[vc_row][vc_column][ultimate_heading main_heading=”Our Pick: Ash Addanki” main_heading_font_size=”desktop:45px;”][/ultimate_heading][ultimate_spacer height=”20″][vc_separator][vc_column_text]

Given her extensive legislative experience serving on the executive board of College Council (CC) for two years, the Editorial Board entrusts Ash Addanki (21C) to lead CC as its next vice president. Her understanding of budgetary issues is nuanced and precise, and her plans to tip the balance of power in CC toward the legislature instead of the executive board will return authority to the student body.

Addanki’s executive and legislative experience in CC is imperative for someone running for an administrative role. An effective student government requires a leader capable of overseeing larger actions while efficiently handling mundane, daily duties. Addanki’s past experience will be vital in understanding the intricacies of the legislative process and in adequately performing administrative tasks.

Addanki has spent the past year on the CC Finance Committee, which allocates funds to all Emory College student clubs. Her experience as treasurer of Asian American Pacific Islanders Desi American Activists (APIDAA) has given her insight into the complex and confusing nature of budgets for clubs, shaping her current platform to emphasize facilitating communication between student clubs and CC. During her tenure, she recognized that budgetary guidelines and constraints can be confusing to club leaders. She developed a system called “Budget Help Centers,” which assists clubs with their questions regarding budgetary rules and simplifies the budget request system for clubs. Similar to office hours, these help centers encourage repeated interaction between student clubs and CC, and thus promote a more transparent relationship. We applaud Addanki for her effort in aiming to promote communication with student clubs, rather than just regulation. We believe as vice president, she’ll only continue to strengthen such a relationship.

We are most impressed with her idea to empower CC legislators to spearhead their own reforms. Addanki aims to hold an additional meeting each week with legislative committee chairs to organize a concrete timeline and create specific roles for legislators at the beginning of the year. This past year, CC members remained uncertain over SGA’s Student Activity Fee increase, resulting in a failure to pass an endorsement. Addanki’s promise to strengthen communication and transparency between student clubs and even between members of CC will inform better understanding on both sides of the aisle. 

Other student government candidates, Addanki’s opponent Alex Koo (21C) among them, float long lists of unfeasible policies without committing strongly to any single idea in particular, or without a detailed plan to carry them out. While this strategy can make for an appealing campaign, we find that it does not translate into effective governance. In contrast to those of her opponents, the specificity of Addanki’s platform illustrates her commitment to realizable goals and changes that can be feasibly achieved during her tenure, such as expanding on Budgetary Help Centers and greater training for club treasurers. We also feel confident that her experience on CC directly aligns with the scope of the change she aims to enact. 

Tackling internal problems within CC and facilitating better communication between CC and student clubs is a sure sign that Addanki prioritizes the interests of student clubs and legislators. Her experience serving on the executive board informs the larger, institutional changes she wants to bring to CC, and the Editorial Board holds firm in our belief that she is well more equipped to do so than her opponents.

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