The Observer sat down with all three ASCWU presidential candidates, in person, to ask them about their past, views and goals as presidential candidates at CWU. Each candidate was provided with the same ten question Q&A, the following is Eli Alvarado’s response which has been edited for length and flow:
Q: What inspired you to run for president?
A: I’m really passionate about giving students a good time here on campus. From the moment students step on to any central campus to the moment they graduate I want them to have a good time. And I want them to have memories that they don’t forget and I know that student government can have a part in that.
It’s really inspiring, and it’s really motivating for me to be part of someone’s ‘good times’ here at Central. But on the flip side of that, student government has some gaps. And there are definitely some gaps here at Central too. And being the trustee and the chair of the SNA committee, I have seen those gaps, and I have the experience needed to be able to fill them with either creating more seats at the table, being more transparent or being more accessible … Those are my priorities.
Q: What do you think you could bring to the role that’s unique to you?
A: The higher governance of this university, that’s the one thing the student government serves kind of at its own level. And being a trustee, I have seen the ups and downs of this university for the past year, and I’ve seen how this university functions structurally and how it changes. And so those are the qualities that make me a unique candidate.
I understand how this university functions on an administrative level, and I’ve also seen how it directly affects students … And so I know what’s possible and I know what isn’t, because I’ve seen it happen so many times being a trustee and even the chair of the SNA committee, I’ve seen where the money goes. I’ve seen how the university pivots, and how it completely does a 180.
Q: What would your priorities be as president?
A: I would have three priorities. A live issue tracker is my main priority. Students have a lot of issues, especially now that they deal with either every day or maybe every four years. And so I want to change the way the website is designed so that students can submit their concerns or their ideas, or just their issues that they have with this university, and then students can see weekly updates on where student government is at with those issues as to why something did happen or why something didn’t happen. Just providing that clarity and that accessibility to seeing your idea or your concern actually end up somewhere.
I want to get students and student leaders together in one room every month so that we can talk about how we can be stewards of this university, and how we can get our constituents and our classmates and the people in our clubs to be a part of this … I want to get student leaders in a room all together every single month so that we can really work collaboratively, lead together
The third one is, I want there to be really big events on this campus, and round tables, getting everyone into one room kind of plays a part in that. I want us to have connections with the city of Ellensburg. Right now, Danny Cochran is the president of the Downtown Association. That’s the perfect connection for us to be able to have really big events moved on campus … I’m a really big food person, and so I want to bring a really big food festival here, yearly … I want people to have memories here on campus.
Q: Do you have any past leadership experience, if so how do you see it benefitting you if you win?
A: If you go way back, I was the vice president and president of one of the largest community service clubs at my high school, and I learned a lot about what it takes to be a leader and what it takes to work collaboratively with others … When I came to Central, I became the equity and services council representative for the first generation student organization, and I also became the president of the first generation student organization. I also work in university relations as a social media coordinator. Of course, I’m the student trustee, and I’m the chair of the SNA committee.
I think those positions don’t really mean much. It’s the work you actually do. Those experiences kind of helped develop my leadership style and kind of what I want to see in myself, but also in the things that I lead. It’ll benefit me, because I have connections, and I have networks of people in different places of the university, and I think that will benefit me as president.
Q: CWU is obviously undergoing a lot of cuts right now, both in its programs and budgets, how do you see yourself navigating these as president?
A: Similar to the last question, leveraging my relationships that I’ve created through my different positions in this university. When I hear the word navigate, it implies that student government [are] the ones that are leading. Being the trustee, I know that … there’s a lot of bigger fish that have a lot more influence, and so the student government doesn’t have to take all these issues and carry them on their back. It’s about leveraging. Leveraging the relationships you have with the bigger fish, using those to your advantage.
Q: How do you plan to represent the student body during your time as president, how have you already represented them in leading up to your campaign?
A: I plan to be an accessible president, and so I plan to be at people’s club meetings, people’s events, working around different areas of the university. One week I’m in Samuelson, the next week I’m in the SURC. Being visible and being accessible, that’s how I plan to be connected with different areas of the university, but specifically the students.
… As a trustee, it’s my job to think of things that I see and people do come up to me and they tell me issues, and they email me their issues, and I take those into account. I reach out to the student government or the president’s office to see how we can fix those things … I stay connected to students by being a student. I participate in events. I participate in club meetings. I help students with issues that they’re facing. And that’s how I am connected. I don’t want to be in an office. God, I hate offices, I already work in an office, and it sucks. And so that’s the one true way. Just be a student, and that’s how you can represent students.
Q: If you were to focus on a main issue or topic during your time as president, what do you think it would be? How do you plan to protect students’ rights during your time as president?
A: It would be to give students an experience that they don’t forget. College is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not everyone has that opportunity to go to college and the one thing I want to do is to give people ‘the experience of a lifetime.’ I want to give students memories that they retell in 20 years.
It’s doing events. That’s the one thing that I really want to do in my presidency. At least once a quarter have big events, campus wide events, where students can go make memories, do fun things and live and experience what it’s like to be a student at Central. The world is crazy, and this university is crazy, and the students should come to college, come to class and come on this campus, and they shouldn’t have to come to a university where they feel even more burdened … If I can do my part in creating a space where students feel welcome and like they belong, where they can be themselves, I’ll know that I did my job as a president.
Q: How do you plan to protect students’ rights during your time as president?
A: Donald Trump has instructed the Secretary of the Department of Education to send out a Dear Colleague letter telling universities that if they don’t get rid of DEI initiatives from the universities that they will get funding removed. And so if we had this taken away, it would probably shut central down, because there would be no students here.
Student Government protects students rights by representing students to the administration of this university, that’s a direct impact that student government can have when it comes to protecting students. And Central has a very diverse population. I know that because I’m a part of that population, and I know how scary it is for students to go to college right now and be afraid that they’re going to be taken off this campus and sent to somewhere they don’t know.
There’s only like two students that are part of shared governance, and we need to have more students there, and that’s how we protect students and their rights by creating more seats at the table and telling administration that it’s not just the ‘adults’ job to talk about these things … I will make sure to protect students’ rights by representing them, creating more seats at the table.
Q: Is there anything you haven’t had a chance to talk about during this interview that you would like to add?
A: If you want a president who is not only connected to the students and has a track record of being connected to students, but also has direct connections and relationships with the higher university, then I’m your President, and I will fight for you, and I will represent you.
