At 5 a.m. a few days per week, Zach Wilson ’18 might be found trekking across campus, clad in his army uniform. The ROTC flight commander and double-STEM major has labeled himself the “outsider candidate” in his race against three other students for Yale College Council vice president.

Wilson decided to run for vice president primarily because of the racial discussions that arose on campus last semester. He said after having long discussions with other Yale students and attending various rallies and town hall meetings, he was inspired to bring forth the kind of change Yale students seek. Although Wilson has no previous experience on YCC or his residential college council, he said that he will be “the candidate for the people” and will use his experiences outside of YCC to push for change.

“I know I’m going to face a lot of doubt in a sense from coming from the outside and not being in the loop of YCC,” Wilson said. “I’ve never been to a YCC meeting. But I know my platform, I know what I want to do and that is what I plan on doing.”

As an astrophysics and applied math double-major, Wilson’s platform focuses in part on underlying issues in the STEM fields, such as grade transparency, midterm and end of term course evaluation reforms and an “investigation” into the quality of instructors in STEM departments.

Wilson said he singled out the STEM fields in his written platform because of his experience in those disciplines, but that the suggested reforms are something he would like to see expand to all Yale departments.

Other points in Wilson’s platform include increasing transparency between students and the administration, as well as financial aid reforms: Wilson proposes reducing and eliminating the student income contribution and reforming work-study hours, both of which would be a continuation of current YCC agendas.

Though Wilson has no previous experience in the YCC, he cited his experience as student council president in high school, as well as leadership in ROTC and other student organizations, as qualifications for the position.

Those close to Wilson said his personality and work ethic will make him a good leader.

“Zach is an incredibly diligent person and has a strong sense of follow-through,” Wilson’s campaign manager Sweyn Venderbush ’18 said. “Whether it’s waking up at 5 a.m. for ROTC twice a week or managing his class work and extracurriculars, he never drops an assignment.”

Matthew Chisholm ’18, who has been roommates with Wilson since their freshman year, said even before deciding to run for vice president, Wilson had always cared about listening to other students’ experiences. That quality will make his platform one catered towards the students’ needs, Chisholm said.

“It’s been very local in the sense that me and my campaign manager are doing a lot of the things, and I built my own platforms, own website,” Wilson said. “I have asked for input from other people, ‘Hey, what is something you’d like to see change?’ and absorbing that and developing policies, that’s where my platform came from.”