Candidate Platforms
There will be four positions in the running during this election : President(1), Vice-President(1), Queditor(3), Senator(5). Below are the candidate platforms.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES:
ANDEE GUDE:
My name is Andee Gude, and I’m running for a second term as student body president, with goals of continuing my current work/focus areas. Since my time on senate, I’ve centralized student autonomy and interest, harm reduction, student spaces and resources, outreach and campus enrichment. I'm working alongside senators and accountability groups members to advocate for instituted, uncensored SB info. Some of the projects I’m most proud of include creating a Renn Fayre Czar handbook, implementing harm reduction material, training and supplies for Renn Fayre, revitalizing student spaces and storages including the Pride Center, and planning senate student outreach events like our semesterly job fair and upcoming signator appreciation event, to highlight club leaders and signators. I’m a proud first-gen, low-ses, queer, disabled Black person and keep these lived experiences at the forefront of my work. We benefit from diverse representation. While my goal is to improve students’ experiences at Reed generally, that means different things to different communities at Reed, and I’m dedicated to supporting all of them. Outside of senate, I co-lead BSU, have hosted a gallery on Black art on campus, and am planning a Black History Month event in the library next semester, including literature and art displays and community zine making. I also have co-led Period Kollectiv for the past couple of semesters, and have worked to implement a diverse set of period products and self care events to reedies who menstruate. As a peer mentor, I know that student-to-student solidarity, support and guidance is the backbone of college success. I’m passionate about serving my community and spend weekends working at a public library in Portland. I hope that you’ll consider me for re-election. Feel free to reach out with any questions via agude@reed.edu and read more here!
2) PHILIP DUSSIN:
Hello, my name is Philip Dussin, former senator and orchestrator of late night pizza’s triumphant return to Reed College. My election last year was evidence of the fact that Reed students want a representative that is committed to making tangible changes that improve student life. This year, I'm running for a much more significant position, with an even more significant goal: to rid senate of its toxic culture and, instead, prioritize the needs of the student body. Senate’s primary purpose is to advocate for the interests of Reed students. The current senate, however, acts as a drama-filled in-group that is too self-involved to actually make any real change. I've been known for my practical and blunt platform, and while this may be more serious than pizza, I promise that my campaign mission is the same: to listen to the needs of the student body and make real, effective, and tangible change for students at Reed. We brought back pizza, now let's bring back an effective student government.
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES:
LUCY KNIGHT-KING
I’ve served as SB Treasurer for 3 semesters. Over countless emails, meetings, and events, I’ve seen Reed students’ dedication to our community. When I’ve been let down by this institution, it’s been other students who’ve shown me that we can support each other. On Treasury, I oversaw signator training, Top 40/30, Finance Committee, 2 SpringFalls and 1 Renn Fayre, and wages for Student Body employees. I focused on:
Diversity! I advocated for mandatory anti-bias training for all Senate members, tabled on student experiences of discrimination in HUM, and planned an art event for BIPOC students with other SCOD members.
Student Spaces! I created a system that allows students to request to use furniture currently in college storage, helped to get the Bike Co-op re-started, and assisted with Pride Center clean out/revamping.
Academics! I co-wrote a memo proposing that professors be required to provide simple feedback during 8 week comments and tabled on AI policy.
In the same way that SB funds are your funds (we all pay the student body fee), SB Government is your government. My goal will be to persistently represent the interests and opinions of students to administration, faculty, and staff. My priorities will be:
Student Autonomy - new poster regulations, the moderation of SB info, and no MCs are part of a trend toward greater administrative intrusion into our autonomous government and free expression on campus. I will oppose any actions that infringe on student autonomy at Reed.
Student Spaces - I will prioritize spaces on campus for BIPOC students, formalize current SU Cleaning procedures, and find storage solutions to fix overcrowding.
Representation - I will explore new avenues for students to communicate with Senate, develop the Reed Senate Website, an autonomous source for news and resources, and encourage non-Senate student presence on committees.
Expanded platform here.
QUEDITOR CANDIDATES (3 SEATS):
LOUIS CHASE:
Hello, my name is Louis Chase (any pronouns) and I'm running for re-election as Quest editor!
I'm a junior linguistics major currently finishing my first term as a Queditor, after being elected in Fall 2023. My main journalistic interests are health, labor, student life and politics, and interactions between Reed and the broader Portland community. My first-ever Quest article last year was an update on Reed's masking policies that compelled admin to (however briefly) link the COVID-19 FAQ from the front page of reed.edu again, and I've continued that devotion to socially-engaged journalism with reporting on labor organizing in Portland, the student movement for Palestine, institutional memory at Reed, and admin's suppression of SB Info. I also spearheaded the Quest's O-Week issue this year to make sure freshmen could access student narratives they might not learn about during Orientation as soon as they got to Reed.
In my first term, I've been able to effect a lot of positive institutional change for the Quest, including restoring the Quest's relationship with the student body by holding ourselves to stricter standards of fairness and accuracy in political reporting, significantly improving our responsiveness to community feedback, and soliciting a diverse range of opinion submissions regardless of whether we agree with their authors. However, there's still a lot of progress to be made, especially on student engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. My main goals for my second term are:
1. Double down on the Quest's DEI initiatives by reaching out directly to identity groups and holding interest and affinity sessions for underrepresented writers, and inviting practicing journalists from underrepresented backgrounds onto campus.
2. Develop more formal writing, reporting, and ethical guidance for new contributors, in consultation with both Reed-based groups like CLBR and non-Reed groups providing resources for student journalists like the Student Press Law Center and StudentNation. Additionally, ask the Reed Linguistic Diversity Ambassadors to review our style guidance to ensure respect for linguistic diversity in the Quest.
3. Offer stronger incentives for participation by collaborating with CLBR on career development opportunities and asking academic departments to consider offering credit for writing.
4. Improve the Quest's engagement with the broader Portland community by inviting practicing journalists and other media workers to hold events on-campus and encouraging writers to cover more stories about local issues that don't necessarily have a Reed angle.
5. Promote solidarity between the Quest and other student organizations to help leverage our collective power as students.
You can reach me at louisfchase@reed.edu with any questions, comments, or concerns!
2) VINCENT TANFORAN:
Hello! My name is Vincent Tanforan and I’m running for Quest Editor.
I’m a sophomore History-Literature major and a staff writer for the Quest. Over the past year, I’ve covered everything from ongoing news stories about SB Info to features and entertainment, as well as the Thesis Christ column. My time as a writer has shown me the diversity of content and perspectives our paper needs. Before the Quest, I was Editor-in-Chief of my high school newspaper, which gave me valuable experience leading a team of writers on a collaborative basis.
I believe we, as students, have the right to question and fairly criticize institutional power, and the Quest is the forum to do this. The ability to report on current events on- and off-campus as they affect the student body is vital to our mission as a student newspaper. I aim to encourage thoughtful coverage on these challenging issues, while reserving space for the variety of non-news content that makes the Quest what it is.
The Quest should be a platform for all students, and I will honor the opinions and experiences each contributor brings to the paper. As an editor, I will emphasize more outreach and guidance on the writing process to increase engagement and accessibility for new contributors.
I am committed to student autonomy, which the Quest represents as a student-run paper. When this autonomy is in question, we need strong frameworks of support as a community. For this reason, I will work to expand partnerships with fellow student publications and organizations, while remaining an independent voice.
If you value our community as much as I do, please vote for me to help me give back to the paper that gave me a voice and work for the future of autonomous student journalism.
Thank you! Your signature here will help me get on the ballot for the election.
3) SOKHNA GAYE:
Hello! My name is Sokhna Gaye, and I'm running for Queditor. A bit about me, I'm a first year Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, and I currently do sudoku for The Quest. While I may not have formal experience in writing for a publication, I believe my strength as a skilled reader will be an asset in this editorial role.
I am committed to improving the digital presence of The Quest and making our publication more accessible to everyone on campus. With more students engaging with news online, it’s crucial that we adapt our content to suit a digital audience while ensuring that all students can easily access and enjoy our work. Beyond just multimedia, I also aim to ensure that our website is fully accessible, with features like text-to-speech compatibility, adjustable font sizes, and high-contrast design to accommodate students with disabilities. By making The Quest more inclusive in both content and format, we can reach a wider audience and ensure that our publication remains relevant, engaging, and accessible for all students.
Most importantly, I am dedicated to preserving and championing student autonomy within our publication, I will work to ensure that The Quest continues to be a platform where students can share their opinions, challenge ideas, and engage in meaningful dialogue—without fear of censorship or undue influence. By prioritizing editorial independence and creative freedom, I hope to maintain the integrity of our publication and give every student a chance to be heard.
If you ever want to reach out, my email is gsokhna@reed.edu. Thank you for reading!
SENATE CANDIDATES (5 SEATS):
ELEANOR DAVIS-DIVER:
Hello fellow Reedies! My name is Eleanor Davis-Diver and I am excited to represent you as a senator. Now I could say the same thing as all these other politicians, that I plan to listen to your voices and prioritize student life and autonomy, but talk is cheap. I hope to incite real change, the likes of which this campus hasn’t seen since the days of olde. My priorities will be as follows; upon taking office I will immediately begin advocating for the creation and regulation of an online space for discourse that functions within the limits imposed by administration. Next I will look into answering the discontent a number of Reedies have voiced over the relationship between student government and the student body. The orientation of the government is not representative of what the average student prioritizes and I plan to help bridge this divide. The time for infighting and partisan politics is over. We must fight for our constituents instead of with each other.
2) KARTER STANTON:
Hi! My name is Karter Stanton, and I am running to be your senator.
I am a junior Poli-sci/Religion major from Allen, Texas, and I have been involved in the Reed community mainly through my participation in our mock trial team. I want to focus on improving student life through Senate in the following ways:
★Creating Community ★
I think that most students have the experience of wishing Reed had a more collective and social campus culture, so I would like to encourage events that are not major/grade specific, offer social and academic opportunities for students, and help students become more engaged in the community beyond Reed. Reed students should have a positive reputation within the larger Portland community, and being more connected would also increase the opportunities available to students!
★Professional/Academic Opportunities ★
For many Reed students, support is needed to form connections and assess options post-graduate. I want to work to connect more students with CLBR and create new clubs or organizations that students can rely on to help them meet alumni, find work experiences relevant to their fields of study, and be in community with other Reedies who are on similar paths to them. I also aim to increase funding and administrative support for student organizations that promote
★Transparency and Communication ★
In the past year or so, relations between administration and the student body have grown tense, which has made a lot of students feel as though they are unable to trust or be heard by the people who are supposed to provide them with support in the college. I want to work with student body leaders and Reed administration to make Reed feel like the progressive, innovative, and collaborative college that drew its students in.
3) LEILA MYE:
Hello, my name is Leila I'm a new reed student, I'm from San Francisco. I am running for senate because I care about student engagement, representation, and harm reduction. As a student of color at a PWI I believe it is important to have representation, and to have safe student run spaces. I also want to help continue the harm reduction based groups on the reed campus and aim for more student engagement and understanding in both harm reduction and other care oriented student groups on campus.
4) MANOEL PEREIRA LOPES:
Hi! My name is Manoel Pereira Lopes, and I’m a freshman anthro major from São Paulo, Brasil. I decided to run for Senate because, throughout my admittedly short time at Reed, I’ve noticed that the general campus sentiment towards the Senate is overwhelmingly negative. While I’d never claim to be capable of fully diagnosing the reasons for this disconnect, I believe that if elected, I’d be able to help steer the Senate toward a new direction more conducive to students' everyday needs.
I believe that the current means of dialogue between Senate and the student body are far too outdated. Students are far more likely to share their “constructive criticisms” of Senate on fizz than by personally attending office hours or the weekly public meeting. Senate must change with the times and adopt new means of communication that are more convenient for students. To address this, I believe Senate should invest in social media as a primary mode of dialogue with students. This can be achieved using the Senate Instagram account and features such as Instagram DMs and the question box on Instagram stories to allow students to express their concerns whenever convenient. I also believe that all Senate office hours and public meetings should be accessible through Zoom to ensure that all students can participate regardless of their ability to be there in person. In keeping with this theme, I also believe that students should have the option to anonymously submit issues to be discussed during senate meetings. Assuring that all students can have their voices heard while not directly tying themselves to their concerns.
5) MILO GARDNER-STEPHENS:
HELLO!!! I'm Milo, and I'm a senior economics major. If elected, I would want students to feel comfortable reaching out to me about any concerns they have or want brought up at senate meetings. Because of how busy students are, senate can often feel like a bit of a black box, and I want there to be a way for students to have their concerns addressed directly, even if it's just emailing me or something. I would also be good at this because if I'm presented with a problem I get obsessive about it, so if
there's a solution, chances are I'll find it. Like many Reedies, student autonomy is a major concern of mine. It's no secret that the council of evil wizards that runs our school has been eroding student autonomy in recent years. As a senator, I would fight to reverse this trend.
Another reason I would be a good senator is because I am immune to petty group dynamics. Those of you who read Andrew Sakahara's resignation letter may remember that he mentions weird exclusionary group dynamics. Whether or not that's true, I can assure you that such group dynamics will not influence me. I have little regard for my reputation and I'm very outspoken.
If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, or threats to my safety, please don't hesitate to shoot me
an email at milog@reed.edu.
6) REN RASKIN:
Hello! My name is Ren Raskin, I’m a sophomore political science major, and I’m running for a Senate seat! :) As administration continues to roll back student autonomy (censoring of posters, erasure of MC’s, interference with club and organization activities), it’s more important than ever for transparent communications be in place between admin. and students. My platform seeks to empower students to speak out against unnecessary regulations, and work with administration to ensure that student autonomy is protected.
7) SIMA FASIHI:
Hi! I'm a freshman, likely political science or economics major at Reed. I want to run for Senate because I believe that it's important for all of student body to be represented at student government, especially students who have been historically unrepresented in this college and communities that continue to be a minority here. I'm an immigrant from the Middle East and I think it's important for this small community to have a voice at the Senate.
I went to school in Portland so I'm familiar with the larger Portland community and I want to see Reed's student body expand its involvement here. I especially want to create an environment that flourishes the drive for knowledge, care and compassion for local issues in our city and takes action on those issues. I've served on the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board for Beaverton ( city to the west of Portland). I've been involved with the Oregon League of Conservation voters, Sunrise and and I'm currently working for 350PDX. All these organizations have introduced me to the issues that Portland faces and it's time for Reedies to take action.
As a first year, I know the struggles of finding community at Reed and adjusting to a new life. I want to make this transition easier for incoming students. I've been hit pretty hard with the academic life at Reed. They didn't lie when they said this college would be academically rigorous. While it's not realistic to say that the Senate can change the way classes are structured at Reed (and I'm not sure the structure needs to be changed) they can certainly change the academic culture of our college and the way students show up for one another.
I'm still learning and finding my self at this college but I hope that I can contribute to the Senate :)
8) VICTORIA REECE:
Hi! I'm Victoria, a first-year psych (?) major from California (originally Denmark, but only if that makes anyone more likely to vote for me). I'll be so honest, I wasn't even going to run for senate before they said there weren't enough candidates, but here we are, so... pls vote for me! Coming to Reed I was surprised that a school with such passionate students had such a lack of involvement with student government, and would love to help change that. I hope to see more sustainability initiatives (for example, a compost bin system for the dorm kitchens), and make the transition to college more efficient (e.g. sending all orientation materials to the same email address and providing more information about dorms). I also agree with the ideas some of the other people running have mentioned, so you should totally vote for them (and if there are more than 5 candidates, vote for them over me). If I'm elected, I promise to be open to new ideas, listen to student concerns, and treat everyone with respect (so original, I know). Ok, that's all – maybe I should have used AI to write a better version of this, but hopefully you'll appreciate the short read. Have a great day!