Facebook group, is below. 

Junior Sarah Hostetler

The tides of Tulane are stronger than ever. We are rounding out a year where the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Association demonstrated to Tulane that they are not only committed to enhancing the holistic student experience through legislative and operational action, but also to empowering their constituents to take charge without fear of failure. It is important that we continue to move forward as one campus and one student body—stronger and more determined than ever to make Tulane the best it can be. As the Associated Student Body President, I pledge myself to the greater good of each Tulane student through my motivated involvement in both houses.

That pledge to you is built on the three tenants of my candidacy: respect, resource and resonance. The role of the ASB President is to encourage and support the houses on their separate initiatives while respecting the unique ways in which USG and GAPSA work. As [ASB] continues into its 100th anniversary, it is important to set new precedents for the next [100] years. I hope to do so by establishing the body as a resource that can provide funding, legislative backing and aid in the preservation and creation of Tulane traditions. Finally, it is the most salient role of the ASB President to garner the support of both the undergraduates and graduates, bridging the gap between the two groups. [ASB] should speak with one voice that represents the joint interest of all students.

My Tulane experience has been fortunate enough to include a wide variety of incredible leadership opportunities. As a Green Wave Ambassador and Greenie Camp/NOLA Experience [Orientation Coordinator], I supported first-year students in their crucial transition from high school to becoming Tulanians. As the former [USG] Vice President for Student Organizations, I was given the avenues to advocate for increased mental health support for at-risk students with the “Dear President Fitts” proceedings and roundtable discussion and have continued to develop those initiatives on the Student Health Advisory Council. In the classroom, I am engaged with the School of Public Health’s BSPH/MPH combined degree. This program has given me the unique opportunity to work on both the Uptown and Downtown campuses, giving me an important insight to both sections of the student population, which will be very beneficial in my role as ASB President. I am a committed member to the betterment of relations between the Tulane community and the greater New Orleans community through my previous work with the Orleans Public Defenders [Office] and current work with [Court Appointed Special Advocates] New Orleans through my role as the service and philanthropy director of Kappa Alpha Theta [sorority]. I would be honored to serve as the [ASB] president in a time where being a Tulanian is defined by navigating dynamic campus life, engaging with all New Orleans has to offer and entering each day with the perusal of excellence.