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ARI CARDEN FOR STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT

ABOUT ME

ari photo.png

I am a member of the Class of 2024, studying Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, and looking to pursue an additional major in Human-Computer Interaction and a minor in Computer Science. At CMU, I am heavily involved with student government and leadership. Most notably, as the current Co-Director of New Recognition for CoSO, I have learned the ins and outs of club creation, advertising, and funding. I am also a member of the CIT First-Year Advisory Board, University Lecture Series Committee, and the incoming Vice President of Events for CMU’s chapter of SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space). 

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As a current freshman studying remotely from New Jersey, I know first-hand the isolation that one can feel, with the inability to meet other students or attend classes face-to-face during the pandemic. Thus, I will work to create an immersive experience for other students in my position, in order to transition remote students to the on-campus environment as smoothly as possible. Furthermore, as Student Body President, I will use my extensive leadership experience, knowledge of organization creation, and involvement in many areas of the university to better serve you and our community. 

MY PLATFORM

I pledge to give a voice to every student and regularly solicit feedback from students from all corners of CMU. I will create a monthly survey where all students can provide feedback on current issues and projects that student government is involved in, and let us know how they would like their Activities Fee to be spent. The following campaign platform is based on feedback from our recent survey, and represents the interests of a variety of students:

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  • Increase transparency and organize resources regarding student government activities

    • Update The Bridge, which currently is quite unorganized and includes many inactive clubs 

      • Many students have no information on where to even start in creating a club or organization--I will work to streamline the club creation process by creating a new page on The Bridge

    • Make CMU election resources, history, and statistics more organized and widely accessible 

  • Help clubs carry on and advertise virtual activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, using my knowledge of club creation and maintenance

  • Improve the availability and efficacy of CAPS, and create an email newsletter to effectively advertise its resources

  • Connect undergraduate and graduate students, giving each a unique voice 

    • Will create a pen pal activity to pair up an undergraduate student and a graduate student in the same department

    • As requested by a current graduate student: will create a Slack/Discord server for every year and major, which would include professors

  • Encourage interaction between underclassmen and upperclassmen (as requested by an undergraduate sophomore in the School of Art)

    • Some programs already have a mentorship program where upperclassmen can mentor underclassmen

      • I will work to implement this in every CMU program, not just a select few

    • I will also create an interdisciplinary mentorship program, where upperclassmen can mentor underclassmen in different colleges and programs 

  • Increase interaction between in-person and remote students during the pandemic (as requested by many students, especially undergrad freshmen)

    • Create small groups of 2-3 in-person students and 2-3 remote students, which would meet to socialize over Zoom biweekly

      • Students could choose whether or not to be paired with peers in the same college/major 

  • Provide more flexibility in freshman meal plans

    • Work with Dining Services to create more options for number of blocks/DiNeX

    • Increase variety of food options, with an emphasis on healthier offerings

  • Educate the student body about activism issues (as requested by an undergraduate freshman)

    • Help orchestrate the sending of a weekly email newsletter, which would provide students with information on current activism issues and events, both within and outside of CMU, and how they can get involved

    • Create an anonymous form for students to share issues that they have faced relating to identity and DEI

      • Use this information to support minority groups at CMU, including but certainly not limited to: the AAPI community, transgender and non-binary individuals, and the Black community 

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