Primary election results show the Stringham ticket as one of the three remaining tickets in the ASUU elections. The Stringham Ticket received 1003 of 2779 votes for the 2026-27 executive leadership. General voting closes Feb. 27.
The ticket has the presidential candidate as Erica Stringham, a double major in psychology and Strategic Communication. Stringham is the current events chair on the ASUU Campus Events Board, the Events Director of Women in Investing, and a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Jake Holmberg joins Stringham as the vice president of university relations and Niya West as the vice president of student relations.
Holmberg is majoring in Business Entrepreneurship. He is a member of the ASUU Campus Events Board, is in the Sigma Chi fraternity and is an operations intern for the athletics department.
West is studying Strategic Communication with minors in Professional Leadership & Business Marketing and French. West serves as the Vice President for Marketing for the Alpha Phi sorority, the Digital Content Specialist for UofU Events and the Marketing specialist for the Fashion in Business Club.
Stringham said their campaign is rooted in connection, practical experience and a commitment to “ease the burden” students face.
Why they ran
Stringham has served on the Events Board in ASUU for two years. She said her time working under different administrations shaped her decision to run. “I’ve really gotten to see the disconnect there is on campus, and how many students feel like they don’t belong,” Stringham said. “I’ve truly seen what works and what doesn’t, and I’m really here just to help students.”
Holmberg said he was drawn to leadership through his previous involvement. “I genuinely like to see other people have fun,” he said. “It’s been a good experience to put on these student-led events and see people come together.”
West said her motivation stems from a desire to strengthen the university community. “Being from Utah and having parents who are alumni, I definitely care about this university and the future of it,” she said. “We have such a special place for generations to come.”
The ticket frequently describes itself as “the leadership that listens,” advocating for in-person conversations and outreach to student groups and Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). “I truly believe sitting down and talking to students is really how you make a change here on campus,” Stringham said.
Pillars
The Stringham Ticket platform centers on three pillars: affordability, belonging and mental health. “Our number one pillar is affordability,” Stringham said. “Money affects everyone here on campus. Most people are just trying to pay off their tuition. They don’t have time to engage in campus life.”
West and Holmberg described mental health as “close to home.” The ticket is focusing on awareness and streamlining access to existing services and resources. “There’s not a ton of awareness around certain aspects of mental health,” Holmberg said. “There’s no rapid response, no drop-in sessions. People are waiting weeks to get help.”
Drawing on their experience with Events Board, the ticket also centers on cross-collaboration. “We’ve really gotten to see what brings campus together and what doesn’t,” Stringham said.
Holmberg said that a better sponsorship strategy could transform campus programming. “Why not go get more?” he said. “If we can get bigger sponsorships, that means better events. That means more engagement.”
Rather than raising student fees, the ticket proposes expanding external sponsorships and alumni partnerships to fund events and RSOs. The other tickets “all say they’re going to support RSOs, which is awesome,” Stringham said. “But we have an actual plan to get more money for RSOs.”
The ticket also hopes to prioritize nontraditional students, including commuters, first-generation students and those working full-time. “Everyone deserves a space,” Stringham said.
Expanding resources
A key initiative is the creation of a student lobbyist group to work directly with the Utah Legislature.“We want to establish a student lobbyist group that works at the Utah legislature to make sure students are part of those conversations,” Stringham said. “If other universities are pushing back together, why aren’t we?”
On food insecurity, the ticket hopes to partner with a local nonprofit that offers discounted groceries to expand access to affordable food and supplement the campus food pantry. “There are resources right down the hill from campus,” Stringham said. “We just need to better utilize and partner with them.”
The ticket also highlighted creating initiatives regarding safety. They support expanding late-night shuttle services, increasing campus lighting and improving communication during emergencies. They hope to further collaborate with the Lauren McCluskey Foundation to enhance campus safety initiatives. “Safety is really close to me,” Stringham said. “Especially as a woman on campus.”
Communication and transparency
The Stringham ticket believes that an untapped resource throughout campus is a lack of communication between administration and students, between boards and RSOs. “Whether it’s resources, transparency or just knowing what’s available, there’s a lack of communication,” West said.
The ticket proposes using the Utah 360 app to consolidate and streamline information about events, transportation and support services. With the app already in place, they want it to be a space for students to share feedback or concerns.
They also plan to host bi-monthly RSO forums where representatives from RSOs, Greek life, and other groups meet to give feedback and hear updates on progress and upcoming initiatives. The ticket plans to use town halls, pop-ups, and surveys to keep communication open. “We want to make sure students are able to have a safe space to talk to us,” West said.
The ticket supports increasing awareness of “red cards,” which outline constitutional rights during possible interactions with federal law enforcement. “At the forefront, we’re here to make students feel safe and supported,” Stringham said.
Transportation and parking
The ticket acknowledged they cannot directly change parking infrastructure or pricing. “We are aiming to create a more compassionate parking system,” Stringham said. The ticket plans to work with Auxiliary Services, with which Stringham has already connected.
They plan to look at ticketing practices, especially during events, explore designated commuter lots and ways to lessen the financial impact of tickets.
West is also focusing on a public transportation campaign to reframe public transit as appealing and accessible. They plan to educate students about existing transit apps and how to use them. The campaign would make “public transportation appealing to students as something that they want to use and are knowledgeable about,” West said.
They plan to tie transit information to the Utah 360 app for easier access. With this, the ticket is advocating for late-night shuttles and expanding SafeRide across campus so that night classes and shifts are safer for students.
Looking ahead
If elected, the ticket said it would begin work immediately over the summer by meeting with RSOs, planning sponsorship outreach and coordinating with orientation programs. “Freshmen set the precedent for the rest of their time here,” Stringham said. “If they don’t get involved early, that carries on.”
Holmberg said that he hopes their leadership leaves a lasting mark. “If there’s a positive, lasting impact, whether that’s lessening financial strain or creating a tradition, that’s legacy,” he said, “That’s what matters.”
Ultimately, the ticket believes its combined experience and deep ties to campus make it uniquely qualified. “We’re not stepping into this brand new,” Stringham said. “We’ve done this.”
