First-years elect student government leaders to UCS, UFB, CCB

On Sept. 23, the Student Government Association announced the election of 10 first-year students to the Undergraduate Council of Students, the Class Coordinating Board and the Undergraduate Finance Board. 

The first-year election had a 53% turnout rate, up seven percentage points from last year’s election.

Vanessa Finder ’29 and Sophie Sun ’29 will serve as the first-year class’s CCB president and vice president, respectively. For the CCB, Kaushik Nidigattu ’29 will be the first-year treasurer, Josiah De Paz ’29 will serve as the first-year public relations officer, Scarlett Chang ’29 will be the first-year communications officer and Ayo Ajayi ’29 will serve as the first-year secretary.

Demetrius Davis ’29 and Cindy Sun ’29 were elected as UCS first-year representatives. Cameron Berry ’29 and Teo Miranda-Moreno ’29 will be UFB first-year representatives. 

Elected students will serve in these positions for two semesters.

The Herald spoke to newly elected UCS, UFB and CCB leaders to learn more about their plans for the year.

Demetrius Davis ’29: UCS First-Year Representative

Davis’s career in student government began in high school. Now, as a first-year representative, he aims to tackle “equity and access” issues on campus, including expanding dining options and transitioning to a “fully cashless campus,” he said in an interview with The Herald.

As part of this initiative, Davis hopes to eliminate the cost of printing. 

“I think students shouldn’t have to come here and wonder how much they need to budget for school-related necessities,” he said.

Davis hopes to focus on expanding dining options across campus to accommodate various dietary restrictions, as well as addressing the aftermath of the deal that the University reached with the Trump administration this summer. 

During last spring’s general SGA election, the student body passed two referendums calling on UCS to organize a general student strike should Brown concede to federal government demands, and to release statements and organize “university-wide” actions to affirm students’ disapproval of federal intervention. 

Davis said he is “concerned” about how the agreement will negatively impact queer students on campus. The terms of the agreement require Brown to abide by the Trump administration’s updated definitions of “male” and “female,” among other stipulations.

During his campaign, many students expressed concerns about the agreement to him, Davis added.

Cindy Sun ’29: UCS First-Year Representative

For Sun, one of her priorities as a UCS first-year representative is digitizing students’ Brown IDs. 

On her campaign poster, Sun wrote that she is looking forward to working with students with coding experience and coordinating with faculty to eliminate the need for students to swipe.

Throughout her campaign, Sun listened to complaints about fumbling for IDs in order to pay for meals, do laundry or access buildings. In an interview with The Herald, Sun noted that her poster, which takes inspiration from the film “Legally Blonde,” helped draw attention to her campaign.

She added that she is looking forward to delving into student government for the first time. She intends to study international and political affairs, which motivated her to run for the position.

Cameron Berry ’29: UFB First-Year Representative 

Berry decided to run for UFB first-year representative after seeing the “impact” the UFB, CCB and UCS had on Brown’s administration. Even though he had never been involved in student government before, he knew he wanted to run for a position after attending UFB meetings at the beginning of the year.

“Students care about a lot of different things,” Berry said. Because of this, Berry centered his campaign on a “student-oriented” platform.

In his position this year, Berry will be responsible for serving as a representative for around 20 to 30 clubs on campus, he said.

While campaigning, Berry spoke with many students about how to “maximize (the) impact” and awareness of various student organizations. He also hopes to expand the effects of club funding allocation, focusing on increased student retention and club promotion. 

Berry noted that in current national politics, he’s seen candidates with varying levels of commitment to their platforms. He emphasized how the “student-run” nature of the UFB, on the other hand, allows for a stronger relationship between the board and its constituents. 

“As a first-year representative, I really want to represent,” Berry said. “It’s in my job title.”

Teo Miranda-Moreno ’29: UFB First-Year Representative 

Miranda-Moreno decided to run for first-year representative because he was heavily involved in student government in high school. Before arriving on campus, he interned with the Howard County Economic Development Authority, which sparked his interest in the intersection of public service and finance.

As an intended concentrator in applied math and economics, Miranda-Moreno also hopes to gain financial experience that could serve him in a future career. 

In past experiences with student government, Miranda-Moreno said, he saw less Hispanic representation. As a result, he pushed himself to enter advocacy and leadership roles. “Since then, my passion has grown, and (at) Brown I wanted to continue that path.” 

Miranda-Moreno has already begun working with clubs as their representative. “I have been picked for my promise that I will represent them truly,” he said.

For his campaign, he both hung up posters and made TikToks featuring 90 other students, he said.

“One of the biggest reasons I think I won was because I was making these in-person connections with kids who I hadn’t met before,” he said. 

Vanessa Finder ’29: CCB Class of 2029 President

Even though Finder has only been on campus for a month, life on College Hill has felt like a “dream,” she wrote in an email to The Herald. “Since I am extremely passionate about our university, I wanted to run for this position to plan meaningful events and to make Brown even more special for the class of 2029.”

As president of CCB’s class of 2029 board, Finder hopes to make the first-year class “more connected by boosting morale, enhancing school spirit and fostering greater partnership”

This year, she hopes to organize monthly themed festivities that will feature “seasonal activities, food and lots of socializing.”

The campaigning and election experience, Finder wrote, “was very positive.” She ran for the position alongside three other candidates.

“It was a friendly and respectful election,” she added.

In her first week, Finder’s responsibilities have involved “leading the class of 2029 meetings, collaborating with other class boards, planning future events, outreach and organization,” she wrote.

Overall, she wants to “create heartfelt, long-lasting memories.”