This spring election season, Emory students should look no further than Riya Mehta (22C) for their next College Council (CC) vice president. Her well-considered and concrete platform, long experience on CC, and zeal toward representing all marginalized groups on campus make her the most compelling choice.
Even a cursory glance at Mehta’s platform reveals that her experience as a transfer student has inspired a serious desire to make the campus a more integrated space. Her platform, which focuses on COVID-19, inclusivity and connectivity, is well-thought-out and considerate. As an Atlanta-area native, she views campus as part of her home and plans to take care of it accordingly. To her, inclusivity means making sure every community is integrated, while connectivity means making campus activities and clubs more accessible and available to everyone. These ideas come from her own experience being the vice president of communication for CC and feeling included and connected to the organization. She feels “a lot better when [she’s] in an organization, a community that [she’s] included in and [feels] welcome in,” and hopes to make Emory University a place where everyone can feel welcome in.
Allowing transfer students to join the annual first-year Coke Toast and expanding dining options reflect her goals. One idea, which she originally implemented as part of the Transfer Student Organization, is a buddy system for Oxford continuees, transfer students and first-years. With an older mentor to guide them, these students could quickly learn about campus opportunities, including clubs, organization and resources. She clarified that this could also be integrated with existing inter-major peer mentoring programs.
Mehta’s detailed efforts not only speak to her commitment to the Emory community but also demonstrate that she has experience and understanding of what it means to work on behalf of Emory students. Though many of her proposals may seem focused on transfer students, they will nevertheless broadly foster a more inclusive campus culture. Initiatives catered to fostering connectivity are especially pertinent during the pandemic, which has isolated students from each other and their support systems. Mehta’s focus on encouraging inclusion should restore some semblance of community to a student body fragmented by COVID-19.
Her inclusivity efforts are both wide-ranging and specific, reaching into areas as narrow as expanding dining options and academic holidays. In particular, Mehta cites her own experiences with celiac disease, which didn’t leave her with many options for food at campus dining halls. Mehta had to instead resort to buying food off-campus, which created a financial strain. In light of the limitations on the current dining plan, Mehta hopes to expand the insufficient vegan, gluten-free and halal dining options. On the matter of political engagement, Mehta hopes to push for making Election Day an academic holiday, signaling support for the student body’s input in our democracy without the burden of classes.
Additionally, Mehta’s plans evince a desire to increase access to health-related materials. Her plan to include menstrual products in all bathrooms in residence halls, libraries and the Emory Student Center, for example, is long overdue. Similarly, her goal to install face mask dispensers and vending machines around campus could protect students from COVID-19 and give them valuable peace of mind.
Having only spent one year in CC as the vice president of communication, Mehta admittedly has limited experience in student government. However, this should not deter students from voting for her. As a transfer student, she was not offered the same opportunities to become involved in a leadership position. Thus, her ability to transition so quickly and adapt to the new situation only makes her a stronger candidate.
Her dedication and energy establish her as a superb pick for the office. During election week, the student body’s choice could not be clearer: Riya Mehta should have their vote.
The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Sahar Al-Gazzali, Viviana Barreto, Rachel Broun, Jake Busch, Sara Khan, Martin Shane Li, Sophia Ling, Demetrios Mammas, Meredith McKelvey, Sara Perez, Leah Woldai, Lynnea Zhang and Yun Zhu.
The Editorial Board is the official voice of the Emory Wheel and is editorially separate from the Wheel's board of editors.
