Enri Lala

Why am I running for Senate? To fix a few of your problems.

But before we get to how, let me tell you a little bit about myself.

My name is Enri and I’m a second year History and Global Studies major. I was born and raised in beautiful Albania before moving to the US at eleven.

Now back to the issues:

I am running for Off-Campus Senator for a reason: the student housing crisis is not being dealt with adequately. I serve as president of YouthBridge Housing, a campus organization that advocates for students’ housing needs and connects our campus to the homelessness crisis in SB County. This month, I was part of the UCSB delegation to the California State Capitol to demand more student housing. As Senator, I would hold the University Administration accountable for completing the new San Benito housing project set to replace Munger Hall and ensure over-enrollment does not hinder students’ housing rights.

Secondly, AS’ sizable budget is not being spent wisely. I was recently elected president of UCSB Ethics Bowl, the philosophy debate team that placed second in the nation, which was a first for any UC school. Our team accomplished this in the face of constant budget difficulties. In numerous conversations with other leaders of competitive teams, I have come to understand that this is not an isolated issue. I will work closely as a Senate Liaison to hold the Finance and Business Committee accountable for providing everything these teams need to represent our school at the highest levels. This will be accomplished through broader and better-defined criteria for when teams can receive funding.

Thirdly, as Senator, I will continue my work to bridge our campus closer to service opportunities in the larger community. Through my work with YouthBridge, I have observed that student participation is lacking in issues that directly affect us, including but not limited to the housing crisis. I will work to build closer collaboration between the Senate, non-profit and local government organizations, which will ensure better outcomes not only for us students, but SB County as a whole.

I pledge to remain open-minded to suggestions by the students I represent, acknowledging that your participation is the lifeblood of student government. It is to fulfill this vision that I’m running to be your Off-Campus Senator!

Thank you for your time,
Enri