This ASUU election cycle, three tickets are vying for the 2024-25 student body presidency.
The Tsang ticket is comprised of Brendan Tsang, Areesha Nazir and Humzah Khan.
Tsang is running for student body president, Nazir is running for vice president of university relations and Khan is running for vice president of student relations.
Tsang is a third-year student at the University of Utah and is studying operations and supply chain and information systems.
Nazir is a third-year student as well and is double majoring in information systems and marketing. Khan is a sophomore at the U, studying mechanical engineering.
Nazir said the ticket’s platform is focused on the amplification of student voices at the U.
She mentioned that they are working on many different initiatives, but the main ones include sustainability, safety, campus life, inclusion and transportation.
Tsang has previously served as the deputy chief of staff in ASUU, and he said he will be bringing that experience with him if elected to office.
The three ticket members have served on a variety of different boards and committees across campus, including as 2023-24 presidential interns for Khan and Tsang.
Khan said being a presidential intern with Tsang led him to join the ticket.
“What made me want to be a part of Brendan’s ticket was you really understand and learn a lot about higher education and how the university administration helps, and what kind of red tape they have to go through in order to help the students,” he said.
Tsang said another goal they have is to make getting ASUU funding for student organizations more accessible.
Nazir added another one of their initiatives is to “focus on uniting community and creating a sense of belonging for every single student, which includes, like, having a sense of advocacy for them, creating easier funding processes.”
Khan mentioned his concerns with safety on campus at the U, adding he wants to ensure that students at the U feel safe on campus, especially if it is their “home away from home.”
Nazir said that she herself has seen a rise of Islamophobia on campus, and as a Pakistani-American, she wants to address this as part of her objective as a candidate for the vice president of university relations.
“What we can do is include people of all different backgrounds in these conversations and amplify their voices so that we’re not just increasing safety for students who are like us, but every single student on campus,” she said.
The Tsang ticket also said they believe the “ASUU Bubble” has persisted on campus, where the student government is disconnected from the student body. They said they aim to be more accessible to students and advocate for them.
“You should vote for our ticket because we stand for advocacy and we stand for belonging,” Tsang said. “I feel like under our ticket we will really support this body to the best of our ability, and to make sure that every student that goes through the U succeeds.”
ASUU voting opens on Feb. 26 at 7 a.m. MST and runs through Feb. 29 at 12 p.m. The first ASUU debate will be on Feb. 6 from 6-8 p.m.
ASUU Elections results will be announced on March 1.
