Now seasoned with two quarters of experience on the Farm, 16 freshmen have entered the race for sophomore class president.
They are organized into four slates: “Think Thirteen” with Brennen Clouse, Cordelia Sendax, Adina Tecklu and Stephanie Webb; “So-Phresh” with Joel Aguero, Imani Franklin, Elise Geithner and Thomas Hendee; “iThirteen” with Camilla Boyer, Nelson Estrada, Adam Klein and Greg Naifeh; and “Sophs 4 More” with Steven Greitzer, Shane Hegde, Misha Nasro and Maxine Litre.
The elected four will be responsible for planning and executing events for sophomores throughout next year.
Before one slate can take up the responsibility of administering the sophomore class’ $12,000 budget, the slates will campaign throughout the week in an attempt to garner as many votes as possible.
Financing these campaigns has been one of the more contentious issues in the past, and this year is no exception. Think Thirteen members said they expected to spend around $350, while the remaining three slates said they would each spend roughly $800.
Members of each slate said they would be funding their campaigns almost exclusively out of their own pockets, though each slate is also seeking $70 in public financing.
The presidents will plan traditional events such as Full Moon on the Quad and Sophomore Formal. In interviews with The Daily, the four slates generally had similar ideas about how to run these events. Each slate suggested a conventional approach with “improvements.”
Funding for Full Moon was threatened in 2009, and slates offered their takes for how they would address funding later this year. Think Thirteen members said they would seek sponsorships from Palo Alto businesses, as did Sophs 4 More and iThirteen. The Sophs slate also said they would seek Senate funding, while So-Phresh members said they would try to carry money over from Frosh Council.
Other differences emerged when the slates discussed their own ideas for original programming.
Two slates emphasized the importance of public service in their goals for next year. Both So-Phresh and Think Thirteen discussed hopes to mobilize the sophomore class to expand Stanford’s impact on the surrounding community.
“People say we’re not in touch with stuff outside of Stanford but I think people really want to help, so we want to try to make helping and getting involved in the community and getting involved in the world more accessible,” Geithner said.
So-Phresh mentioned the idea of “SophServe,” a day of service that would take place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Think Thirteen emphasized a similar concept; in their platform, they highlight “One Day Towards a Better Community.”
Sophs 4 More pointed out the lack of social options for people less inclined to regularly visit the Row. Mainly concerned about social life, the slate plans to organize “Off the Row Fridays.”
“We want to brainstorm and hold events that will attract a larger audience of people who really don’t go to the Row that often,” Greitzer said. “We think there really should be so much more offered on the weekends and that there should be other options out there.”
The final slate, iThirteen, was chiefly interested in class unity. They outlined plans for numerous social events and gatherings, including a sophomore beach day. The slate’s main plan is to organize tailgates around athletic events, including football and women’s basketball games.
In keeping with their campaign’s Apple theme, the candidates also expressed a desire to create an iThirteen application for the iPhone, which would have the social calendar for the class.
“We’re not issues-oriented,” Boyer said. “We’re trying to include everyone as event planners.”
Boyer said this was her slate’s reason for choosing not to seek any endorsements. Sophs 4 More also did not pursue endorsements from student groups.
According to Think Thirteen’s Clouse, his slate also did not pursue endorsements due to a “lack of time” to devote to the applications.
So-Phresh was therefore the only sophomore class president slate to seek endorsements, winning support from both the Women’s Coalition and the Queer Coalition.
“One of the things we want to do is celebrate diversity and bring people together and promote class unity,” Geithner said.
All four members of So-Phresh are current members of Frosh Council. Additionally, two members of Sophs 4 More, Hegde and Greitzer, are Frosh Council members. No candidates from iThirteen or Think Thirteen have Frosh Council experience. However, iThirteen’s Naifeh, Estrada and Klein all have experience as dorm presidents.