Huang: putting students first

Huang: putting students first

Published on April 13, 2016

As president of the Yale College Council, Peter Huang ’18 would work to address major campus issues: faculty diversity, the student income contribution and sexual climate. But Huang said that unlike other candidates’ platforms, his has a common thread: It is ambitious but focused.

“I prioritize in my platform and still might not be able to get to everything,” Huang said. “Every other candidate does not expect to cover everything they propose.”

Indeed, Othmane Fourtassi ’19 — a member of Huang’s campaign team — said Huang offers practical solutions and is “a doer who does not overpromise.”

Huang said one of his main, most pragmatic ideas is to build a website that maps out what each University administrator does. Doing so will enable students with specific issues to directly communicate with relevant officials, he explained.

Another major goal is to directly engage with student groups on campus, and Huang added that he is uniquely qualified to lead such an effort.

“I want student government to work directly with student groups instead of getting survey feedback and doing listening campaigns; I want to go one step beyond that,” he said. “I have been active in the Asian American Cultural Center and believe I am well-connected with many student groups. And I think this is important because the point of student government is to work with students.”

But Huang said his top priority is to address issues of diversity and inclusion on campus by fighting for faculty diversity and improving ethnic studies programming, among other initiatives.

In terms of experience, Huang is a typical student-government insider: He has served on the Freshman Class Council, as a YCC associate and is currently one of Silliman College’s two YCC representatives. Throughout, Huang said he has consistently engaged with students and fought for them.

Sasha Rae-Grant ’18, who works on art and design and is advising Huang’s campaign, said supporting Huang was an easy decision because of his long-standing commitment to the student body.

“I have known Peter since day one, and since then he has genuinely been working to make Yale better for everyone,” Rae-Grant said. “I support all of his initiatives, especially regarding the student income contribution … Increased transparency is important to me, as is improved faculty diversity since we’re losing a lot of professors of color, female professors and LGBTQ professors.”

Regarding the student income contribution, Huang said he will work with the Office of Development to organize a fundraising campaign to eliminate the fee. He has not yet reached out to the Office of Development to discuss the feasibility of such an idea, but he explained that he believes doing so would be unproductive as a presidential candidate.

“We will also approach the Provost’s Office,” Huang said. “The University is saying we don’t have funds to reallocate to the SIC. Even if that is true, I want to figure out why … If you add all [the people of highest-need pay] up, it is still below the amount of interest the endowment earns per year.”

Beyond student government, Huang is a board member of the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund, an intercultural liaison for the Asian American Student Alliance and a member of the Asian American Studies Task Force.

Credits

Powered by