SBA Elections
Vote Now | Election Rules | Candidates
The Fall 2011 election period has passed.
Election Rules:
- All 1L Day (Full-Time) students can vote for three candidates for:
- 1L Day Senator
- 1L Day Senator
- All 1L Evening students (class of 2015) can vote for one candidate for:
- 1L Evening Senator
SBA Fall 2011 Election Candidates
1L Day Senator| 1L Evening Senator
1L Day Senator
Ramsey Ammar
My name is Ramsey Ammar and I am running for the 1L Day Senate position for the Student Bar Association. I am running on the "We Are Family" platform because I, in fact, do believe that "We Are Family." I want to be a Senator because I am confident that I can be a truly representative voice for the DU Class of 2014. I have already met a large number of the first year law students and I plan to meet many more. I genuinely care about each person that I have met and would be more than willing to voice anyone's concerns on their behalf.
The issues that are most important to me all revolve around one central theme: making the transition into law school as easy as possible on all of the first year students. This can be accomplished in a number of various ways. Whether this is done by enhancing the academic environment through various academic assistance programs, arranging guest or professor lectures, or organizing social events, I wholeheartedly believe that I can make this school a better place for every student.
I have two specific goals I hope to accomplish during my time as Senator. First, I will pay full attention to every legitimate concern from any student in my class and do everything in my power to voice that concern. I will be available to all of my peers at all times. No issue will go unheard. Second, and equally as important, I hope to foster a community environment between everyone in the school. I strongly believe that every student here would benefit from a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. We all come from different backgrounds and learning styles, but we are all here for one reason: to become lawyers. I want to instill the belief in my peers that "We Are Family," and we will become lawyers together.
Lisa Baity
Every DU Law student is a member of the SBA, which makes it highly important your elected officials focus on those issues that will most directly affect your life as a law student. I believe that the main concerns facing L1's are the new challenges of adapting to the rigors of law school, finding a balance between school and experiencing a social life and the job prospects upon graduation. The SBA has a strong track record of serving the students in all of these capacities. If I were elected as a L1 representative, I would like to help support and develop the programs that the SBA has in place. I also think I would be a capable representative because, while I don't know everyone in my class, I have made an effort to meet a large portion. Because I have interacted with so many classmates I feel I am an approachable liaison who would hear and voice the concerns of my class. I am passionate about the development of programs to support the student body and am experienced at multitasking time-consuming responsibilities.
Kasey Baker
I want to be your SBA Senator because SBA's duties include that of my three favorite activities during college: Student Senate, Campus Life Programming Board, and my internship in the Community Affairs Department at a local TV station. Each of these positions have given me experience and skills that I believe will carry over into the role of an SBA Senator:
- Student Senate Secretary: I was elected my senior year. Besides tracking attendance and keeping minutes, I was in charge of all communication between the Executive Board and our nine cabinet members, eighty senators, administration, and the community. Along with the Chair and Vice-Chair, I had to make difficult Executive Board decisions for Senate and the student body. As Secretary, I also served as the student body representative in various school administration policy and planning meetings.
- Programming Board Event Coordinator and Member: I was a member of my school's Programming Board all four years. We put on at least one program, activity, or lecture each week, as well as many larger events throughout the year. I also was on the Spring Formal planning committee each year. During my junior year I was one of Programming Board's event coordinators and I led a group of five in planning an average of two events per month.
- Community Affairs/PR Internship: My senior year I interned at a TV station. I worked to establish relationships with many local non-profits, wrote PR segments, handled press releases, and I was one of the main organizers in the station-sponsored Salvation Army Angel Tree Drive.
As an SBA Senator I will be as accessible as possible to all my schoolmates. As there are three positions and three units, there's a good chance we will end up with one representative for each unit. However, we should not confine ourselves to our units; it is an educational structure, not a social guide. I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of you from units 2 and 3 and, while I obviously do not see you as often, I want you to feel as free to approach me as a Senator from your unit. It's important to me that we have a 1L community. Already too often I've heard things like "you're the first unit 1 that I've met" or "where are all the unit 3's hiding?" I'm hoping that through SBA and its programs we can see more interaction between students across units, and of course across levels as well.
Lastly, I'd like to do something about the food at our school. Almost every event I've attended so far has had few healthy food options (remember the pastry breakfast at Orientation?), and hardly any options--if any at all--for those with dietary restrictions (ex. Gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, etc.) The same can be said for the school café. For as health-conscious as this city is, I was expecting much more from the school. We can be doing a better job of promoting and supporting healthy eating for persons of every kind of diet.
With all that said, I hope you consider me for your SBA Senator. I look forward to the opportunity to represent you and listen to your concerns and suggestions!
Alex Besong
My name is Alex Bayee Besong and I am running for 1L senator. Should I be given the honor of being a 1L senator, I intend to do my utmost to assist my peers in achieving their objectives while in law school.
I hope to be a resource of information and a link to SBA for anyone needing assistance in organizing events. I will be a very influential voice for our 1L class and I hope to be very accessible.
If elected, I pledge to promote the general welfare and morale of all 1L students by organizing great networking events. In addition, I will emphasize moderation and balance by organizing stress release events such as "1L Yoga," "1L marathon," and 1L gym work out sessions.
In the interest of enhancing our law school experience, I will be willing to request any and everything our class desires from SBA; so long as the requests are within reason.
I am committed to realizing our joint aspirations and furthering our goals. I greatly look forward to representing our class. Working together, I am confident that we will have a rewarding experience our first year of law school.
Ryan Burchell
I seek to become part of SBA to represent, to the best my abilities, the Class of 2014 with honor, dignity and respect. It is an undeniable truth that each of us as J.D. candidates are intelligent, capable, and strong. It is also true that as individuals we all have a unique history, colorful backgrounds, and varying skill sets. Indeed, each of us represents an important individual component that contributes not only to our school's academic and professional reputation but incontrovertibly to the diversity which the University seeks to establish. It is this diversity which I seek to represent. As I mentioned before, as individuals we are strong. However, as a group we are powerful. I seek to be the voice of our group, to bring forward the concerns of my fellow students and to suggest and implement solutions to these concerns.
Here at DU, Dean Katz as well as every professor I have spoken with stress the goal of making us "practice-ready" during these crucial three years. I share this belief. I will seek to promote, enhance, and create programs and policies to achieve this important goal. I wholeheartedly agree that when we graduate and enter into the legal profession we need to be ready to hit the ground running. As one of my favorite and more colorful professors said, "The world doesn't need another mediocre lawyer."
As far as to what specific goals I seek to accomplish during my time in office, well, I have been in school for three weeks. At this point I cannot offer specifics on what I seek to accomplish while in office. In due time I will develop a better understanding of the inner workings of DU and certain goals will begin to manifest. Until that time I can however promise that when the need for action and resolution surface I will meet the issues head-on and remain steadfast in my resolve. If in fact these issues are not apparent to me but rather to my fellow students, I will take their concerns with me to the SBA and fight on their behalf. This is the job of a Senator: to represent his or her constituents and bring their concerns and issues of importance to the forefront. I will represent the diversity of my class and will, with honor, be its voice in all matters that may concern it.
Mimi Faller
I would be honored to represent the class of 2014 on SBA! I have held leadership positions for most of my academic career, and the Senator position in particular would be invaluable to my personal and academic experience. SBA covers a wide variety of day-to-day functions in our law school -- more than many students are aware of. I am prepared to take on these responsibilities, whether it is participating on committees, debating and voting on the annual budget, or representing my classmates when they want change or present new ideas. In particular, I would like to participate on the social committee. Law students are probably some of the most social graduate students, and as a consequence invest their interests heavily in this realm. I enjoy planning, organizing, and putting on events. I am highly productive and like to find ways to put my ingenuity to good use. Coordinating with a committee and organizing events for the student body would be an area where I know I would excel. I would bring much to the table in SBA meetings and around the law school, and would love the opportunity to represent my fellow classmates this school year!
Daniel Garcia
The idea of representing the concerns and thoughts of my peers appeals to me greatly. I believe that a sense of community is paramount in an environment like law school where we see each other almost everyday struggling with similar issues. Therefore, I want to create ways to further facilitate community building, e.g. some way to better welcome and introduce out-of-state students and faculty to Denver, its local events, etc. with a welcoming committee or in-state student volunteers.
Casey Krizman
Hi! My name is Casey Krizman and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you why I think I am a great candidate to serve the class of 2014 in the SBA Senate. Originally from Denver, I spent the past nine years in Tampa where I attended undergraduate school and subsequently worked in the political and public finance arenas. I am very excited to return home among family and friends against the backdrop of our beloved Rocky Mountains.
One of the key reasons I returned to Denver was to continue the path of public service I pursued in Florida. I was fortunate enough to serve members of congress, the state legislature, and the judiciary. But I also served the community -- and that is where true service begins. As first year law students, we find ourselves part of several new communities; the state of Colorado, the city of Denver, the local legal community, the University of Denver, and perhaps most importantly, we find ourselves members of the Sturm College of Law. It is for this tight-knit community that I ask to serve.
As your senator, I will promote an academic climate that fosters intellectual growth, embraces the diversity of people and their ideas, and strengthens the legal community at large. I will listen carefully to the needs and concerns of our community and I will work diligently to present remedies and solutions to the SBA forum. However, the pursuit of academic and professional excellence requires more from us. We are here to be leaders, and to lead with excellence we must be visionaries. As we grow more accustomed to our new surroundings and discover ways to improve student life and enhance the student experience, I look forward to working with you to develop, not just a remedy, but a vision for our community that long outlasts the time we spend within these walls.
At a time of great excitement and of great expectation, I ask you to choose me as your representative in the SBA Senate.
Sincerely,
Casey Krizman
Antonio Mendez
My motivation for running for the office of 1L Day Senator comes from my urge to work with Law School community as a whole and a desire to get to know my fellow 1L students better. The Student Bar Association, like many other student governments, is meant to be a forum for students' voices to be heard. As your 1L Senator, I would strive to make sure that anyone who had something to say to the Student Bar Association would get that message heard.
If I were elected 1L senator, our class would benefit from having someone with experience on the Student Bar Association. As an undergraduate student I served on the President's Council (student government) for two years and during that time I developed experience working with and representing other students. After my undergraduate years, I dedicated parts of my professional career to developing these skills by working with the British Parliament and the Andorran Parliament in various capacities.
While experience is important, I also believe that whomever you elect for 1L Senator should be approachable and fun. I consider myself an approachable person and I promise to always listen to any students concerns and relay those concerns to the Student Bar Association. The 1st year of law school is stressful enough, and one of my main goals while working for the Student Bar Association is to be able to reduce your stress by remaining in the know about different events, organizations, or lectures and relaying it to the 1L class. I would also like to contribute to class unity by organizing some social events outside of the law school such as Karaoke, Bowling, etc.
I want to express gratitude to my fellow students for giving me enough nominations to be able to put my name on the ballot. I thank you for your consideration and hope that you will elect me for 1L Senator.
Best,
Antonio A. Mendez
Proud 1L
1L Evening Senator
Aldon Anderson
I want to make the most out of law school, and not just for myself, but for all fellow classmates as well. We are starting an experience that I believe we all wish not to envision as less than incredible. We can't do that with lacking expectations and nonexistent drives. We have all worked so hard to get this far individually, and we now need to work together to better ourselves and each other as a community. To support one another, build those ever so popular networks for future success, and create a fellowship that will help each one of us grow together and individually are all I want to help my fellow classmates achieve.
As Student Bar Administration Senator for the part time/evening division class of 2015, I would want to increase all our abilities to grow alongside each other and to help us all succeed in our endeavors by whatever means I have available to me. We all started school together here recently, have the same, if not similar class schedules, and therefore are driving against the same forces as each other in order to make it through not only this year, but our four years of school ahead. With the position, I would avail myself to all of you, hear what needs to be done, and take my position seriously in order to push those things into actuality. And if there is anything I can do for you, whether it be now or as class Senator for the SBA, I am always happy to listen and do what needs to be done.
A. Barlow Anderson
Tony Caldwell
My name is Tony Caldwell and I am a first year evening student here at DU. I work full-time as an account manager for Nestle, and appreciate the flexibility that DU provides to its part-time students. I first became interested in the SBA senate elections when the 1LE representative from 2010-2011, Carl Charles, came to speak to our class last Thursday. That talk, albeit brief, reminded me of the fact that although many evening students have a variety of responsibilities outside of the classroom, we still have a voice that needs to be heard amongst our peers. I spoke further with the SBA representatives at Derby Days and was impressed with all of the work that the SBA does on behalf of the student body. As such, I am here today to offer my candidacy for the 1LE senator position and to represent all classes of evening students.
I have two primary goals while representing the student body. First and foremost, I have heard from many of my classmates that there seems to be some disconnect between the daytime vs. evening students. I believe this distinction starts from the first week of orientation when the divisions are separated, and I see this as a negative for all students. My hope is that through a variety of campus events, increased communication, and heightened awareness that the disconnect between classes can be reduced. I know that there are many things each side can learn from each other, and so proactive communication in an open forum between groups could improve those relations. Ultimately, it would lead to many students making great connections with people they otherwise would never have associated with. Secondly, I would like to see increased publicity in the legal and business community about the many opportunities that a part-time legal education could provide potential employers. I think that our strong evening programs are vastly under marketed, and would like for the faculty and leadership to make this a part of their strategic plans going forward. With the American economy as it stands, it is impossible for many potential students to consider giving up full-time employment to attend law school. I believe that increased marketing of the evening options at DU would be mutually beneficial for future generations of students and the school.
I have always been very involved with the college, fraternity, and work organizations that I've been a part of, and see the SBA as a way to continue my involvement and represent my peers. Whether it involves advocating on behalf of increased student resources or simply planning a social event, I would love to have the chance to be involved with the SBA. I appreciate your time and consideration of my application and placement onto the 2011-2012 SBA ballot for the 1LE Senator position.