Patrick Trautfield
Watch Angela Kramer talk about her platform in the Mustang Daily’s interviews with the candidates.
A candidate for Associated Students Inc. president stating that she is going to be the voice of the students and represent everyone might sound like a cliché and conjure up images of a politician in training.
That impression, however, seems off base when the sentiment comes from Angela Kramer.
“My passion is grassroots activism,” the political science junior said. “I come from a perspective of advocacy and am not at all interested in running ASI like a business. It is a representative forum that is supposed to protect the students and provide the ultimate college experience.”
Kramer said she feels ASI has moved away from student interest and has fallen in line with administration while sweeping dissenting opinions under the rug. She noted that some students feel ASI has become increasingly elitist.
“You can’t squash enthusiasm. You can’t ignore dissent.You have to hear it, work with it and meet it in the middle,” Kramer said.
That philosophy is the focus of her platform that centers on a lack of representation over a wide range of issues. Kramer said she hopes to bring sustainability and advocacy to the forefront in Cal Poly priorities, but mainly she wants to showcase the endless possibilities for student involvement.
Getting every student involved with the campus in some way, from clubs and sports to Empower Poly Coalition and greek life, is her idealistic dream.
“I was lucky enough to find a home at Poly and I want to make sure that every student, current and future, the majority – and the underrepresented – has that same experience; that they are able to feel comfortable on campus and in the classroom,” she said. “And I know that getting involved is what makes you feel like you belong.”
Her time at the school has been marked by being a representative for the College of Liberal Arts on the ASI Board of Directors for the last two years as well as participation as a Poly Rep.
Kramer insists her experience on the board is crucial to understanding the demands of being president, but her greatest passion is the work she has done with the offices of Student Life and Leadership.
She has been involved in various roles for the Multicultural Center, Pride Center, Women’s Programs, summer advising and Week of Welcome.
“I’ve been inspired so much by the people I’ve met. The cultural centers on campus are where you see change, where the people are passionate and fight for things they believe in,” Kramer said.
“It is really cool to be part of this generation of change. I love the idea of putting your everything into something. If you have something you can believe in and defend, I’m so excited for you.”
She defends all her decisions on the board over the last two years, but is quick to point out that she is far from the norm of ASI presidents and candidates from the last few years.
“I want to show that you don’t have to be certain type of person to run for president . It doesn’t have to be about business suits and fancy haircuts. I wear jeans and a T-shirt, listen to folk music, walk and ride the bus to school,” Kramer said.
Kramer will be running an environmentally friendly, totally paperless campaign that will not rely on staked signs or flyers.
Her sandwich boards were made from recycled plywood and, in coordination with the Empower Poly Coalition’s Imagine Cal Poly, Kramer’s booths at the University Union, Dexter Lawn, and Ag Circle will be distributing energy-efficient light bulbs, reusable grocery bags and fair trade chocolate.
If elected, Kramer would lead an initiative to make all new on-campus facility projects LEED certified, she said.
By using sponsors and a variety of supporters, she was able to keep costs down to $900, compared to the $4,000 to $6,000 spent by candidates last year.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without a lot of help from friends and my sponsors but it was important to show that anybody can run, regardless of financial status,” she said.
Her diverse coalition of support includes the presidents of both Cal Poly Democrats and Republicans, ASI board and executive members and the offices of Student Leadership and Life, as well as sponsorships from local businesses like Rock & Roll Hair.
Kramer has known she wanted to be ASI president with its potential for student advocacy since her freshman year, a desire enforced by something a friend recently told her.
“A person doesn’t find the presidency, the presidency finds you.”