Joanna Villegas

Joanna Villegas is a candidate for ASUCD Senate in the Winter 2013 ASUCD Election running on the SMART slate.

Joanna Villegas is 4th year transfer student from San Diego, CA, double majoring in English and Chicana/o Studies. She is currently the Transfer Collective Outreach Coordinator in the Student Recruitment and Retention Center.

Candidate Statement

Hello beautiful UC Davis community!

My name is Joanna Villegas and I am a transfer student from San Diego, California, double majoring in English and Chicana/o Studies. I am running for ASUCD Senate with Students Matter: Activism, Retention, Teamwork (https://www.facebook.com/UCDSMART). S.M.A.R.T. is a group of socio-politically conscious students who strive to implement resources and policies that will benefit everyone across their varying identities. I have decided to run for senate because I believe in holistic education and as a Queer Chicana, I want student life on this campus to continuously improve so that all student groups have a voice, feel represented, have the chance to thrive and ultimately graduate from UC Davis with the necessary tools to flourish thereafter.

I am currently involved with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.) to promote higher education within the Chicana/o Latina/o community, the Student Recruitment and Retention Center as the Transfer Collective Outreach Coordinator to promote the transfer process, and the Blue Ribbon Committee for Enhancing the Undergraduate Student Experience to develop resources that ensure student academic success and healthy lifestyles.

As an ASUCD Senator I would like to address the following issues:

ADVOCATE FOR TRANSFER, RE-ENTRY, AND VETERAN STUDENT REPRESENTATION

As a transfer student I have used resources at the Transfer Re-entry Veterans Center and Collective in the Student Recruitment and Retention Center. As an outreach coordinator in the SRRC I have also seen excellent resources go unused. I hope to bring visibility to student resources for all students, but specifically Transfer, Re-entry, and Veteran Students and enhance their student experience by creating a committee in ASUCD to advocate for Transfer, Re-entry, and Veteran students and their needs. This is a priority because transfer students are a largely underrepresented group of students at the university and are least likely to enter spaces like ASUCD because of their shorter length of time at UC Davis.

CREATE OFFICES FOR STUDENT CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Currently, there are plans to remodel the Memorial Union - one of the most visited buildings on campus - and while these upcoming changes have the potential to revitalize the MU, we must be critical of what this means in regards to enhancing the experience of active organizations and clubs on campus that play a vital role in student retention and academic success. The MU can be a means to increase visibility for clubs and organizations, to promote on campus involvement, and to allow these organizations - that collectively involve thousands of students - to thrive. I will ensure that active clubs and organizations on campus have a space where they can not only meet, but also store items, plan, and work on events and activities.

Vote for informed student leaders that genuinely care about your undergraduate experience and will listen to YOUR needs, VOTE FOR ME JOANNA VILLEGAS #1 for ASUCD Senate, S.M.A.R.T. #2-5 and F.U.Q. for President and Vice President via https://elections.ucdavis.edu/