Taylor Iden

To current AS Senators, fuck your resume. You have failed to uphold your oath to the students of UCSB and have squandered a year’s worth of time pursuing anti-democratic practices, toxic representation, and personal gain at the expense of 16 million dollars of student fees from OUR BARC accounts.

Throughout this year, we have all seen how the A.S Senate has failed to accommodate the needs of students and has instead spent countless meetings arguing over pointless bullshit while the student body’s voice has been cast aside. The Senate has lost my respect as I witnessed senators frequently weaponize their positions, miss meetings, actively restrict student voice and discourse, and use their position simply for their resume. I am done with a self-serving Senate. We need a more close and personal connection between students and their representatives, specifically outside of a formal setting.

There is a clear disconnect between the student body and Associated Students, which has restricted the opportunity for a free flowing and inclusive space of ideas and dialogue. The current utilization of weekly Senate meetings are insufficient in communicating the needs of my peers and have instead been used for personal squabbles to the detriment of student needs. As a senator, it is your responsibility to bring the student’s ideas and beliefs to the table each and every meeting without muddling them with personal feelings and aimless political discourse. A senator should be here to listen, learn, and find what is best for the student body as a whole, along with the individuals which make it up. THESE are the values that senators should have upheld. THIS is what the student body deserves and if the current resume chasing Senate won’t uphold their oath, I will. I am not here to talk out of my ass and I won’t pretend like I know the answer to every question.

My name is Taylor Iden and together let’s make AS Senate a little less shit.