ASCIT Winter Elections

February 27, 2024

ASCIT Vice President of Non-Academic Affairs / IHC Chair (2 Candidates)

Jonathan Booker

Hey everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jonathan Booker. I’m a junior in Ricketts Hovse studying Physics and Computer Science. During my time here at Caltech, I’ve had the privilege to serve in many campus-wide leadership roles and have been deeply invested in the well-being and future of our community. I’m extremely eager to bring this passion and dedication to the role of IHC Chair and the accompanying role of ASCIT Vice-President of Non-Academic Affairs. We are in a unique situation now, a couple of years since the pandemic, and the campus has returned to fully functioning; however, we are still reeling from the impacts of the pandemic.

My candidacy for IHC Chair is underpinned by a vision of fostering comprehensive community engagement, ensuring the seamless flow of communication across our diverse house system, and skillfully mediating between the myriad groups that constitute our campus ecosystem. My experiences as ASCIT Secretary and Treasurer have not only expanded my network but also deepened my understanding of the multifaceted needs of our community, empowering me to lead initiatives like the reimagining of the Conduct Review Committee (CRC) and building the inventory of the ASCIT Social Closet. Serving as the Business Manager for The California Tech has further refined my ability to implement enduring initiatives when I was able to help with directly restructuring the newspaper so that it can publish regularly, reinforcing my commitment to fostering a cohesive campus environment[MG1] . These roles have endowed me with a profound appreciation for the interconnectedness of our academic and social spheres, forming the cornerstone of my candidacy.[MG2]

I am deeply committed to implementing initiatives that resonate with the needs and aspirations of our entire community. Herein, I outline these ambitious proactive measures and strategic approaches I plan to pursue to address the upcoming challenges that face us and to ensure that future IHCs will have the framework to solve issues that emerge:

Housing

It’s clear to me that this is the most pressing issue currently on students’ minds. There is a shortage of beds as well as decent housing on campus. Those who are unfortunate enough to not get a bed in their house or Bechtel get pushed to Marks and Braun. Currently, unaffiliated students get priority in Bechtel, effectively guaranteeing them a spot. This guarantee for unaffiliated students and not for affiliated students has resulted in a pattern of affiliated students un-affiliating from their house before room-picks, picking into Bechtel, and then re-affiliating with their house. This switch results in houses losing money from dues and gives an incentive for people to unaffiliate when they normally would not. As IHC Chair, I want to continue the previous IHC’s efforts to address this issue and to eliminate the uncertainty that currently accompanies roompicks. I believe that everyone should have a fair chance of getting decent housing and that the current process is not fair and equitable. Just as unaffiliated students should not be disadvantaged for not being part of a house, individuals who are part of a house should also not be disadvantaged.

Rotation

Rotation is the foundation of the house system at Caltech. The goal of Rotation is to place the incoming prefrosh class into houses in a way that is fair to all prefrosh, gives them the best opportunity to thrive, and will benefit the community. However, to accomplish this objective, we must revisit the algorithm. Currently, the algorithm uses a Convex Penalty process that minimizes the sum of squares of the rank the house into which each prefrosh is placed.[MG3] The algorithm’s emphasis on minimizing dissatisfaction based on preference rankings, while neglecting diversity and flexibility, not only led to a failure in achieving gender parity in 2021 but also raises concerns about its ability to respect racial and socioeconomic parity, among other forms.[MG4] Such oversights are critical to Caltech’s mission for inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, highlighting the urgent need for a revised algorithm that can adequately promote and balance these crucial aspects within the house system. The lack of flexibility in the current algorithm also means it struggles to dynamically adjust to changing priorities or unique circumstances each year, limiting its capacity to effectively respond to and reflect the evolving goals of the Caltech community. As IHC Chair, to solve this issue, I plan to push to incorporate input from the houses themselves into the algorithm. House input can provide valuable insights into the unique culture, preferences, and priorities of each house, enabling the algorithm to make more informed placements that consider not just individual prefrosh preferences but also the broader objectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This approach would allow for adjustments that reflect the evolving composition and goals of the houses, fostering a more balanced and inclusive community that aligns with Caltech’s mission.[MG5]

Extending the Student Faculty Conference

I’ve seen firsthand the profound impact that both academic and non-academic factors have on the student experience. One of the big surprises I discovered is that there are very few faculty members directly involved with the non-academic aspects of student life[MG6] . Yet, at least recently, there has been a significant number of faculty members calling for changes that pertain to certain issues of student life that are not directly related to academic ones, such as the calls to change the admissions process and how honor code violations are handled. The current status quo shows a critical gap in our educational ecosystem, leading to overlooked issues that significantly impact student welfare and academic success. These issues include, but are not limited to: mental health, extra-curriculars, diversity and inclusion, [MG7] and student-faculty interaction outside the classroom. To address these challenges, I propose an expansion of the upcoming Student Faculty Conference (SFC) to encompass a wider array of topics, strategically dividing the conference into two separate dates dedicated to academic and non-academic issues, respectively. The inclusion of non-academic topics on a distinct day will encourage more faculty to engage with issues directly affecting student well-being and success outside the academic realm. It will create a structured opportunity for faculty to contribute to and understand the complexities of student life, fostering a more inclusive, supportive, and engaged campus environment. This approach not only aims to bridge the gap between students and faculty but also offers a platform for collaborative problem-solving on issues that matter most to the student body. My commitment, if elected as IHC Chair, is to champion this expanded SFC format, promoting a more holistic, engaged, and responsive academic community at Caltech.

Implementing the C3 Report Recommendations and Follow Up

During the spring term of my freshman year, the Caltech Co-Curricular Group (C3) Final Report was released. The report directly highlighted the shortcomings of the student experience at Caltech. The most notable finding is that between 2017 and 2019, the percentage of respondents that disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, “Administrators at [Caltech] are genuinely concerned about my welfare,” increased from 26% to 51%. Personally, from my experience, administrators treat students like they have to be managed. They have been imposing their own moral values, while claiming them as institute values, [MG8] on student life rather than being an advocate for the students and respecting student values. I’ve even overheard administrators refer to undergraduate students as “adolescents,” which I find to be disrespectful and demeaning. This survey and accounts like my own have resulted in the formation of the Committee on House Assessment, Support, and Experience. , a committee to follow up on these findings in the C3 report. I trust the people facilitating the work of the committee. As IHC Chair, I will actively engage with the facilitators of the CHASE committee, ensuring that the student perspective is accurately represented and prioritized in their findings and recommendations. My aim will be to facilitate a productive dialogue between the committee and the student body, advocating for changes that genuinely improve student life and address the concerns highlighted in the C3 report. By working closely with the committee, I will strive to ensure that the actions taken by Student Affairs and other areas of Caltech as a result from the CHASE Committee truly reflect the needs and values of students, fostering a more supportive and respectful campus environment.

Forward

To wrap up, I want to emphasize the practical aspects of what I’m proposing as your next IHC Chair and ASCIT Vice-President of Non-Academic Affairs. My focus is clear: continue efforts to reform the roompicks process to make it fair for everyone, push to overhaul the rotation algorithm to better reflect our community’s diversity by incorporating house input, and extend the Student Faculty Conference to cover the non-academic issues that deeply affect our lives here at Caltech. These are necessary steps to improve our campus life, and I have the experience and the relationships to make them happen. Addressing the recommendations from the C3 Report and working with the CHASE committee is about ensuring our voices are heard and respected. It’s about making sure administrators see us as partners in improving student life, not just problems to be managed. I’m asking for your vote to make real, meaningful changes that will benefit all of us. I’ve shown what I can do in my previous roles, and I’m ready to take on these challenges head-on. Let’s work together to make Caltech a place where we all feel supported, valued, and heard. Thank you for considering me as your candidate. I’m ready to get to work, and I hope you’ll join me in making these changes a reality.

Cheers,

Jonathan Booker

Evan Portnoi

To my dearest constituents. My name is Evan Portnoi. I am a junior Flem studying astrophysics, and I am running to be your next IHC Chair. Over my time at Caltech, I have taken pride in helping to run events rather than just participate. I’ve always preferred to ensure that other students’ experiences come before my own, from sacrificing my time as a waiter during rotations to being on Orange Watch during interhouses. My goal as IHC Chair is essentially to do that on a larger scale. You have elected your presidents and chancellors because they know how to advocate for your best interests; I just want to facilitate their goals and make working with the administration as seamless as possible.

From attending IHC meetings, I know that I can work well with the other members of the committee. For example, current IHC Chair and next year’s (likely) ASCIT President Sophie Elam and I have been brainstorming an entirely new way to handle room picks so people no longer feel the need to unaffiliate and improve Bechtel odds. On top of that, I have plenty of leadership experience from my time as a tour guide with the Admissions Office and a member of the men’s basketball team. Because of that, I am very comfortable leading IHC meetings and can communicate clearly with administration, and I’ve developed the organizational and time management skills that are essential for this position.

At this point, my personal statement is already getting a bit too long, And while I could end it here, I do think it’s important to discuss some long-term plans for the campus.

As we all know, the climate crisis feels like a runaway train, and we need an immediate answer for renewable resources. The answer, my friends, is quite simple. The old monkey labs under Braun are empty since their move to UCLA, so the space is open for us to finally harness zombie power. With a simple brain on a stick, we put them on a hamster wheel contraption. We all know the undead never tire, so let’s make them never tire for us.

While that seems great, you may want something that will tangibly benefit you. That is why I promise a free pony for every Caltech student. On a campus of this size, forcing us to walk to class is nothing short of criminal behavior, and an obligatory horse is the least that the administration can do for us.

The only issue is the chaos brought on by the influx of animals. In my lengthy career in enforcing societal order, the only way to ensure a high degree of moral hygiene is with a high degree of oral hygiene. I will be enacting a mandatory toothbrushing policy, and any cavities found will result in Allied imprisoning the perpetrators in the zombie labs. Join me, my dear constituents, and we can finally make Caltech ok again.

BoC Chair

Bryan Wang

Hey there! My name is Bryan Wang, and I’m running to be your next BoC Chair. Over the past year as Lloyd BoC rep, I have sat many cases, and throughout all these cases, I have demonstrated my integrity and my impartiality. In the past year, we have seen faculty waver in their belief of the Honor Code through more in person exams and quizzes, more no-collab questions, and stricter extension policies.

As BoC chair, I want to help rebuild faculty’s faith in us as a community and help keep the BoC a student-run organization. The Honor Code is a crucial part of the Caltech community. It allows us to have after-hours access to buildings, lenient extension policies, and take-home exams, among several other benefits. With your support, I am committed to accomplishing these goals and serving as your next BoC chair.

Belle Chen

Hiya everyone! My name is Belle Chen and I’m a s’more running for BoC Chair and Secretary. Over the past year serving as Blacker’s (only) BoC representative, I have sat on 12 of the 20 cases: twice the required amount and more than any other representative. Additionally, I have participated in numerous discussions with BoC leadership and admin to improve how the BoC functions and to ensure that it remains fair to everybody. I believe this experience has provided me a unique perspective and appreciation for the BoC and its inner workings, and I am ready to step up and play an even larger role within it.

I believe that honor code affords us many of the few nice things we have at Caltech, and it pains me to say that trust in the honor code and between students in general is at an all-time low. As a member of BoC leadership, I hope to work towards restoring this trust through improvements to the BoC’s function and image. There are admittedly shortcomings to the BoC process, and I hope to make a number of internal improvements to smooth these out, including an overhaul of the BoC representative training process. Additionally, I hope to make the BoC process more transparent through the availability of information concerning BoC procedures, along with more data and statistics concerning BoC rulings. Finally, I will use these changes, along with redoubled efforts of community outreach, to advocate for the efficacy and necessity of the BoC to admin and faculty. I would be honored to serve within BoC leadership and would strongly appreciate your vote.

BoC Secretary

Belle Chen

Giulia Murgia

Hello everyone! I’m Giulia Murgia, a sophomore studying Astrophysics, and I’m running to be your next BoC Secretary. Throughout my time at Caltech, I have gained an appreciation for the privileges and communal trust associated with the Honor Code. The current system is something unique to Caltech and as the next BoC Secretary I would work to protect and uphold the academic integrity of the student body. In the past year, I’ve proudly represented Fleming House on the BoC, gaining valuable insights into the crucial work that protects our community. Recently, I’ve been gaining experience serving as BoC Secretary, and preparing for the role. I believe my dedication, fairness, and experience uniquely position me to best serve the community as BoC Secretary. Feel free to reach out to me by email (gmurgia@caltech.edu) if you want to ask me anything or have any questions about the BoC. Thanks for taking the time to read my statement!

CRC Co-Chair

Melissa Foster

The Honor Code is one of the most important parts of life at Caltech. It’s the reason we can have take-home exams and leave things in lounges and expect them to be there the next day. It’s been a privilege to be part of a community where we have this kind of trust, and I’d like to contribute to upholding it as CRC co-chair. The CRC is integral to the functioning of the Honor Code, as is the collaboration and trust between the students, faculty, and administrators who serve on it. As co-chair I aim to continue to maintain that trust and collaboration and advocate for a fair, equitable response to honor code violations.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at mefoster@caltech.edu. Thank you!