Benjy Egel
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- College of Liberal Arts ambassador
- Co-President of Pi Sigma Alpha (political science honors society)
- College of Liberal Arts peer advisor
- Campaign Slogan: “Choose Joi”
Joi Sullivan became the newest member of the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Board of Directors on April 2. On April 22, she hopes to be voted Cal Poly’s newest ASI president.
As a political science senior and a former intern on Abel Maldonado’s congressional campaign, Sullivan has grown accustomed to the pressure and scrutiny involved in the quest for public office.
“It really is a service job, because if you’re not willing to sacrifice 40+ hours a week for this job, then you’re not fit for this job,” she said.
Though Sullivan is a third-year student like competitors Jake Rogers and Connor Paquin, she is on track to graduate after spring quarter. She hopes to be accepted into Cal Poly’s fledgling Master of Public Policy program.
Most students’ concerns have to do with safety, a supportive community and money, Sullivan said. The financial aspect especially grabbed Sullivan’s attention, and she has ideas to ensure cash is spent wisely around Cal Poly.
After speaking with Stan Nosek, the interim vice president of administration and finance, Sullivan found 60 percent of Cal Poly students receive some sort of financial aid, some of which comes from the state of California. Despite this, the student body has no organized group designed to lobby the state for additional aid or reduced tuition.
Cal Poly used to have a student-run committee called a Lobby Core with the sole purpose of explaining why the school needs more funds. Sullivan plans to reassemble such a group if elected to office.
“I think it’s unacceptable that we literally have zero students doing that, and I know students that are totally down for doing that,” she said.
At the same time, Sullivan voted in favor of the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) proposed fee increase of $112 per quarter for full-time students. The proposed fee increase, which stalled after a split vote, would have brought CLA tuition up to the same total as every other college.
As a CLA ambassador and peer advisor, Sullivan wanted more money to flow into her college. After half the students voted against the increase, though, she applauded Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong’s decision not to force a tuition raise against their will.
“I told (Armstrong) I was hesitant for him to pass it — as much as I wanted it to pass — because it was literally a discrepancy of three votes, and that’s not good enough,” she said.
Much of Sullivan’s work on Colombini’s executive cabinet has been promoting the Mustang Way, which she credited as a testament to her school spirit.
Sullivan also spoke highly of the role Cal Poly Athletics has in fostering school spirit; for example, how the men’s basketball team’s NCAA Tournament run drew students together.
“Everyone got so involved, and it became a family of Mustangs,” Sullivan said. “And that’s what college is supposed to be. You’re supposed to look back and say, ‘Those were the best years of my life because I had this community.'”
Even after the men’s basketball team’s March Madness run, Sullivan said she would be against tearing down Mott Athletics Center in favor of a new facility, an idea Colombini floated out in his “Let Your Voice Be Heard” survey at the beginning of the year.