Chelsea Asibbey for SA secretary
In a rather rare contested election, the Student Association has two candidates on the upcoming ballot for secretary: Chelsea Asibbey and Calla Doh. Due to her fresh perspective outside of the Student Association, willingness to take initiative on her own ideas and emphasis on serving Rice communities, we, the Thresher Editorial Board, endorse Chelsea Asibbey for SA secretary.
Both Asibbey and Doh are running on similar platforms of transparency, accessibility and bridging the gap between the SA and the students. Each cited the need for more interactive social media and working to increase dialogue on resolutions outside the SA. We feel, however, that Doh stakes her own campaign too heavily on presidential candidate Jae Kim’s platform, neglecting to form many secretarial goals of her own.
While we acknowledge that Doh has admirable goals for the SA, such as initiatives to support campus sustainability and Rice PRIDE, we feel she could be more successful pursuing these goals through other positions. For the record, we think Doh would make an excellent college senator or committee chair. Asibbey, on the other hand, has made explicit her hopes to better connect SA with various clubs on campus, increase SA outreach through existing avenues and connect with Rice’s diverse communities.
Social media also plays a large part in the secretary’s platform, and Asibbey has solid plans for changing and improving the SA’s current social media strategy. Largely through Instagram, she plans to make the SA social media more interactive, with public surveys to garner student opinion and frequent updates on Senate meetings and resolutions. As a business management major, she says she has the social media savvy to do it.
Asibbey’s dedication is evident. Despite lacking an official SA position, she said she regularly attends weekly Senate meetings of her own volition — a feat in and of itself. Despite having less experience within the SA, we believe her dedication and visions will serve her well in the role.
Throughout her campaign, Asibbey has consistently emphasized her goal of “leaving things better than she found it.” We’re confident that, for the SA, she will do just that.
Editor’s Note: Thresher editorials are collectively written by the members of the Thresher’s editorial board. Current members include Prayag Gordy, Riya Misra, Nayeli Shad, Brandon Chen, Sammy Baek, Sarah Knowlton, Hadley Medlock and Pavithr Goli.
More from The Rice Thresher
Students of conscience should boycott Local Foods
Local Foods has served, for many years, as a casual Houston restaurant option for Houston residents, including Rice students. Folks on campus will notice that this option has become more proximate, as a Local Foods location claims space on campus in the Brochstein Pavilion.
Insurance options for Ph.D. students are overpriced and insufficient
Doctoral students at Rice are given insufficient health insurance options especially compared to institutions with graduate student unions. Aetna’s graduate student health insurance plan leaves students with significant costs compared to the minimum annual stipend. Additionally, the available Aetna plan offers insufficient benefits when compared both to medical insurance plans at peer institutions and to the non-subsidized Wellfleet plan – Rice’s alternative option for international students.
Keep administrative hands off public parties
Emergency Management is hoping to implement a new system that has students swipe their IDs when entering public parties to cross-check their name with a pre-registered list. This idea is being touted as an effort to reduce check-in time and lines at publics. The thing is – we are tired. After bans on events, APAC and dramatic changes in party requirements, we want hands off the public party.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.