Election time is here for Associated Students of WSU Vancouver. Candidates for President, Esmeralda (Vita) Blanco and Vice President, Armando Antonio, now run unopposed for their campaign of the 2020-2021 year.
On Feb. 26, ASWSUV held a three-pronged meet-and-greet, allowing the candidates to make an opening statement, answer questions provided by the Office of Student Involvement and respond to student’s questions.
Previously, candidates Emily Shirron and Betsy Hanrahan were set to debate with Blanco and Antonio, but withdrew from the election. “After closer consideration, it was decided that serving the students at WSUV in other leadership positions would be best,” Shirron said, commenting on their withdrawal.
What you missed at the meet-and-greet:
Blanco is a junior and Antonio is a sophomore, both are majoring in integrated strategic communication. During the meet-and-greet, the ticket discussed their platform and major points they believe attribute to their value as primary contenders.
Their future goals for WSU Vancouver included: increasing mental health resources on campus, reaching outside the community for donations to benefit student programs, addressing food insecurity, creating a functional public clothing closet, orchestrating more student events and an open-door student policy with ASWSUV.
“We believe in the power of connection, and bringing the community together,” Blanco said.
“Filling in the gaps of [these] pillars, mental health, addressing food, housing, clothing insecurities. Transparency in community.”
The candidates stood in support, at the meet-and-greet, of the Undoculoans Bill [SB 6561] that WSU Vancouver students created to provide accessible student loans to undocumented college students in Washington.
They discussed their backgrounds as students and candidates alike. Blanco worked in the healthcare industry for over ten years and learned leadership through her experience. She became a student at Clark College, transferred to WSU Vancouver and is currently a student representative for ASWSUV as the director of campus outreach.
“One of the biggest things that I’ve been able to do is create events that actually go with the pillars that we believe in,” Blanco said. “I happen to have many connections outside of WSUV in the community and I was able to bring resources to students.”
Antonio is president of the fashion club and works at the campus cafeteria. Learning skills about teamwork, he said past organized experiences have impacted his leadership efforts today.
“I’ve grown a lot and learned how to work with groups and understand people’s weaknesses and their strengths and how to overcome any problems that may arise,” Antonio said. “Nothing is done alone, everything requires a group.”
Both elaborated on additional goals to work closely with other members of student government, while also creating a sense of belonging for all students on campus.
“Leadership comes with building a team together and knowing your strengths, being able to share that. Interning and coaching, being there for one another,” Blanco said.
As final statements occurred, Blanco summarized her interpretation of their campaign. “I think as being your future president, I think of it like a gardener who attends to their garden. No matter the color, the size, they tend to the flowers in the garden to help them blossom. I believe that’s where my heart is,” Blanco said.
Ticket’s interview with The VanCougar:
The VanCougar sat down with President and Vice President ticket, Vita Blanco and Armando Antonio, to discuss their plans if elected. Michael Tran, an alumnus of WSU Vancouver who majored in management, sat in on the discussion as their campaign manager.
From the beginning of their election journey, Antonio explained they were able to submit an application on the last available day to run as ASWSUV’S President and Vice President.
“It was sort of just a leap of faith. Vita reached out to me saying she was really interested in running for election, and we heard there was only one party running at the time, so I decided right then and there I would be her Vice President, and that was the day of the application being due,” Antonio said.
When discussing their goals, Blanco and Antonio plan to connect with the student body by creating stronger relationships.
“I’m a student, going through the same struggles of doubt, fear, challenging time-management of too much to do with school, class, work and homework. I’ve been able to be my authentic self as a student and connecting with other students. Bringing my story and what I’ve gained,” Blanco said.
Tran’s role as campaign manager was part of their methodology for running in the election, refining their ideas, according to the pair. “After I saw their announcement, it actually aligned with my values. I reached out to both of them to see if they’re interested in me helping [them],” Tran said.
If elected as President and Vice President, Blanco and Antonio anticipate keeping a balanced budget within ASWSUV’s financial means. They hope to accomplish this by contacting external companies to donate additional resources, according to Blanco.
Antonio discussed the clothing closet they hope to implement, calling it the “Coug Closet,” which would offer students a wide range of clothing.
“I was really motivated and I want to get a Coug Closet, like the Cougar Pantry here on campus, where students can stop by whenever they need donation based clothing. We’d love to reach out to companies and see if they’d love to support WSU Vancouver. At the Coug Closet, we’ll provide not just professional clothes, but also everyday clothes,” Antonio said.
Blanco said she is looking forward to working with a local, non-profit organization, called Our City Cares, to help combat mental distress.
“We would be the first university college to have these signs of hope, to create awareness, conversations, give voices to students. I am also looking forward to starting a campaign with signs of hope [Our City Cares] and to bring in students, faculty and staff. This campaign would involve everyone,” Blanco said.
Blanco explained that although the counseling service on campus is great, she wants to make things more accessible.
“It doesn’t always line up with student schedules. I’m hearing that as a new student, they have to only be seen only certain days and times. This is a great service, however students are saying ‘our first appointment we can’t even get in, it’s during our lab or class.’ If you don’t have that first initiation appointment and it’s a roadblock for them, then that’s not creating access,” Blanco said.
To relieve students’ stress, they plan to host more events like bowling nights and other group activities. This also includes weekly updates, informing students of information happening on campus through video announcements.
If elected, they are aiming to implement factors within their platform as soon as possible. “That’s the needs of the students, we want to be able to dive into that immediately,” Blanco said.
Voting in the ASWSUV election is a great way to be an involved VanCoug and have your voice heard on campus. The election does not only include voting for the presidential ticket, but also appoints Senators and includes a constitutional amendment. ASWSUV polls opened online March 4. In-person polls on campus opened March 9 starting at 9 a.m. and end on March 11 at 6 p.m.
Olivia is a senior studying English at WSU Vancouver.