This fall, Undergraduate Student Government elections will take place between 9 a.m. on Monday, November 3 and 4 p.m. on Friday, November 7. First-years will receive their ballots via email and can vote for up to five candidates through Blueprint. The Maroon spoke with this year’s Class of 2029 candidates for College Council (CC) to capture their respective platforms. CC members sit on at least two committees, which develop policy proposals that go to the full council for approval.
Candidates Diya Kondur and Gavin Wynn declined to participate. Aarnav Chopra and Logan Shim did not respond to requests for comment. Juan Kim, Nick Kopaliani, and Amara Nwuneli contributed written responses.
Olivia Diaz (Audrey and Olivia Party) said that, while there are many academic and professional resources on campus, finding them can often be overwhelming. USG should work on “simplifying that down, so that people really understand they have support here and [so that] it’s easy to find,” Diaz said.
She also thinks that ensuring students are able to have the same academic advisors through their time at UChicago is important to support students academically. “Making sure that [advisors] are staying long-term so students can have them for the entirety of their four years is really important,” Diaz said.
Diaz served as the student body president of her high school. “Through my leadership experience, I’ve developed a strong commitment to advocacy, leadership, and collaboration,” Diaz said.
Carmen Gonzalez Valle believes students should be able to use Maroon Dollars on printers and wants to reduce wait times for Vias. She also wants to promote student life and engagement with the city. “I want everyone to have a great experience, not just within the school, but also I want people to feel safe enough to actually get to know the city,” Gonzalez Valle said.
Gonzalez Valle served as both a student board representative and senator in her high school government, noting at the time that students were often disconnected from student government. “If I [were] elected, I would want to make sure that everyone knew what was going on, the ins and outs,” Gonzalez Valle said.
Aaron Horowitz said students should have the option to pay for laundry with Maroon Dollars. “It wouldn’t really create an additional cost for the administration because the funding is already there. But also, if this policy were implemented, students wouldn’t be required to pay out of pocket for laundry,” Horowitz said.
He also suggested that USG should better promote its work within the community. “USG could be doing a better job [at explaining] what the stakes are, what it’s responsible for doing, [and] why it matters,” Horowitz said. “Once USG starts doing that, more people will get excited about USG.”
Juan Kim said that “leadership means creating change that you can actually witness.” Kim hopes to improve student life by facilitating communication between students and the administration. “Better communication about resources, clearer feedback systems, and more accessible support can make a big difference in how connected we feel as a community,” Kim said.
He said he runs a social enterprise which operates a bakery, café, and online market with 30 volunteers and 7 employees. It donates 100 percent of its profits to single mothers and orphans. “That experience has taught me how to manage teams, listen to different perspectives, and turn ideas into real impact,” Kim said.
Nick Kopliani aims to “fight for experiences that make UChicago memorable beyond the classroom” and “make our campus experience match the excellence of our education.” He said that, as a CC representative, he would push to make essential amenities such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and laundry services free for on-campus students. He would also advocate for spring concerts featuring pop and hip-hop artists.
Kopliani previously served as class treasurer for his high school’s student government. “Coming from a small rural public school where collaboration was essential… I feel that I am well-equipped to bridge divides, listen to different perspectives, and get things done efficiently,” he said.
Audrey Krajewski (Audrey and Olivia Party) is focused on “promoting wellness more around campus and trying to make sure that students are aware of the mental health resources [available].” Krajewski believes that “wellness pop-up days” and similar events are one way that USG can promote mental health.
In high school, Krajewski founded a nonprofit focused on teaching coding to students across 16 countries who were engaged in robotics. Krajewski also served on her principal’s advisory board and student council throughout high school.
Mukul Kumar wants to solicit new projects and ideas for USG. “Imagine having a rap battle in the middle of the Reg,” he said. “I mean, it sounds crazy—but the main point for me isn’t only… my ideas, it’s about hearing other people’s crazy ideas.”
Kumar thinks that bold, unconventional thinking is a key part of UChicago’s character and history. “[The University is] always pushing the boundaries. And I think that’s paying dividends for us.… Not all our crazy ideas work, but the fact that we’re trying these new ideas is something that really resonates with me at UChicago,” Kumar said.
Siddharth Mitra wants to introduce weekly office hours for students to speak to their USG representatives. “If there’s any problem on campus, [students] don’t need to wait—they have a place every week where they can approach at least two out of [their class’s] five College Council members,” Mitra said.
He also wants to ensure that RSOs create plenty of application opportunities in the winter quarter so that students don’t have to wait until the following year if they missed sign-ups in autumn. “Every RSO has quite a rigorous application season in the fall. But most of us don’t know exactly what we want to do, and, for a lot of us, it gets pretty overwhelming,” Mitra said.
Kavon Mouton (Unfiltered Party) is focused on mental health and improving student morale on campus. He aims to achieve this through a variety of events: musical chairs on the quad, added mental health resources during midterms, and therapy dog visits on campus.
Mouton served as student body president in high school and is a member of business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. He believes these experiences will help him be an effective representative in USG.
Amara Nwuneli grew up “between cultures and continents—from West Africa to the U.S. and beyond,” which deeply influenced her understanding of community and drew her to UChicago. “I’ve learned to find home in conversation, in shared laughter, and in spaces where people are curious about the world and each other,” she said, citing UChicago as a vibrant, curious family.
Nwuneli wants to expand the ArtsPass program to include concerts and live events across Chicago. She would organize more first-year social and preprofessional mixers and implement a system for students to request guest speakers. Nwuneli would also aim to improve quality-of-life issues related to laundry and shared spaces on campus, including an increased range of discounts and free subscriptions.
“What sets me apart [from other candidates] is my ability to connect big ideas with everyday experiences — to take inspiration and turn it into something tangible, joyful, and lasting,” she said.
Miah Reyes (Unfiltered Party) wants to serve as a connection between USG and students. “I just [want] to be able to be a kind of mediator for people—if they see an issue, they can know that they can come to me and have someone to rely on,” Reyes said.
Reyes is also focused on promoting mental health and student morale on campus. She hopes to achieve this through USG-sponsored events on campus and additional mental health resources, such as therapy dogs. In high school, Reyes worked with the school administration to bring policy change wanted by students. “I have a lot of experience with working with administrative people and being somewhat of a bridge from the students to the teachers,” Reyes said.
Nik Rizvi (Nik and Abdon Party) said he loves organizing community gatherings such as cookouts and study groups. He advocates for more catered class-wide events. “We’ll work day by day,” Rizvi said. “[We’ll] toil night after night, just to help people.”
As a pre-med student, Rizvi makes an effort to give back at least once per week, whether volunteering at the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, providing hospice care, or assisting in labs.
Ubaldo Rodriguez’s campaign is driven by a demand for greater financial transparency at UChicago. “Our tuition costs have been rising year over year, and that is largely due to spending money that we simply do not have,” Rodriguez said. “I believe that it is the University’s responsibility to be clear and transparent about where the tuition is going.”
He plans to pressure the administration to form a commission that would release an annual budget report—available to all students and faculty—outlining how and why funds are being allocated, and plans to advocate for a community forum where students and faculty could voice their suggestions and concerns about the budget. He also proposed a credit system for laundry, billed quarterly along with meal plans.
Rodriguez has previously served in leadership roles in high school and in local government, including advocating for and helping to pass legislation with the city council.
Timur Tuncman wants to streamline what he describes as the “tedious” process of signing in guests at residence halls, suggesting that one-time sign-ins might be the answer. He said he hopes students will realize that USG can “have a significant influence in the community” and encouraged everyone to vote.
Tuncman served on his high school student council for four years and was inspired by its effectiveness. He hopes to use his amiability and experience collaborating with administrators to make a similar impact at UChicago.
Abdon Valenciana (Nik and Abdon Party) emphasized active listening and time-efficient responses over poor communication. After hearing about social challenges during O-Week, Valenciana hopes to build stronger bonds among first-years. “There’s people in my classes that I haven’t really spoken a word to—it just doesn’t feel like a community,” he said. “I hope to give our class and future first-years more time to connect and make new friends.”
Valenciana served as a senior class representative at his high school, noting a “disconnect” between student government and the student body. “I hope to bridge that gap [at UChicago] and host events where students with concerns can come directly to Nik and [me].”
