Dear Stanford Community,
It’s an honor to serve as your Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) executive president this year. As we enter a new academic year, I would like to take a moment to introduce our goals and invite you to be part of the community we are strengthening together! This year is all about community engagement for the ASSU Executive team. Below, you’ll find an overview of what Will Berriman, the ASSU Executive vice president, and I are focused on this year and how we hope to serve you.
Our Purpose
When Will and I decided to run for ASSU Executives, we reflected on what is most important to us about Stanford and the strongest influences on our student experience. There are many things to love about this campus — the perfect weather, giant palm trees and Stern churros — but we kept coming back to the people and the communities we have the privilege of interacting with every day. Stanford is a quintessential example of “the people make the place,” and emphasizing community engagement and support is at the heart of our Friendly Neighborhood Cardinal goals and programming initiatives for this year.
Role of the ASSU Executives
The ASSU Executive team is the primary interface between the student body and the Stanford administration. We serve as liaisons, advocates and connectors between your ideas and the administrators, resources and student leaders who can bring them to life. Through this position, Will and I see our guiding purpose as strengthening the Stanford community, and we believe that stems from empowering individuals, enriching communities and bringing the entire campus together through inclusive policy, transparent advocacy and Stanford events and traditions that are essential to culture here on the Farm.
We are approaching community engagement in three key ways:
- Campus-wide events and initiatives to engage the entire Stanford community and bring everyone together.
- Fiscally and culturally supporting the over 700 voluntary student organizations (VSOs) on campus that foster student leadership and community engagement.
- Advocating for policies focused on prioritizing quality of education, administrative transparency, cultural communities and student well-being in a constantly changing world and higher educational environment.
We are here to help bring your voices to center stage and will work hard to champion the issues important to the Associated Students of Stanford University (all of you!)
Core pillars of the 2025-26 agenda
Community-centered Programming:
This year, we plan to revitalize school spirit, student connection and Stanford traditions through community-centered programming with unique goals each quarter aimed at bringing the Stanford community together (both literally and figuratively).
Fall quarter is all about SPIRIT. As we welcome the largest admitted class ever onto the Farm, we want to redefine what Stanford pride means to the student body. As a first step, we have been working closely with the general manager of Stanford football, Andrew Luck and Stanford Athletics to organize energetic, campus-wide tailgates at Meyer Green with free food, music and more for every home game. We want to rally Stanford students around school spirit and our world-class athletic community in order to create newfound pride in what it means to be a part of the Stanford Cardinal. We hope to see you on game day!
Winter quarter focuses on the culture of CURIOSITY that makes Stanford a world-renowned academic institution. We are excited to launch the inaugural Stanford Student Symposium during Winter quarter, where students can present passion projects, research proposals and event pitches highlighting work they are passionate about and missions they prioritize. We are working with Stanford administrators to secure funding for impactful pitches and bring stand-out student ideas to life.
Spring quarter is about giving back to the campus we call home through SERVICE. We are working closely with the Haas Center to design campus-wide philanthropy initiatives to empower Stanford students and organizations to embrace the transformative power of service on a local and global scale through community action. In tumultuous times, giving back and bettering our world is a uniting mission for the Cardinal.
Support Student Organizations & Leaders:
VSOs are the heartbeat of campus life, and as VSO leaders, Will and I have a strong appreciation for the work Stanford students do to connect each other. We aim to reduce friction and increase transparency around VSO resources, enabling student leaders to focus on what truly matters — building community — rather than navigating bureaucracy. We are working with the administration to design a new Center for Teaching and Learning 100 course that would serve as an extension to Frosh 101 and focus on familiarizing students with the offices, resources and programs available to support student organizations and leaders as they look to make a difference on campus.
Champion Students in a Changing National Climate:
We chose Stanford for the promise of education and innovation, and we are dedicated to providing all students with the opportunity to fulfill this promise. You, the students, are our top priority, and we will continually advocate for the administration to ensure that every student feels safe on campus. Some of our top priorities to create an inclusive campus are as follows:
- Demand transparency and proactive communication regarding the rights of international and undocumented students.
- Advocate for the continued funding and support of essential campus community hubs such as themed dorms and cultural centers.
- Protect students’ rights to self-expression and free speech.
- Restructure the row housing allocation system to prioritize stability and allow these organizations to build legacies and traditions that positively contribute to Stanford’s campus culture.
- Refine the practices of the Office of Community Standards to alleviate sentiments of “the administration vs. the students.”
- Require clear, affirmative statements regarding the practices and barriers to access of residential security camera footage, both within and external to Stanford departments.
Above all, we aim to promote Stanford’s core values of inclusion, curiosity and free speech. Stanford’s strength lies in the diversity and vibrancy of its students, and our goal is to highlight this strength to the fullest extent this academic year.
Further the Stanford Legacy
We’ve outlined our agenda for the 2025-26 school year, but our vision and intended impact goes beyond this year. We want to start traditions that last, inspire continued pride in this university and implement policies that will make Stanford work for you, the students, for years to come.
Our initiatives are grounded in what we see as pillars of the Stanford experience: SPIRIT, CURIOSITY and SERVICE. By creating spaces and facilitating events for students to feel seen, supported and inspired, we will continue to build a Stanford community and culture that reflects the best of each and every one of us.
Will and I are here to work with and for you! We want to hear student voices and hope you will actively engage with us. Whether it’s your first year on the Farm or the last year of your Ph.D., you have valuable ideas and opinions that can help us build a stronger Stanford community together. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the incredible students of Stanford University and cannot wait for a year of engagement, spirit, service and advocacy. Go Card!
With Gratitude & Cardinal Pride,
Ava Brown ’26
ASSU Executive President, 2025–26