MELISSA MARTINEZ
STAFF WRITER
When students vote for the office of Associated Students Inc. president next week, they’ll see a new name on the ballot: Nicholas Jaffari.
The thirdyear sociology and criminology major stepped up to run against Scott Silviera after Silviera’s lone opponent —- business major Matt Weaver —- was arrested March 15 on suspicion of stealing 700 students’ passwords to swing the vote in his favor. Weaver’s case is now under investigation by the FBI and the elections were rescheduled for online voting May 7-10.
Jaffari, a 21-year-old married San Diego native, spoke to The Cougar Chronicle about his interest in running and the goals he hopes to obtain if he is elected ASI president (Silviera was interviewed in our last issue).
Question: Can you tell us a little about yourself—including any hobbies and/or organizations you may be involved in?
Answer: I am an easygoing individual who is always willing to help people whenever I can. I am a strong advocate for Social Justice and for engaging students on the issues that face our campus community both internally and externally. I have worked at the Cross-Cultural Center as a Peer Educator. I also have worked alongside the Women’s Center and LGBTQA Pride Center to create programs for students, faculty, and staff to create awareness, empower, educate, advance dialogue, and overall promote Social Justice. I am also involved with different student organizations primarily with Kamalayan Alliance as Political Chair.
Q: Why did you decide to run for office of ASI President?
A: I decided to run for ASI President because I wish to step up and use my experience and knowledge to advocate for students and create a safe just campus community.
Q: As ASI President, what are your goals?
A: My goals are to first continually promote Social Justice throughout our campus community, second advocate for students so their voices and concerns are heard, and create/support events that enhance our campus community.
Q: Your opponent, Scott Silviera, is an advocate for the Civility campaign. How do you feel about the proposal the campaign hopes to present?
A: I feel that the Civility Campaign is very good for the campus community because it gives students the opportunity to come together and advocate for each other.
Q: I understand you are an advocate for the Pride and Women’s Centers, what changes (if any) would you want to make regarding the civility campaign on campus?
A: I would add the mission and core values of both the Women’s Center and LGBTQA Pride Center to the values of the Civility Campaign to further create a safe, secure, and supportive campus climate for everyone.
Q: How do you feel about the Matt Weaver controversy?
A: I am very disappointed with what happened. An act like this creates a lot of distrust amongst students and is very violating for the students whose IDs/passwords were stolen. It is a setback from the work that many in our campus community strive for when it comes to creating a safe and affirming environment for our campus.
Q: Did his actions spark your interest in running?
A: His actions alone were not the only reasons for sparking my interest to run in this election. His actions did strengthen my resolve to advocate for students and to step up.
Q: Was your ID/password among those stolen during the election?
A: My ID/password was not amongst those that were stolen, because I had already voted during that election. I still changed my password just to be safe.
Q: How do you feel about campaigning for the new elections so shortly before finals week?
A: Campaigning so close to finals weeks is a challenge but I am still confident and will continue to keep pressing forward.
Q: What do you hope you achieve as ASI President?
A: I hope to achieve creating a campus environment that continues to promote and advocate inclusiveness, acceptance, equality, and equity.