What you should know: ASA candidates, platforms and how to vote
Despite the chaotic times of COVID-19, Augustana Student Association (ASA) spring elections will be held as normal next week.
For the presidential race, there are two tickets running: Hailey Nold for president with Giselle Mawadri as vice president and Cole Tessendorf for president with Hannah DeWild as Vice President. Here’s some important information about all of the potential candidates.
Hailey Nold and Giselle Mawadri
Who are they?
Hailey Nold is a junior psychology and Spanish major. She currently serves as the secretary for ASA. Additionally, she is the founder and president of the Lost & Found club, an organization focused on mental health. Giselle Mawadri is a sophomore finance and accounting major. She currently serves as one of the ASA international senators.
What’s their platform?
Nold and Mawadri are running on commitments to community, transparency and diversity.
Their proposal includes keeping textbooks on hand in the library to help both students in need and those wishing to be eco-friendly, hosting monthly town hall meetings open to the student body and increasing awareness of positive mental health.
When it comes to diversity, they want to make Augustana a welcoming place through cooperation between ASA and the Diversity and Inclusion Office, in addition to addressing the limited job opportunities for international students on campus, a continuation of current ASA President Luca Amayo’s work.
“Now, more than ever, we need community the most,” Nold said. “We are one student body and Augustana is stronger together. During this time of COVID-19, we may be physically separated, but our connection to the Augustana community still holds true. This is truly the people’s platform, and we look forward to uniting and transforming Augustana with the students in mind.”
Cole Tessendorf and Hannah DeWild
Who are they?
Cole Tessendorf is a junior biology major with a journalism minor. He currently serves as the ASA Curriculum Committee chair. Additionally, he is a team leader for Recreational Services. Hannah DeWild is a junior nursing and Spanish major with minors in religion and medical ethics and humanities. She currently serves as the President of the Augustana Nursing Student Association and Vice President of the Augie Democrats.
What’s their platform?
Tessendorf and DeWild are running on a platform of accessibility, inclusivity and excellence. They plan to create a partnership between Augustana and Lyft that would give students cheaper prices for travel across Sioux Falls. Additionally, they would break down the student fee to make it more transparent, so students could see where their money is going.
They also plan to meet regularly with systemically non-dominant student populations to hear their opinions, make students’ personal pronouns available on BuzzBook and in class lists and work with different buildings across campus to create more study spaces. Additionally, they hope to create a program to recognize Augustana’s support staff.
“Our goal is to be approachable and genuine,” Tessendorf said. “Our campaign currently focuses on areas that we believe need the most change. However, our ultimate goal is to make the changes that you, as students, want. We want to be the voice of every student, not just a select few.”
ASA spring elections will be held on April 29 and 30, and voting will take place online through Viking Central.
