Kelly Vasant of the Unity slate is immensely qualified for the commissioner of student services position. She has served as the commissioner of student services for the past year, and presided over its transition from a joint Enterprise Operations-Student Services office into an independent entity.
Her experience this year has given her a unique perspective on the changes that need to be made. She has an intricate plan to restore the Triton Taxi service to the U.S.-Mexico border region — a service that was lost this year because of Cloud 9 Shuttle’s reluctance to do business with “rambunctious” college kids after a few incidents with San Diego State students, Vasant said. As for funding sources to reinvigorate Triton Taxi, Vasant has pulled in $1,700 in new revenue from the Senior Memory Book, an A.S. service under her supervision, and she expects to get money from Student Safety Awareness.
She would create new A.S. services, like a La Jolla report card — a publication that would publicize student-friendly businesses around the city and inform UCSD students about where they are most welcome. She also plans to collaborate with the vice president of academic affairs to initiate an academic advising service to cut through the red tape normally associated with college-based academic advising.
Vasant’s goals are more realistic than that of her opponent, Students First! candidate Kian Maleki.
Maleki is comparatively unqualified, and has never been to a single A.S. Council meeting. He has no idea what an A.S. service is, incorrectly naming the Cross-Cultural Center and O.A.S.I.S. as services that he thought would fall under the commissioner’s jurisdiction. Maleki thinks he can get the administration to sign onto beer company sponsorship of Triton Taxi — a noble but unrealistic goal, considering the fact that the administration won’t even let A.S. advertise beer gardens at basketball games. Electing Maleki could reverse all the progress made this year by Vasant, who has done a commendable job in a position that did not even exist before 2003. Kelly Vasant deserves reelection.
