The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) elections for the 2021-2022 academic year are underway. The Clarion will host a town hall for the community to ask questions to the two running mates, Keanan Anderson and Mason Estes. It will be held April 24 at 5 p.m. MDT, and the link to register can be found here. 

All students were emailed their personalized ballots, and they should contact duusgbusiness@gmail.com if the incorrect class or department was included in their form. The candidates’ platforms can be found here, and voting will close on Monday, April 26 at 12  p.m. MDT. 

What do you hope to accomplish as USG president and vice president? 

Anderson and Estes: As a team, we are committed to the idea of these two-As: accountability and ambition. As leaders, we want to be ambitious and will not shy away from the hard topics and challenges that our university faces. We will take any actions possible to cultivate the greatest university that we can. Too often do leaders make promises they cannot keep or be held to. 

Due to the impact of COVID-19, USG and the student body has seen a lack of engagement within all things DU. Students have been more stressed about their families and mental health than what their next assignment is for school. We want to bring this engagement back. We are developing a vision of what life at the University of Denver can be and what it will be. 

While in pursuit of this, we want to contribute to three main pillars: sustainability, diversity and inclusive excellence, and the student experience. With these three pillars, we want to embolden and enable campus leaders to achieve success in these spaces. 

How do you hope to improve USG?

Anderson and Estes: As a body, we have limitless but historically unutilized potential to make great advances for our campus. When thinking of how we want to improve our student government, it begins with putting hard-working students in positions within USG and making sure that their efforts are impactful and used to their fullest potential. 

How will you approach realities such as racism, microaggressions, gender-based and sexual violence on campus?

Anderson and Estes:  It is our firm belief that these issues are uniquely different, presenting their own challenges and needed actions. However, we understand that these issues share a commonality in that their roots come from a foundation of hate and misunderstanding. We are committed that each and every student on this campus has a right to pursue their education in an environment where they are safe and respected as human beings.

Each of these issues has its own needs and student leaders committed to addressing them. For example, we are not experts in gender-based and sexual violence. This does not mean we cannot work with existing efforts to find solutions to these issues. 

The work that has been done in the last two years in this area has shown the potential for change and empowerment. There are student leaders at the front lines who we hope to work with and support in their efforts. 

Whether it be in combating racism, discrimination or sexism, we are here to bring the assets and resources of our offices to be assets in the struggle for positive change and progress. 

We understand our role in this office is to facilitate conversations and change on our campus. With consent from the students of our campus, we have a few initiatives that we hope to engage in:

• The relationship between the student body and Campus Safety
• Greater efforts towards proactive measures rather than reactive measures specifically towards gender-based and sexual violence
• Empowering affinity organizations on campus to have a greater capacity to advocate for themselves

How will you address the impact of COVID-19 on campus? 

Anderson and Estes: Given the university’s most recent press release, all students will be required to receive the vaccination (with certain exemptions). We are fully in support of this. We want to work with the university regarding how vaccination requirements will be regulated and safety precautions will be implemented. 

Vaccination presents the key to returning to in-person classes, and we cannot wait. This excitement will come with managing expectations. We are aware that this situation is tenuous and subject to change; we simply want to be there to ensure that the student body has the most opportunities within these circumstances. 

We understand that the needs of every student should be respected, and we want to commit our in-person office transition to being as safe and responsible as possible. We cannot allow the progress that we, as a community, have made during this pandemic to be lost by short-sighted excitement. Together, we will work with the university in providing students with the celebration they deserve while also enforcing the safety precautions necessary. 

What qualities do you bring as a leader that will promote the growth of DU and its students?

Anderson: They say curiosity killed the cat, but for me, satisfaction is what brings it back. Always in pursuit of the next challenge in life, I spring forward eager to conquer tomorrow’s problems. I have pursued leadership responsibilities throughout my life and am now applying myself to the largest one of all— student body president. 

My curiosity also leads me to empathy and a willingness to listen. I recognize that I am a straight white male in a fraternity and the privileges I hold due to that. However, through my curiosity and drive, I want to use these unfair advantages to create platforms for others. I myself do not have all of the answers, but I know that through my curiosity to seek out others’ passion and purpose, I can gather a community that will chip away at our troubles in today’s society.

Estes: Being Luiseño, I have spent my life contributing to my people. With this identity comes a commitment to culture and community, as I was raised on the idea that leadership and work ethic are essential in leaving a legacy that seven generations can be proud of. 

As a leader, I am a listener first and always committed to those I represent. I have experienced hardships and struggle in the face of neo-colonialism and oppression, and this has given me perseverance and goals far bigger than myself. While most leaders seek power, I want to contribute positive change in the world. 

At the end of the day, my unwavering belief in people and hope for a better tomorrow have gifted me empathy that is rare today. I am here for the people before me and those who come after me, no matter the hardships that entails. 

What are you most proud of accomplishing at DU? 

Anderson: Through all of the resolutions, amendments, meetings and events, there is one thing that continually stands out: people. The people I have met since coming to DU are the reason I am running for president today. From my freshman roommate to my fraternity brothers,  professors and current running mate, I have gained an experience that I would not change for the world. 

Because of my friends or even people I may disagree with, I have grown as a student and person. I am proud that I can stand before the student body displaying the development I have undergone because of these people.

Estes: At the University of Denver, I am most proud of my contribution as an Indigenous student to the community. When I was in my final years of high school, I was not going to pursue higher education because my family was not in a position where I could do so. However, I was given the chance to attend the University of Denver. 

Three years later, I am a scholar, student leader and good member of our community while many of those I grew up with did not have that same opportunity. It may sound selfish, but I am most proud of how far I have come. That being said, it means nothing if I do not push to be the best version of myself in giving all that I can to our DU community

What do you admire most in your running mate?

Anderson: Mason is devoted to the development and growth of everyone around him, including himself. He has the ability to motivate and facilitate meaningful change by touching the hearts of his community. 

Mason has a deep commitment to his Indigenous heritage and dedication to promoting valuable and positive change for his people. This commitment shows in his promotion of student body issues. There is not a single problem that has been presented within USG that Mason has not done his best to educate, advocate and promote. No matter what happens during the coming years, I will be in Mason’s corner, just as I expect he will be in mine.

Estes: When I think of Keanan Anderson, it is easy to be distracted by his inherent charm and devilishly good looks. However, when he approached me about the idea of running together for this position, I was most persuaded by his vision. Keanan is fully committed to making the world a greater place. 

When I first met him, I understood that his experiences were very different from my own. As our friendship has grown, he has become someone who I not only respect in his commitment to helping others, but to being a good man. When I was young, my father told me the greatest thing you can have in life is people who you can trust. There is no one who I trust more for this position than Keanan Anderson. This guy is the real deal. Though we have a lot to prove as a team, I could not have picked a better president and friend to take on this mission with.