Today marks the first day of voting in the Carleton Student Association (CSA) Senate elections and candidates remain divided on several platform issues although they share common goals. Here are the presidential candidates and their stances on the issues. Elections are also taking place for vice president, treasurer, communications officer, college council liaison and class representatives.
Who’s running to be the next CSA president?
Vivian Agugo ’26 and Rahim Hamid ’26, the current Class of 2026 representatives, are competing in the four-way race against Daniel McGovern ’26 and Narjis Nusaibah ’26. McGovern and Agugo are running on tickets with vice president and treasurer candidates while Hamid and Nusaibah are running independently.
The issues they’re talking about:
Transparency
The issue of CSA transparency has become a major issue for several campaigns. After a Carletonian article uncovered a lack of transparency by past and current administrations, many presidential hopefuls hope to jump on the issue. The McGovern campaign has made the lack of transparency a key policy issue, mentioning in a campaign email that “meeting agendas, financial reports, and election data should be readily available so students are informed and engaged.”
Other candidates echo this criticism. Rahim Hamid told the Carletonian they believe there is an information deficit when it comes to CSA. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say that they’ve received too much information from CSA before,” said Hamid. “I think we are ignoring some simple solutions to this problem, having an end of term newsletter with everything CSA has done, having a start of term ‘Here’s what CSA does and how you can get involved’ email and posters around campus I feel would go a long ways to letting the student body know what CSA does and why it’s really important.”
Agugo has also pledged to increase the amount of information that students have access to. “I will increase communication between the student body and CSA,” Agugo wrote in her platform. “I will ensure students stay informed by reintroducing presidential reports with updates on CSA initiatives, notes from leadership meetings and Senate highlights.”
Executive Pay
Incoming executives will be the first to receive monetary compensation. Both McGovern and Hamid have made the issue of its funding this compensation — which increased the Student Activity Fee — a major point in their campaign. “I believe the decision to increase the CSA Activity Fee this past term was taken in error, and the guidelines for relief from the Activity Fee are vague and unclear,” said Hamid. “I disagree with the burden being passed onto the students financially, and so when the decision to increase the activity fee rolls around next year I would advocate for a decrease.”
“Before compensation, we need transparency in how our representatives serve students,” read McGovern’s platform. “A role in CSA government is about service—not personal gain—where the focus should be on representing and advocating for the needs of the student body. Pay is not the point—our commitment is to work diligently, listen to our peers, and make the changes that improve our community. It’s about making a tangible impact and ensuring every student has a voice in shaping the future of Carleton College. At the very least, executive pay should be a choice.”
Food and Dining
The issue of dining has emerged as a core point for many of the presidential candidates. As Carleton transitions into a mandatory meal plan for the class of 2027 and beyond, candidates such as Nusaibah and Agugo have made a response a component of their platform.
“I want to advocate for houses like culinary that have their entire community based around cooking together to have the option to be off board,” read Nusaibah’s platform. “Additionally, interest houses like Chai House, and the newly established ISL House should have the option to be off-board. Food is a fundamental part of culture and community. If you live in a cultural house, you should be able to cook the food that feels like home.”
“I will advocate for negotiating the costs of existing meal plans, particularly the 7-meal plan,” reads Agugo’s platform. “I also want to address the need for adjusting dining dollar amounts to reflect current inflation.”
Miscellaneous Issues
Several of the candidates for CSA have identified other issues in their campaigns. Nusaibah outlined nine policy projects she would implement ranging from CSA providing funding for graduate school applications to improving the equipment in the rec center. “I prefer action items over passive ideas; every project was talked through with people who would be in charge of making that happen. I also like to think I’m pretty approachable and can talk my way into or out of things—but more than anything, I would genuinely enjoy this job, and I’d be good at it.”
McGovern proposed possible changes to Carleton’s academics, including increasing the number of credits awarded to labs and music classes, which he argues don’t reflect the workload.
Agugo is running off of a platform featuring the theme, “C is for…” Her initiatives range from “connect with the student body” to “cultural and diversity awareness.” The “cultural and diversity awareness” initiative seeks to improve Carleton’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity programs and academic programs, the latter of which is noted in Agugo’s platform. Hamid has also made Diversity and Inclusion a major focus of their campaign, ranging from establishing a social activism fund which would finance transportation, food or advocacy tools.
Voting opens Feb. 28 at 8 a.m. and closes Mar. 2 at 11:59 p.m., with results expected on Mar. 4. The incoming administration will take office at the start of Spring Term 2025 through the end of Spring Term 2026.
