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| Elections 2008 |
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Below are candidate statements for each person running. Make sure to read their statements and show up to elections on Wednesday January 9, 8 PM in Frist 307 to Vote! PRESIDENT
Oscar Castro ‘09 I would like to run for President of Chicano Caucus for several reasons: First of all, the group is very important to me on a personal level. Most of my best friends are either members or supporters of the group. Caucus has provided me with a family and home away from home. I believe I am qualified for the position because of my previous dedication and support for all Caucus-related activities during my time as member, secretary and most recently Vice-President. Because of my previous roles with the group (and other groups), I have a good working knowledge of our activities and how to navigate the bureaucratic systems here at Princeton in order to plan/ fund our activities. In addition to these basic qualifications, I have also undertaken other side projects while VP that make me uniquely capable of serving as the President of Chicano Caucus and as a spokesperson for Mexican-American students at Princeton in general. In attempting to compile a history of the Chicano Caucus at Princeton, I have established relationships with MANY alumni by virtue of me reaching out to them to inquire about their experiences here at Princeton as part of Chicano Caucus. Aside from these alumni from the mid 70's to early 90's, I also have a good relationship with the leaders of the ALPA (Association of Latino Princeton Alumni) and have been part of collaborations with them to put on successful Caucus events. Another one of my side projects has been getting our Chicano Caucus back on board with the ECCSF (East Coast Chicano Students Forum). For the past year or so, I have maintained relationships with students at other schools who regularly send delegations to ECCSF conferences. In keeping with this, I have gone to great lengths to both campaign for and plan Princeton's very own ECCSF conference, to be held at Princeton for the first time since Fall 2003. I have also been heavily involved with the efforts of the Latino Coalition since it began and I will continue to work towards greater substantive change on campus as part of our coalition. Perhaps one of the most crucial and important reasons that I am qualified and anxious to be President of Chicano Caucus, however, is my deep abiding sense of pride and acknowledgement of my Mexican background and my desire to educate other Princetonians by disseminating relevant information. To sum up, Caucus has always been, for me, a source of fun, information/knowledge, culture, dialogue, and discussion. I have been grateful and proud that this group is a vibrant member of the Princeton community and I would like nothing more than to help recreate this experience for all other current and subsequent members. In addition to continuing to put on our usual activities and maintaining vibrant relationships with alumni, other ECCSF members and the Latino Coalition groups (Accion Latina, CAUSA, Folklorico, and LGSA), I also would like to work on building stronger, meaningful relationships with other student groups, administrators, and the USG in general. Thank you all for your considerations. Martin Valdez-Vivas ‘09 Hi! My name is Martin and I want to be your Chicano Caucus president for 2008. Since 2006, I’ve served on the Caucus board as treasurer. During my tenure as an officer, I have gained insight into how the group is run by doing my part in assuring the successful planning and implementation of our activities. From December 2005 to today, I have seen the Caucus account grow out of the red to its present value of just under $3,000. While a considerable amount of this has to do with prudent spending habits of our recent presidents, highly detailed and careful budgeting and the use of diversified funding sources are sure to have helped as well. Furthermore, I’ve worked with a few alumni in helping them donate over $1,000 in the last two years. In the process, I’ve forged strong ties with members in the Association of Latino Princeton Alumni whose continued support we can continue to rely on in coming years.
My “signature event” this past
year, in which I was mainly responsible for the conceptualization
and logistical planning, was La Posada. In many ways, this event
typifies what I would like to see in Caucus events for 2008. First
and foremost, an unflinching commitment to authenticity. That means
more things like shipping 50 lbs. of candy across the continent,
hiring a woman from the City to makes tamales, and commissioning
custom-made orange-and-black piñatas from I am interested in promoting more events that attract not only Caucus members, but also the broader University community. One way of accomplishing this is more collaborative efforts with other student groups, not limited to Acción Latina, the Latino Coalition, Ballet Folklórico, and CAUSA. The fact that La Posada was a joint event with the Aquinas Institute, for instance, raised interest in it on multiple fronts, not the least of which was funding, where over $1,000 was raised from several sources including the Fund for Intergroup Collaboration.
Chicano Caucus is an
invaluable social network for its members. Especially during my
first two years at Finally, I am interested in learning more about your vision for the group, what kind of events or initiatives you want to see. I would work closely with anyone to implement an idea or project they would like to undertake falling under the mission statement. In the end, it should not be about what the president or the officers want to do, but rather what the Caucus wants to do. To that end, I would advocate more frequent general meetings or else other ways of letting the officers know and be guided by the sentiment of the general membership. My five semesters in Chicano Caucus have given me fond memories and friendships, and I hope to continue to offer such experiences to our members. I look forward to the opportunity of serving the most visible Latino group on campus. Thank you. VICE PRESIDENT
Tommy Lopez ‘10 Hi everyone! As many of you may know, I have been involved in Chicano Caucus since freshman year. For the past year, I have been an active member serving as freshman liaison and helping to organize a very successful Freshman Dinner in the fall. Now I am excited to have the opportunity to serve our Caucus as Vice President. I plan to work alongside the new President to make Caucus even better than it already is. The most immediate responsibility will involve planning the ECCSF conference taking place in the spring. However, in order to host a great conference and to have a solid participation on the campus level, we must develop our organization in three ways: broader campus participation, improved organization, and awareness of national and world Chicano issues. In the time before ECCSF, I propose recruiting more membership from Latino students who may not be Chicano as well as encouraging the increased participation of current members. We can accomplish this through more frequent study breaks, movie nights, and finally making t-shirts. Also in preparation for ECCSF, it would be wise to improve organization within Caucus. This means assembling a physical directory of all our members complete with phone numbers and campus addresses, rather than simply an email list. Finally, I believe Caucus can benefit from being more cognizant of issues and current events affecting the Chicano community in the U.S. and Mexico. This can be accomplished by creating a weekly "News Beat", an email that posts links to relevant news articles from the week. Although Caucus is not neccesarily a political group, all members will benefit from this knowledge. Not only will these three areas of improvement prepare Chicano Caucus for the ECCSF conference, but it will also serve our organization for future years. I am excited to put these ideas into action while serving as Vice President of the Chicano Caucus. TREASURER
Jessica Gamboa ‘10 Last year, I decided to become more involved with Chicano Caucus by assuming the position of freshmen liaison. As a freshman with relatively no leadership experience at Princeton, I was unsure of what such position would entail. Yet, under the amazing guidance of other officers, I learned the essential skills necessary to become an effective on campus leader. I now want to use the experience I gained last year to further grow as a leader and to lead other underclassmen in a similar direction, and it is for this reason I am running for the position of Chicano Caucus treasurer. I see the mission of Chicano Caucus as twofold; first and foremost we are dedicated to promoting a sense of community amongst our members and secondly, we are committed to exposing others on campus to the uniqueness of our culture. If elected, I will work hard to ensure that we adequately accomplish these two goals to make Chicano Caucus a tight knit organization. SECRETARY
Vanessa Rodriguez ‘09 My name is Vanessa Rodriguez, and I'm a junior majoring in History. I'm running for Secretary because I feel I would be an asset to Chicano Caucus. I have served or continue to serve in several capacities that have familiarized me with secretarial duties. As Secretary for the Princeton Pre-law Society, I kept meeting minutes, wrote a weekly email to the organization's listserv, and took care of logisitcal details for events such as booking spaces. As a participant in Conversation Partners, a campus program that pairs undergraduates with graduate students who need to practice their English, I equipped myself with the ability to coordinate clear communication amongst a group in addition to writing weekly reports documenting a group's progress. However, more than any one skill I possess, I'm excited about the potential for Chicano Caucus in the new year and the chance to serve you. SOCIAL CHAIR
Cynthia Kanagui ‘09 Hello everyone, I have expressed interest in being the Chicano Caucus social chair for the next academic year. Now, I know that you may be thinking "wasn't she already social chair this year?" And, the answer is, ---yes!. :) I was the person who introduced herself to you in a random way at the beginning of the year, stopped you for a little chat every now and then, but also *strongly* encouraged you to attend certain LHM events (including but not specific to the Latino Slam :) ) I had a blast getting to know so many Caucus members/non Caucus members through this position, and I am excited to see what is in store after having a year of experience. I am also excited to work with the new board; I see determination and an awesome energy in the group that I would love to be a part of! I'll see you soon! Isabel Wojtowicz ‘10 I would like to run for the position of Chicano Caucus social chair. I have been committed to the Caucus since last year when I started becoming involved. I am definitely willing to make the group and responsibility a priority. Besides academics, my other commitments include the Latino Coalition and One-on-One Tutoring. Therefore, I have enough time to dedicate to the Caucus and the responsibilities that being a social chair would entail. Since I feel Caucus is such an important group on campus that has helped me a great deal, I want to contribute to the group as much as I can to make it as good as can be. For me, Caucus is more than just another campus organization. It has been a strong support group and network of friends from different grades and experiences. I want Caucus to be there for all undergrads, especially freshmen. I have helped with various Chicano Caucus events in the past. I have helped organize and publicize the Worker’s Appreciation Party for the past two years, working closely with the Princeton for Worker’s Rights group. I have also helped set up and clean up for various events, including the freshman dinner, Easter egg hunt, and various pre-frosh hosting events. I also participated in the ECCSF conference last year in Yale. In terms of what I have to offer, I can contribute my time, effort, motivation, and willingness to help the Caucus. As social chair, I would devote a great deal to planning Caucus events. I would like to plan various events for freshmen, as I feel that Caucus is especially important in the first year of the undergraduate experience and adjusting to life at Princeton. I would also like to plan one big event over the year to make Caucus more visible on campus. If necessary, we could collaborate with one other group. It could be an event open to the entire campus that demonstrates a part of Mexican culture. I thought the Posada was a great event, so we could try something similar, such as a quinceañera that we have mentioned already. Or we could host a talent show similar to the slam poetry event earlier this year to showcase the Caucus and Hispanic culture. I think it’s important to also feel connected to the other Caucus members, so we could try to host an event for the group members only, such as a barbecue or trip together to maintain that sense of community we have with one another. FRESHMAN LIAISON
Manuel Espitia ‘11 I want to run for the position of freshman liaison because i feel i can show the freshmen the ropes of princeton. I know the first semester is a very difficult time because of the adjustment people have to make. I want to be able to help smooth that period in their lives. i am very people friendly and available. I have experience in helping people in grades below me as a sophomore prefect at my previous high school. I helped new students adjust to their new lives at my old boarding school. I feel that by taking on this position i will become more integrated with the group. I want to be able to help the group become stronger and more involved. Maribel Flores ‘11 Hi my name is Maribel and I'm running for Freshman Liaison. I'm class of '11, I'm still undecided as for my major, and from Burbank, California. The reason I would like this position is because I would love to be the outreach for next year's freshmen class. Coming from the other side of the country, I understand how difficult it is to be so far from home and I think I would connect and be able to comfort those that need the suppport. Chicano Caucus, has offered so much to me already, mostly with bringing a little taste of what home is like and I would like to do the same for others. But my commitment to this organization goes beyond next year's freshmen class and extends into the larger events this group puts together. I'm helping to plan the ECCSF this Spring, but I am very willing and eager to assist with any other events. Thanks for your time! Norma A. Lopez Campos ‘11 Hello, My name is Norma A Lopez Campos and I am a freshman in Rocky. I am also a member of Ballet Folklorico, Folklorico’s current media chair, and I have become part of the Latino Coalition. I am very interested in running for, and hopefully being elected as, a freshman liaison. Coming to college, even if your home is 15 minutes away, is a big change. One must acclimate to a whole new environment with new people and new activities; because of the nature of this new environment, it is very easy to get lost among the crowd or to hold on to our old high school friends. I believe the position of freshman liaison helps incoming freshman with the transition while also making their voices be heard in the bigger group, in this case our Chicano community. As freshman liaison, I look forward to not only organizing our very popular and sought out freshman dinner, but also to hold study breaks for the freshman once a month or so to talk to them, hear their concerns and their problems, and give them the opportunity to get to know more upperclassmen and to share their experiences with them. As a freshman liaison, I also look forward to working the rest of the Chicano officers and have the freshmen’s concerns be heard during meetings. I have already gained some experience working with officers and with other members of the group through the planning of our first Posada, the dinner for folklorico with Arturo Guerrero, and the upcoming Chicano conference in the spring. So once again, my name is Norma A Lopez, and if you would like a motivated, friendly, resourceful, and responsible freshman liaison chair, you should consider voting for me. Thank you. Stephanie Morales ‘11 As freshman liaison I will work with the other three freshmen liaisons to foster strong, confidential relationships with entering freshmen. I will hold bimonthly meetings with freshmen, and I will strive to host a social gathering at least once a month where we can all go out to eat or go watch a performance. I currently mentor high school students and I enjoy being of assistance to them. I have helped many of my friends through the college process. I set aside time to talk to them over the phone. I want to foster these kinds of relationships with entering freshman. Just as Jessica helped me get adjusted to Princeton, I want to make the transition easier for entering freshmen. Thank you for
reading all the statements!
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