Dear Stanford community,

First, we want to thank you for your patience at the start of this academic year as we have transitioned to our new executive team. We are so excited to share that Chris Middleton (he/him) has been confirmed as the new vice president after voting in the Undergraduate Senate and Graduate Student Council. There is no doubt that his contributions to our work will be incredibly impactful, both within the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) and every community on campus.

As shared in previous Daily articles and our last letter to the community, Chris graduated from Stanford in 2016 with a B.A. in psychology, and is now a third-year law student. When asked about his passions and goals for this school year, Chris shared that he is “especially focused on and passionate about addressing mental health issues caused by social isolation (on-campus and around the world); meeting students’ basic needs now and in the future; working with the University to create policies to support the Black community and Stanford; and using student input to improve preparing for future emergencies that the Stanford community might face. Central to these plans is better leveraging input from students (testimonials, data, etc.) to shape the policies that impact current and future students.” After leaving Stanford, Chris will be working at a law firm in San Francisco and then serving as a law clerk for a federal judge in Alabama from 2022-2023.

Finally, we would like to thank you for sending us comments about all of the final candidates. As you know, civic engagement is now more important than ever, both in and outside Stanford. Off-campus, it’s important to vote in local and federal elections — though getting immediate results can be difficult at that level, together we have the power to help create better futures for ourselves and for generations to come. When it comes to Stanford community engagement, your involvement directly shapes our work, so we will always seek and appreciate your feedback. The appointment of Chris to our executive team is a great example. Through your comments, it became clear that Chris is widely known as a passionate advocate for undergraduates and graduates alike. Comments shared that Chris has never been afraid to express “his deep love for his community” through arranging events that “support students emotionally, academically, and professionally,” and serving as a mentor for both undergrad and grad students. Other comments stated that they were “immediately impressed” by Chris’ “thoughtfulness, kindness, and openness” and their understanding that “he knows right from wrong, and he listens.” Perspectives and stories like these solidified our confidence in Chris’ incredible ability to step into the vice president role. 

Throughout the rest of our term, Chris’ drive and passion will make our advocacy even more inclusive, effective and sustainable. We look forward to incorporating his vision into shaping a better Stanford. Thank you so much for your input, and we hope you all stay safe and healthy.

In community,

Vianna Vo (she/her), ASSU President

Christopher Middleton (he/him), ASSU Vice President 

Jianna So (she/her), ASSU Executive Chief of Staff

Cricket X. Bidleman (she/her), ASSU Director of Communications

Contact Vianna Vo at viannavo ‘at’ assu.stanford.edu, Chris Middleton at cmiddle ‘at’ stanford.edu, Jianna So at jiannaso ‘at’ assu.stanford.edu, and Cricket X. Bidleman at bidleman ‘at’ stanford.edu.