Brandon Tavakoli
(Jordan Renville / Daily Trojan)
Brandon Tavakoli, a junior majoring in business administration as well as public policy, is passionate about leveraging his leadership and lived experience within and outside of USG to create change that positively enhances the everyday needs of students.
As the only senator running for re-election, his main focus is passing a Commuter Student Package “where off-campus students are able to access printing at USC Libraries for lower rates, are able to cut their costs in terms of parking and are able to have staff more tailored to their needs,” Tavakoli said.
He previously worked as an RSO leader, participated in the Political Student Assembly and served as a USG senator. Tavakoli advocates for USG to leverage social media more frequently to bridge the gap of trust between USG and the student body. With greater coverage of senate meetings in 30-second Instagram Reels clips, for example, RSOs will be able to better navigate working with USG and receive funding, he said.
“USG is bogged down in bureaucracy and structure,” Tavakoli said. “So I don’t want to come forward with promises that I can’t keep. But I have a good feeling that there’s a lot of momentum behind this [Commuter Student] Package.”
— Shruti Shakthivel
Dane Sprague
(Jordan Renville / Daily Trojan)
Dane Sprague, a sophomore majoring in economics as well as philosophy, aims to promote equity and access for all students through a multitude of proposed initiatives.
One Sprague’s top priorities next year is making sure students have food security. He advocates for the Trojan Swipes program in his platform, where swipes are donated “by those who have more than they need.” Sprague also proposed additional inclusive initiatives such as a textbook exchange Program and the USC Professional Clothing Stipend and Exchange.
“I think that there’s a lot of small things that we should change in our orientation, and some things about our school that I think kind of changes the way that we’re perceived in Los Angeles as a whole,” Sprague said.
He emphasizes his drive “to push for a USC that exists within Los Angeles, not above it,” by improving USC’s relationship with the broader L.A. community and surrounding neighborhoods.
“I’m not using this as a stepping stone to bigger political aspirations in the future,” Sprague said. “I really like this school, but I just think that there’s a lot of potential that we have to be even better. I’m not necessarily in it for myself.”
— Yash Arcot
Akshay Manglani
(Jordan Renville / Daily Trojan)
Aiming to expand his involvement in USG’s Committee on External Affairs by vying for a position in USG senate, Akshay Manglani is a junior majoring in computer science as well as business administration.
Manglani seeks to address food insecurity, stemming from personal observations of societal disparities both locally and internationally.
“I went to India when I was five, and came back to the United States 15 years after, and coming here … [I noticed] a striking difference between people without homes here and food insecurity being an issue in the United States. I just want to provide service,” Manglani said.
His top priority for the coming year is to narrow the gap between students of varying socioeconomic backgrounds and advocating for fair access to resources and opportunities, particularly within clubs and extracurricular activities. Recognizing the fragmentation of resources across different schools within USC, Manglani emphasizes the importance of unification to address systemic issues effectively.
“In terms of policies, I think it’s largely focused on more of a cultural shift. I think that does not come in a year or two, I think it’s more of one policy-by-policy type structure, that’ll take time but needs to be pushed for,” Manglani said. “I’m not saying that this work is easy, but I think it requires a certain level of professionalism as well as a certain level of dedication and assertiveness … and I think I have it.”
— Yash Arcot
Elija Barnes
(Henry Kofman / Daily Trojan)
Elija Barnes is bringing innovation to the Undergraduate Student Government senate race.
Barnes, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said he plans to increase funding and transparency for registered student organizations, improve communication with University administration and promote student involvement on campus.
He plans to advocate for policies that encourage “RSOs to not only plan and make events that are geared towards what the RSO is intended to do, but also [make] sure that they work with the community in order to increase our outreach and increase our positive impact on the community,” Barnes said.
Barnes also said he seeks to increase affordability by proposing a basic needs stipend, lowering the parking pass fee and increasing access to menstruation products.
“My biggest priority is making sure that everyone at USC feels a part of USC,” said Barnes, who also serves as president of Cowlings and Ilium Residential College.
— Scarlett Lovallo
Jeremiah Boisrond
(Daniel Brook / Daily Trojan)
Jeremiah Boisrond, a freshman majoring in legal studies, is dedicated to furthering diversity and accessibility efforts if elected to USG senate. His priority is to understand the students and guide them so that they can find adequate resources.
“Sometimes at USC, it can be very hard and kind of overwhelming with all the resources that we have,” Boisrond said.
Boisrond also emphasized reducing food insecurity on campus. He said he will advocate to create policies that “provide students with a program to be able to have better food security,” such as stipends, websites to help students find on-campus jobs and emergency funding programs.
Jeremiah hopes to provide all students with a voice, seeking to especially serve new students and freshmen like himself.
“What sets me apart from other candidates is just that being a first-year already getting involved in student government, it really shows that I am actually here for our student body,” Boisrond said.
— Andrew Yoo
Heydy Vasquez & Patrick Nguyen
(Henry Kofman / Daily Trojan)
Sophomore candidates Heydy Vasquez and Patrick Nguyen “AIM” to meet three main goals as Undergraduate Student Government senators: affordability, inclusivity and merit.
The candidates plan to expand affordability initiatives, proposing fee waivers for Trojan Family Weekend for low-income families, promoting health resources covered by the student health fee and expanding support for first-generation students.
“Creating visibility and a space for first-generation students to celebrate their identities and also meet other first-gen students … that community is what really creates merit for a lot of students,” said Nguyen, USG advocacy liaison for the First Generation Student Assembly and a sophomore majoring in biopharmaceutical sciences, “and that’s what benefits the USC community.”
The first-generation college student duo also hopes to increase representation within USG, expanding food security grants for undocumented students and improving University support of local businesses.
“As advocacy [liaisons], our main goals are to advocate for our community,” said Vasquez, USG advocacy liaison for Imagine, Dreams, Access and Success and a sophomore majoring in legal studies. “I think it’s a great way to go switching into this role of a senator that really advocates for all students.”
Disclaimer: Vasquez is an opinion columnist at the Daily Trojan. She is not involved in any coverage of the USG elections.
— Scarlett Lovallo
Diana Carpio & Jackalyn Karamanougian
(Daniel Brook / Daily Trojan)
Diana Carpio, a sophomore majoring in cognitive science, and Jackalyn Karamanougian, a freshman majoring in political science, are candidates running for the USG senate.
As both candidates were previously involved in USG, they seek to continue their work and create change from the inside out. Carpio has led the laundry stipend project, and she speaks on her reason for running.
“I’m a current senator right now, and what motivated me to run for senate was the fact that I’m making myself more accessible,” Carpio said.
Karamanougian, a senate aide this year, said she got to “see firsthand the impactful change that being a senator comes with.”
“Our main thing is fostering open communication,” Karamanougian said.
The pair aims to encourage more input from the students, as the two candidates plan to implement a system that requires student feedback before approval on a legislative branch project proposal.
Carpio and Karamanougian believe their collaboration skills set them apart from the other candidates. “That kind of shows our dedication with other students, getting to know them as well,” Carpio said.
— Andrew Yoo
Seva Raman & Mikaela Bautista
(Daniel Brook / Daily Trojan)
Seva Raman and Mikaela Bautista want to give back to the USC community. Coming to USC in Spring 2023, their platform includes a focus on improving inclusion events for other spring admits.
“We recognize the effort that USC did [invest] and the money that they put into [spring admit] events. However we just feel like they aren’t as inclusive as they could be,” said Bautista, a sophomore majoring in business administration. “It’s hard to become fully integrated into the fall culture.”
Other aspects of their platform — focused on transparency, affordability and inclusion — include a USG-produced list of off-campus housing, dining dollar rollover from fall to spring semester and creating a resale market for textbooks.
“There’s a lot of change to be made on campus,” said Raman, a sophomore majoring in political science. “We believe starting small and branching out from there is really the way to do it.”
— Nick Corral
