All candidates for Student Government elections, taking place from Nov. 1 to Nov. 7, are running unopposed. Thania Hernandez ‘25 is the presumptive president-elect, Yuko Tanaka ‘26 is the presumptive vice president-elect, Christo Maheras ‘26 is the presumptive treasurer-elect, Elle Lansing ‘26 is the presumptive communications officer-elect and Chris Kirch ‘26 is the presumptive parliamentarian-elect.
There is no candidate for inclusivity officer after Ani Brutus ‘26 dropped out of the race on Friday. Without a candidate, Student Government itself will appoint an inclusivity officer with an internal vote.
This week, The Lafayette spoke with each of the candidates about their platforms. We then reviewed their promises and provided some additional context, which can be found in italics.
Thania Hernandez ’25: President
Hernandez was elected as Student Government vice president this past February. As vice president, she has been involved in the dining ad hoc committee. According to Hernandez, her job has been to guide committees and direct them to any resources and connections they may need, which she plans to continue as president.
If elected, Hernandez has a two-semester plan for Student Government. Spring of 2024 will focus on rebuilding internal relationships within Student Government, while she hopes to target large-scale projects for the community in the fall of 2024.
“I really want to focus on making Student Government more of a community and … foster more friendship and inclusivity with each other,” Hernandez said. “I think that right now, there has been some … disconnection present. And I think that that’s just been a product of the new constitution taking place, and … getting everybody else getting used to this new system.”
In the fall, Hernandez aims to quickly expand accessibility services on campus.
“Instead of the six-year plan they always talk about … even though there will be students in six years, or there will be students in ten years, the students that are residing in the college are [here] right now,” Hernandez said. “I really want to make sure that the master plan has taken into consideration … what’s happening now.”
At Lafayette, Accessibility Services is the department generally tasked with seeing through accessibility accommodations. Student Government met with SmithGroup, a contracted architectural firm that is largely responsible for the master plan, last week.
Another goal for Hernandez is to increase communication between Student Government and the rest of the student body. Whether through public committee reports or increased office hours, Hernandez aims to create a stronger bond.
Student Government committee reports are already public information.
“[I want to begin] exploring new ways of actually getting feedback from the students,” Hernandez said. “[We want to show] up face to face, and in person with people to kind of ask them if they need anything.”
Student Government has, in past years, held public town halls.
Yuko Tanaka ’26: Vice President
Tanaka has served one term as Student Government’s sustainability committee chair, which has informed some of her goals while she campaigns for vice president.
“I am deeply committed to building a more sustainable campus community,” Tanaka wrote in an email. “We are actively working to make sustainability an integral part of our campus culture, from installing water refill stations to collaborating with administrative offices and student organizations.”
The college’s Office of Sustainability generally oversees sustainability initiatives, including the installation of water bottle refilling stations.
Tanaka plans to focus on students’ daily lives by continuing to support the work of the dining ad hoc committee to create a safe and enjoyable dining experience, while also working to streamline the dean’s excuse process. Additionally, Tanaka plans to incorporate sustainable practices into student life.
The dean’s excuse process recently underwent changes by the Office of Advising in April. The changes were implemented this semester.
To make these efforts known, Tanaka plans to create a system of accountability if elected.
“I am dedicated to promoting clear communication and transparency within our student community,” Tanaka wrote in an email. “I plan to hold open office hours and make myself available to students, ensuring that every voice is heard and that our Student Government is held accountable … I want to bridge the gap between students and the administration, ensuring that students’ concerns and ideas are effectively conveyed and acted upon.”
Christo Maheras ’26: Treasurer
Maheras has served as the Student Organizations Committee chairman for one term, in addition to co-chairing the Budget Committee. He also served on Student Government’s Ad Hoc Committee to Study Elections. After a year of working with budgets, Maheras is now running for treasurer.
Maheras said that his experience with the budget committee primed him to run for treasurer for the next board cycle.
“[I want to ensure] that every club gets a fair share of [the budget] and that no club feels that they can’t operate with the money … that’s given,” Maheras said. “[I want to create] a long-term plan to ensure that Student Government never … has a situation like what happened before [about] their long-term planning of the budget.”
Elle Lansing ’26: Communications Officer
Lansing, running for communications officer, has served one term on Student Government, working on the Sustainability Committee and the Dining Ad Hoc Committee.
“[As communications officer,] I want to expand how we communicate with the students,” Lansing said. “I feel like there’s … a lack of information relating to Student Government. People don’t always know what we’re working on [or] what we do.
The current communications officer, Nazary Gonzalez ‘24, pledged in February to post publicly Student Government’s meeting minutes. This has not happened.
“During our meetings, we talk about what each committee is doing and what they’re working on,” Lansing said. “So, I want to kind of jot down a few notes about what each committee is working on and then present that to like the students through an Instagram [post], email or flyer.”
Student Government President Olivia Puzio ’25 made a similar pledge last year, promising to post weekly video updates about Student Government. No video updates have ever been posted. Additionally, Student Government lacks the ability to send campus-wide emails.
As communications officer, Lansing hopes that she can expand Student Government’s engagement with the student body.
“I want to make the experience for students better,” Lansing said. “I feel like there are a lot of issues currently that I can try to solve, and if I have the power to do so, or I can make some sort of difference, I want to.”
Ani Brutus ’26: Inclusivity Officer (dropped out)
Brutus has been a Student Government representative for one term, currently serving on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the Pard Pantry Ad Hoc Committee.
As one of the driving forces behind opening the Pard Pantry during the summer interim of 2023 and the “Pay What You Can” model during the school year, Brutus has plans to continue developing the Pard Pantry into a community space and increase Student Government involvement with these programs.
“As Inclusivity Officer, I will continue to strive for the institutionalization of the Pard Pantry and Menstrual Equity Project,” Brutus wrote in an email. “In my opinion, we do our community a disservice by presenting each of these services as Ad Hoc committees … the institutionalization of these programs are priority and should be addressed as such.”
The college administration has already pledged to finance the second phase of the Menstrual Equity Project.
Brutus plans for inclusivity and accountability from Student Government to become more active.
“To be inclusive, we must conduct outreach,” Brutus wrote in an email. “It is one thing to say everyone is welcome, yet it is another to actively communicate and provide an entry point for others.”
To make further developments, Brutus also plans to introduce bias training across campus.
“I aim to collaborate with various student organizations, campus initiatives and OID (The Office of Intercultural Development) — to implement bias training – both within student government and across campus,” Brutus wrote. “I believe it is important that the Student Government undergoes bias training — so we can recognize our biases, to aid us in making equitable decisions.”
Safe Zone trainings are already available for all students and student groups on an elective basis.
Chris Kirch ’26: Parliamentarian
Kirch has been a Student Government representative for one term, serving on the Academic Affairs Committee and working on the textbook loan program and updating the requirements for majors and minors.
Kirch plans to implement ranked choice voting for members of Student Government in order to cater to the diversity of the student body.
“What this means is making sure that voting processes for [executive] board representatives are made in a fashion where they don’t … need to target a specific niche on campus,” Kirch said. “I don’t think we’ve fully recognized [Lafayette’s] diversity here at Student Government.”
Another aspect of inclusion would be to open up some executive positions to any member of the student body.
“Right now, the eligibility criteria is to have at least one semester of experience in Student Government before running for these positions,” Kirch said. “And although there’s a rationale behind that, that gatekeeps a lot of great students here who are willing to work for the student body. Making sure that all students … are eligible to run for these positions … can maximize our ability to empower students, talk about their issues and resolve those issues efficiently.”
Student Government has already voted to open three positions up for all students: communications officer, inclusivity officer and parliamentarian. These changes need to be approved by the faculty and the board of trustees.
William Gutiérrez ‘27 contributed reporting.
Editor’s note: The Lafayette received an email from Ani Brutus ‘26 on Friday announcing her decision to drop out of the race for inclusivity officer. This article has been edited to reflect this development.
