Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) has released its official list of candidates for the 2024-2025 academic year. Election season has officially started, with each prospective member beginning their campaign. Read more to learn about each candidate for the potential executive board and legislative positions.
This year, there are two presidential slates. Additionally, the list of legislative candidates consists of nine students, each vying for a spot in OUSC.
Kobus Presidential Slate
Joshua Kobus is one of two presidential candidates for this year’s election. His key initiatives include removing presidential scholarships and instead giving out scholarships to students. Additionally, Kobus is campaigning on transparency and plans to make OUSC one of the most visible student organizations on campus. Kobus also wants to give voice to student organizations at OU by making sure all student organizations get proper and easily accessible funding.
“People tend to forget that the purpose of a government is to serve its people. In this respect, OUSC’s purpose is to serve the students. I’d like to fix the problem of OUSC not being well known and not well-respected by showing everyone, by our actions, that we’re an organization meant to give back to the community,” Kobus said.
Kobus plans on rebuilding OUSC’s reputation, emphasizing his “outsider” perspective on the organization. He claims his experience in other campus organizations and projects outside OUSC adds diversity to his perspective.
“I’ve never been officially a part of student congress which gives me an ‘outsider’ perspective on many issues. My perspectives originate from observations of being a regular student for four years. I also have a lot of leadership experience to apply to this position,” Kobus said.
Kobus wants to encourage students to be more involved in campus life and become more involved. He wants every student to enjoy their OU experience and seeks to make positive changes in OUSC that will help the campus community.
The campaign’s Instagram page can be found at @kobus4president.
Garcia-Brumer Presidential Slate
The second and final presidential slate is the Garcia-Brumer slate, with Jimena Garcia running as the president. Vice presidential candidate Marion Brymer and speaker of the legislature candidate Marcus Johnson join Garia in her campaign.
The Garcia-Brumer slate is campaigning to fix poor mental health staffing at OU. The Garcia-Brumer slate is committed to increasing mental health funding and initiatives in OUSC and ensuring that resources remain affordable and accessible for students.
Additionally, the campaign emphasizes student advocacy for student resources. These student initiatives include expanding OU’s food pantry and ensuring cost transparency for course materials.
“We hope to boost civic engagement and student activism by making students aware of the ways legislation can make a difference in their everyday lives,” the Garcia-Brumer slate said.
Additionally, Garcia-Brumer plans to reinstate the Bear Bus or coordinate with SMART to increase shuttle services throughout campus. Increased student transportation resources will provide students with a safer commute during icy conditions. Students will have more access to grocery stores and off-campus locations.
“We understand the battles that students face regarding transportation in every respect and plan to prioritize this initiative under our administration if elected,” the Garcia-Brumer slate explained.
For more information, check out their Instagram page @garciabrumer.
Legislative Candidates
The official list of legislative candidates includes Cameron Fosnaugh, Ethan Lehman-Pace, Lance Markowitz, Daniela Meson De La Fuente, Victoria Ouding, J Cooper Smith, Mackenzie Smith, Rose Smith and DJ Williams. For more information about each candidate’s platform, visit this link.
Voting will be from April 1 at 8 a.m. to April 3 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced on April 5.
For more information, follow OUSC on Instagram @ouscofficial. Additionally, you can visit their Grizzorgs page.
