Brandon Shi

Biography

Hey there! My name is Brandon and I’m a sophomore from Northern California. I’m running for VP Policy to improve student experiences on an institutional level and facilitate CCSC’s different policy-related initiatives. Through my current roles as sophomore class representative and a Queer/Trans Advisory Board member, I have learned the importance of amplifying rather than co-opting student voices, and collaborating with groups who are already doing great advocacy work. Next year, I hope to continue my work on mental health and LGBTQ+ issues, and use our administrative access to support initiatives from other council members and the wider community.

Platform

In our different experiences advocating for strong policies as CCSC members, we have learned so much from our service to the student body. Which is why in our approach to inclusive policies, we must acknowledge the need for collaboration. Inclusion and diversity are more than buzzwords — they are reflected dynamically in our vision and work we intend to do in every e-board position. 

A Culture of Inclusive, Collaborative Policies:

CU Soon hopes that inclusion isn't reduced to a subsection of our work, and aims to reflect this in our policy approach by expanding the reach of the Inclusion and Diversity Task Force, founded by Kwolanne. We acknowledge that CCSC is not the only body working on important policies, and hope to build a culture of collaboration with various student leaders and organizations addressing marginalized students’ experiences. This includes working to expand Task Force initiatives, such as free meals over Winter Break and pushing for more reasonable definitions surrounding sexual consent (based on meeting with No Red Tape), and Brandon’s work with SHIFT/Mental Health Task Force Faculty Relations team.

These efforts will help institutionalize a culture of inclusion and collaboration. 

Peer Mentorship:

We want to spearhead a CC Peer Major Mentorship program, inspired by the existing program in SEAS, Brandon’s involvement in Columbia Mentoring Initiative (CMI), and internal groundwork created by Brandon and current Academic Affairs Representative Zayba Qamar. We envision juniors/seniors being matched with first-years/sophomores to build cross-year community and support students through academic and career guidance. 

Internal Reforms:

To ensure that Council members can perform their jobs better, we hope to implement trainings introducing Policy Committee members to how administration is organized/structured, reinforce internal guidelines to reduce issues such as co-optation of other members’ initiatives, and create more cross-committee collaboration within council.