Did 2020 not fill your election needs? The SSU Associated Student Government has you covered, as elections are being held from March 9th-11th on Engage. This year’s candidates for President of ASG are looking to get every vote they possibly can, and in a virtual debate hosted on March 3rd, they plead their case for why they believe they are fit to be your voice.

The candidates running for the 2021-22 academic year are Noelia Brambila, the current Executive Vice President for ASG, and Anthony Pilotti, a recent transfer and graduate from Napa Valley College. Both candidates, while differing in experience, bring unique assets that they believe will help them thrive in the position.

“As a transfer student, I know that sometimes it can be difficult to acclimate to a new atmosphere, especially during these times,” Pilotti said. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who are unheard, and I think that every student deserves a voice.”

Pilotti believes that his experience as the Senator of Communications for Napa Valley Young Democrats will help get real change done. During his time at Napa Valley College, Pilotti and the Young Democrats advocated for students rights, funding for STEM education, and were even able to help increase the amount of Pell and Cal grants that are offered to university students.

Similarly to Pilotti, Brambila’s participation in student government brings a sense of familiarity to the position, and she feels confident the skills she’s developed will be easily applicable.

“I’m very privileged to say I’ve had two years in AS…I’ve done my time and have learned a lot about how it works,” Brambila said. “I think my past experience makes me a really great candidate for this position because I already know what this organization needs, I can pick up what’s already been worked on and continue to work on it because I already have the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes.”

Pilotti and Brambila presented the big issues they think students at SSU are facing today. While many of their stances were alike, they each had an interesting take on the topic of bringing students back to campus.

“I’m a very strong believer in personal choice, so I feel like we need to be able to safely bring a community back together where there is a face to face interaction, whether it’s on campus or not,” Pilotti said. “We’re social creatures; we need to be able to socialize. We pay for facilities; we need to be able to use them. We pay for the experience, I mean the education is great, but experience and education go hand in hand.”

While both candidates agreed that reopening campus must be done safely and efficiently, Brambila emphasized that the same mentality must be had for those not returning.

“It’s important that, while we still might be virtual, we offer our students a rich education and allow them, even if they’re not comfortable coming back to campus, to still get the same experience as if they were.”

Brambila also had a very passionate stance on textbooks and how they’re being utilized by students and faculty.

“There’s a huge conversation happening about the issue of books,” Brambila said. “I think it’s important for us to keep pressuring both faculty and the university into finding a solution and either move towards no-cost books or figure out something else for students to not spend a lot of money.”

Brambila wants voters to know that she will be the direct voice of the students and will work to get as many matters solved as possible.

“That’s what it means to be president. We try to tackle as many student issues as we can,” Brambila said. “I understand that everything does take time, but I want to set a good foundation for the organization and the student body, that way when we leave, the next students that come in won’t have the same issues we faced at SSU.”

When asked why students should vote in his favor, Pilotti responded very simply; “Why not?” He later went on to elaborate, stating that he would like to leave Sonoma State better than it was when he arrived.