AAS E-Board Candidate Statements for 2024-2025 E-Board

The Association of Amherst Students (AAS) will hold executive board elections on Friday, April 12.

The students below have announced their candidacies for these elections. Students who are interested in hearing from these candidates, or are interested in running but were unable to submit a candidate statement, should attend Speech Night on Wednesday, April 10, at 5 p.m. in Johnson Chapel.

All candidates are listed by position then alphabetically by last name. If the statements end in ellipses, it is because they have been cut off to fit the 200 word limit.

President

Darrell Louis Beason III ’27

As a candidate for student President, I stand before you with a vision of unity, strength, and progress. Just as leaders throughout history have rallied their communities towards a brighter future, I too am committed to leading our student body with integrity and dedication. Within Amherst College, I see potential waiting to be realized. I believe in the power of leadership to inspire change and elevate our community to new heights. As your student President, I pledge to foster a culture of inclusivity, where every voice is heard and every idea is valued. I am prepared to dedicate myself fully to serving the needs of our student body. Together, we will confront challenges head- on turning obstacles into opportunities for growth and innovation. I envision a campus where excellence is not just a goal, but a way of life. Through collaboration and perseverance, we will build a brighter future for ourselves and for those who come later. So I humbly ask for your support and your trust. Together, let us embark on this journey towards a stronger, more vibrant College community. Thank you.

Shane Dillon ’26

When I ran for VP, I made a promise. I promised that I would not make big ones I couldn't keep, but that I would do my best to represent the student body. Together, we have rewritten the narrative around AAS, and are beginning to institutionalize events like the semesterly Rave as well as structures to ensure the sustainability of AAS. Whether it be a request to fix broken washing machines or capital requests for new ones, I got your back. I am not running just for President; I am running to be your voice.

Gent Malushaga ’25

Hey Amherst, I’m Gent and I’m running for AAS President.

Who I am: A junior studying political science and economics

• An AAS Senator for the Class of 2025
• A member of the Cross Country/Track and Field teams

Why I’m qualified:

• I served for three years on AAS as a passionate and outspoken advocate for the student body.
• I represented your interests to professors, administrators, and trustees while on faculty committees like the Committee on Educational Policy.

I also:

• Revitalized the Sustainability Committee
• Ran the Marriage Pact
• Worked with the Town to get student support for its reparations effort
• Helped bring back the Rave

My priorities as President:

• Transparency
• Publicize meeting minutes for all faculty committees and the Board
• Communicate why, how, and by whom big decisions are made
• Be honest about what is possible in the short-term and long-term
• Community
• Organize more campus-wide parties like the Rave and TAP
• Bring back “time-groups” and more suites so more people can live with their friends
• Bring back commencement tents
• Outreach
• Reestablish the Student-Town Advisory Board
• Strengthen relationships with 5-College student governments
• Have the College pledge a contribution to the Town’s reparations effort

I hope I can count on your support. Thanks.

Vice President

Ayres Warren ’26

My name is Ayres Warren, and I am running for Vice President to continue championing student needs on campus. I have served in Senate for the past two years and have constantly worked to prioritize the needs of our student body. Last year, I collaborated with the health center to expand operation hours and create a more accessible voicemail to schedule appointments. I’ve worked with administrators in Frost Library to extend hours outside of finals and create more late-night study spaces on campus. This year, I’ve organized the fall and spring raves. I am institutionalizing them by amending the Social Engagement Committee (SEC) into the AAS Constitution, which will serve to provide school-wide events that bring our community together and encourage times for students to decompress from our rigorous academic environment. As Vice President, I want to continue these initiatives, especially as we’ll see the center of campus shift with the completion of the new dining hall. Next year, as Vice President, I will prioritize transparency between students and administration. I plan to coordinate a standing student liaison with the Board of Trustees to ensure student perspectives are centered. I look forward to serving you!

Hedley Lawrence-Apfelbaum ’26

My name is Hedley Lawrence-Apfelbaum, and I'm running for Vice President to foster a student government best equipped to fight for students. Having spent my two years on AAS, first as a Senator and now as Secretary, I have both a strong awareness of what the Senate needs and the experience to effectuate change. The reform I am seeking is centered around the ideas of accountability, dynamism, and community. Firstly, I would seek more transparency from the E-Board towards the rest of the Senate and campus, specifically regarding meetings with the administration. Additionally, since the Vice President presides over the Senate, I would seek to foster a more dynamic structure, where initiatives can originate from the Senate itself and be passionately debated. I also aim to find ways that Senators and even other students can pursue change outside of the Committee System. Lastly, I want to foster a stronger sense of community, both among the Senate and the entire school. A more collegial Senate will be more effective and resultantly, will be more successful at improving the lives of Amherst students. So think ahead, and vote Hedley for Vice President.

Judiciary Council Chair

Noah Turbes ’27

I am Noah Turbes, running for Judiciary Council Chair of the Amherst Association of Students. I currently serve as a senator for the class of 2027 and work on the Judiciary and College Councils along with the First-Year Student Orientation Committee.

As Judiciary Council Chair, I will work with the student body and AAS to uphold the principles of the AAS Constitution and Bylaws. As a member of the Judiciary Council, I have seen the complexity of our constitution, and I have worked with senators and students-at-large alike to make our Constitution more understandable and accessible.

As Judiciary Council Chair, I will continue integrating senate and student-at-large voices into the conversation of improving our collective understanding and implementing the constitution. I will uphold impartiality and fairness related to our constitution and bylaws, working with the Judiciary Council and reaching out to the student body to learn how to make our constitution function best for us.

I am Noah Turbes, and I want your vote to serve as your next Judiciary Council Chair and make our judiciary process work for you!

Treasurer

Hannah Kim ’25

Hey, I’m Hannah -– a 3rd year who has been on the Budgetary Committee and AAS for the past 3 years. During my past 3 years with AAS, I launched and institutionalized the Major Fair, managed the AAS Instagram, and brought back the Lip Sync Competition I hope you all enjoyed 2 weeks ago :) Throughout my 3 years on Budgetary Committee, I’ve enjoyed spending my Mondays and weekends learning about and funding a variety of club activities. I am running to be treasurer with 3 things on my agenda 1) re-formatting club budgets and Monday discretionary meetings to be more efficient on your end, 2) updating the Hallmark event registration policy, and 3) putting together an institutionalized, informative session for incoming club treasurers and members of the Budgetary Committee to feel more prepared going into discretionary and club budget meetings. If you know me (or don’t), let’s talk [email protected] – I am always ready to listen to feedback and talk about how to put it into practice.

Nathan Lee ’27

My name is Nathan Lee. I’ve served on the budgetary committee over the past year, through which I’ve become familiar with the funding process. I’ve also served as treasurer for three clubs, through which I’ve become equally familiar with the funding experience. I now run for AAS treasurer, reflecting on the past, with three goals for the future. Convoluted spreadsheets, websites, and funding systems make budgeting unnecessarily frustrating. I will clean up our existing resources to make the budgeting experience painless. A lack of interclub communication leads to redundancies that prevent the optimal use of senate funds. I will start conversations and institute policies that promote club collaboration, consequently improving student life and budget usage at once. Budgetary policies are overly stringent and contribute to draining campus life. I will—with the necessary caution—be more open to fun. Ultimately, the end goal of AAS is to make Amherst more exciting. Saving money isn’t the end, solely a means to make campus life sustainable. We can achieve both, given enough time and effort. I want Amherst to be exciting. As AAS Treasurer, I promise to put in the time and effort to make both happen.

Secretary

Emily Kim ’25

Hi, I’m Emily, a junior from San Mateo, CA, and I am running for secretary because I hope to improve the efficiency, organization, and communication of AAS! Although I am a relatively new member of senate, I have fallen in love with the change that we as students can make on campus and hope to expand my current commitments to make Amherst a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible place. As secretary, I plan to diligently keep AAS records, streamline AAS van reservations to be more transparent and accessible, serve as an efficient communication liaison between E-Board and the rest of the senate, and to the best of my ability, embody the values of our school and represent the demands of our students. As always, thanks for your consideration, and please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions!

Raina Batra ’27

The secretary is responsible for executing AAS business in a timely manner, so I won’t waste your time. As secretary, I would ensure the vans are clean and working, get minutes out on time, and increase transparency between AAS and students.