I first met Kimiko at a meeting for the Students for the Liberation of All People, also affectionately known as SLAP. I came to know her as a dedicated activist, fighting for marginalized communities within Stanford and beyond the confines of campus. I met Bryce freshman year in my ESF seminar where I saw him be willing and unafraid to speak up for the things that were important to him. Over my past few years at Stanford, I have been able to witness both Kimiko and Bryce grow and develop into prominent change makers on campus. Based on their past successes, I firmly believe they will substantially improve the student experience at Stanford and address the concerns of Stanford’s most underserved communities. Simply put, Kimiko and Bryce know how to get things done, and that is why I am voting for them as ASSU Execs.

Kimiko has a great amount of experience effecting change at Stanford through the ASSU and other organizing means. Her freshman year, she was a part of the Senate Associates Program and worked to bridge the gap between community centers and the ASSU. Her sophomore year, as an elected ASSU senator, she founded the Community Center Coalition, which ultimately contributed to increased funding for community centers at Stanford. In the Senate, she also advocated for survivors of sexual assault as a member of the ASSU Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition. She wrote and passed a bill in the Senate for Stanford to use the Association of American Universities campus climate survey, which will offer more comprehensive and comparable data on sexual assault on campus; the survey will be administered this quarter. Kimiko has already brought about change through the ASSU and will undoubtedly do so during her tenure as ASSU Exec.

Despite all her work with the ASSU, what I value most about Kimiko is the fact that she will stand up for the voices of marginalized people both in the Provost’s Office and on the front lines of campus actions. Kimiko is a dedicated activist, and she is not afraid to get her hands dirty by organizing and participating in protests and direct political actions. Through her work with the Stanford Asian American Activism Committee and Students for the Liberation of All People, Kimiko has shown herself to be attentive to the needs of Stanford’s most voiceless groups: people of color, low-income workers and students enduring mental health struggles, among others. The sad reality is that working through administrative channels doesn’t always result in the change we desire. When the Senate had no choice but to fund SCR’s Robert Spencer event, Kimiko helped organize a walkout and rally, demonstrating her staunch opposition to bigotry on campus. As Stanford continues to violate the rights of its workers, Kimiko advocates for their fair treatment. Throughout her time at Stanford, Kimiko has been an advocate on issues ranging from diversity training for faculty to providing affordable housing in Stanford’s General Use Permit. When I am on the front lines of a protest, I am always grateful when I have Kimiko by my side.

Kimiko’s running mate, Bryce Tuttle, has been instrumental in the recent development of disability resources on Stanford’s campus. He joined the ASSU Disability Committee his freshman year, planning events surrounding disability awareness. Later that same year he became president of Power2ACT, a Voluntary Student Organization (VSO) dedicated to disability advocacy. Also, in that same year, he was chosen as the Disability Co-Lead on the ASSU Executive Cabinet. In his first year as Disability Co-Lead, Bryce fought to expand the Disability Studies curriculum, ensuring that Stanford’s first ever Introduction to Disability Studies class continued to receive funding after its first year. Additionally, Bryce continues to lead efforts to establish a permanent disability community center on campus. Disabled students have spent many years fighting for equity, and I believe Bryce will finally give us the representation we deserve.

Something I’ve noticed in ASSU elections is that candidates will make a lot of promises that they fail to keep once elected. Therefore, during this election cycle, my greatest consideration when evaluating a candidate is if I believe they can achieve the things they set out to do. Kimiko and Bryce have a very ambitious platform, but I am nonetheless certain they will achieve their goals. As their outstanding track record has demonstrated, Kimiko and Bryce know how to get things done. Stanford won’t change itself, but Kimiko and Bryce can. Be sure to vote April 10-11 if you want to see that change enacted.

— Irie Evans ’20

Contact Irie Evans at ievans ‘at’ stanford.edu.