ASG Presidential candidates make their case to student body

Voting takes place online on April 15 and 16

Tyler Pugmire / News Editor / The USD Vista

Justice Zoto and Fanisee Bias are both juniors looking to take over the reins of Associated Student Government (ASG) after serving the organization for the entirety of their academic careers. As they have both been campaigning virtually, they have relied on social media in order to voice their message to the student body. While they have both served ASG in their own rights, their visions for the future of student government are different. 

Justice Zoto

Zoto has many goals and dreams for her potential term as president, but specifically is looking to amplify students’ marginalized voices by meeting with different organizations to pressure university administration into making systemic changes. Zoto noted that effective change is still in dire need at this school. A primary reason for her to run for president came from the opportunity to have a seat at the table with administrators in order to demand change.

Zoto is a first-generation college student, who says she knows what USD can do to help its students, but also that to make college comfortable for students of all backgrounds, many accommodations must be made. She is looking to be a president that will actively listen to students and advocate for them at all levels, Zoto says she is ready to be held accountable and plans on establishing important relationships with both administration and students so that she has the capacity to create a real dialogue between the two. 

Zoto has experience with the ASG Senate, serving as both an Academic Senator and the Public Relations Chair. She has also attended many leadership conferences. In her eyes, ASG would be different with her as president because she would look to unite the organization as a whole, so that students can properly utilize the senators and event coordinators to their full capacity. Ideally, for Zoto, students would know where to turn whenever they could contribute something to the rest of the student body.

Zoto understands how the university works, and yet knows how truly disappointing USD can be to some students in times of need. USD, in her eyes, continues to lack all of the proper needs for students and she wants to be the change that makes students feel accepted at their college. 

Fanisee Bias

Fanisee Bias has made listening and paying attention to students’ needs her number one priority in her campaign for ASG President. She recognized that the next year is going to be tough, but that with proper communication there can still be a lot of positive change that comes onto campus next year. For Bias, that change comes in the form of motivating individual students to reach their full potential, for the University to acknowledge past history and harm of systemic actions, and to support all of USD in developing actions towards equity, inclusion, accessibility, and solidarity.

In her time with ASG, she has served as a Residential Senator, an At-Large Senator, a Committee Chair, Committee Coordinator, and Speaker Pro Tempore. Bias founded the Alliance of Disability Advocates and interned for the United Front Multicultural Commons, and the combination of these experiences is why she feels as though she is more than ready to be president.

Bias says empathy, equity, and representation are guiding values in all of her leadership roles, and she plans on using those ideals to create the best environment possible for students. She claims that ASG is not perfect and that being a member during those times of shortcoming have taught her a lot about what can be better. Mainly, she wants the organization to be seen as a safe, accessible, and successful place for students to utilize whenever they may need accommodations. 

Fanisee Bias is attempting to leave her final mark on USD as president and is confident in her ability to make this school a better place for everyone. She says she has talked to many former ASG mentors and past presidents and has been reassured that her experience is worthy to be a candidate for this role.