The campaign photo: Ash Jaidev and Austin Young
Photo: courtesy of Facebook
Austin Young lost his first interaction with ASG. But despite being defeated in the race for Allison Hall senator his freshman year, Young says this experience was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. The loss allowed him to become involved in other campus groups like A&O, Wildcat Welcome and Mayfest. “It was really those experiences that showed me there are bigger issues here on campus that I would love to tackle,” he says. Now, three years later, Young is running for ASG president with his vice-presidential running mate, fellow junior Ash Jaidev. Before the presidential debate tonight, we sat down with the two candidates to discuss everything from goals to guilty pleasures. The Q&A after the jump.
You’re both very involved with the New Student Center Initiative—Ash as director and Austin as a ground team member. So does that make it one of your main platforms?
Austin Young: I think our platforms are structured a little different where we aren’t weighing necessarily one issue more than others. Regardless of the final outcome of a new student center, the fact is that this idea is bringing students together to talk about it, and that the over-riding concept of it is to create central space for students to hang out.
Ash Jaidev: We really want to get a pulse for what students want and have that conversation on the ground. The New Student Center Initiative is something I’ve obviously been heavily working on for the past year, but it’s something we need to recognize and ensure it’s in the best interest of the students, it’s what the students want and it’s part of that dialogue.
If you had a magic power and could only change one thing on campus, what would you choose?
AY: The one thing, if elected, I will not back down on is making every student on campus have a story about how ASG impacted them. I know I’m really tired of people saying every year ASG is nothing because it’s not true. They do a lot, but I think ASG needs to make sure what they’re doing aligns with what the students want them to be doing.
AJ: That’s a great point. And I would say for me one of the things I definitely want to bring is this culture of collaboration to ASG. I think what’s important to recognize is that in our student community there are a lot of great groups, there are a lot of interest groups that all do something really well and are passionate about something. And I think it’s ASG’s responsibility to tap into those passions, to tap into those activities that individual groups do throughout campus and really partner with them to enhance those experiences on the ground.
What is the best thing that’s happened at Northwestern in the last year and what’s the worst?
AY: I think the best thing has been President Schapiro’s continued commitment to really make what students care about his top priority. I think that should definitely be reflected in ASG. He’s a great role model for ASG. He continued the fall A&O concert that started with his inaugural show with John Legend. So that builds community, but also provides something really magnanimous and awesome for students to all participate in. And then the ice rink, I sent him an email and we started a conversation and he had it built. I had never taken a class with him, I had never met him in person and he listened to one student’s idea and really ran with it.
AJ: Among the worst things—I’ve noticed it especially this year as compared to previous years—is the increased feeling among the student body that ASG is irrelevant and specifically ASG is inaccessible and therefore they’re irrelevant. And that’s a culture that Austin and I want to change.
AY: There’s a difference between just talking and communicating and sending out emails and getting surveys filled out and actually forming a relationship. And I think every member of ASG has the opportunity and should be in the community talking with members of Northwestern, forming relationships, just on the ground level with as many people as possible within Northwestern.
Last year’s ASG race appeared to be between an ASG outsider and insider. Would you characterize yourselves as either?
AY: No. I think we do bring a lot of campus experience, but we also have extensive ASG experience, so we know how ASG works, but we’ve also seen how other efficient groups are run, so we can tailor the groups’ dynamics and the real positive things of those groups to how ASG works because we know both, so we’d be able to bring in positive change, but make sure it fits in line and meshes well with ASG.
AJ: Austin was a senator for four quarters and my experience has largely been through ASG. But I think what we bring is the right balance between knowing ASG as a structure, but knowing campus and knowing some of the really efficient and accountable groups on campus that are always successful. It’s important to pull from campus itself and student government, rather than push the other way.
What about your slogan “make it matter”? How did that come to be? And what is your “it”?
AY: I thought of “make it matter” because I thought that really summed up with ASG needs to do for this next year. And in particular for this campaign season we’re really trying to communicate with the students and say we commit and we pledge make what matters to you really matter to ASG. The “make it matter” for me is making every student and their goals matter because that’s my attitude going into it. So in essence, whatever their “it” is becomes my “it” as I work with them to really improve their experience at Northwestern.
How would you compare your experiences with Northwestern politics to national politics? Is there any comparison?
AJ: It’s totally different.
AY: They’re so different because at the end of the day this is a student government and it has a very important responsibility on campus, but I would say it’s not more important than someone working on DM or someone working on Special Olympics.
AJ: And national politics is far more factional and dividing than student government is or should be. We are all friends here. I’ve worked with Matt and Jazzy also in the past, and it’s just a fun time to be able get in touch with students.
Do you do anything differently now that you’re on a ticket? Do you feel like ‘I should be presidential or vice-presidential today’?
AJ: How do you act vice-presidential?
AY: I would say no. Just because I’m running for president, I’m not going to change who I am. I wore today what I wore three weeks ago and what I wore three months ago. Not like the same outfit. I do get fresh clothes occasionally. But I don’t change anything because I’m running, and I think that’s part of the beauty of this process is I hope people are recognizing that it has been my desire for the last three years to relate to students on campus. I hope you’re getting the sense that I will be able to relate to you two weeks from now and the rest of the year even.
AJ: I have not found myself changing anything so far. The only change is the gradual change in the two-and-a-half years I’ve been here has been me developing as a leader. But other than that, in the past week or so, it’s still been me.
Okay, so looking past the platforms and politics, let’s get to know you guys a little better. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
AY: Do I really want to answer that? I love eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and Chick-fil-A. And yes, I have driven over an hour to get to the nearest Chick-fil-A. So I would say really good food in general.
Is Chick-fil-A really good?
AJ: Ah, it’s delicious
AY: I mean, I’m from the south, so on fast food terms, it’s only the best.
Where is the nearest one?
AY: There’s one out in Wheaton, Illinois and then there’s one in Racine, Wisconsin—both of which I’ve been to.
What’s Northwestern’s best kept secret?
AJ: Our diversity. It’s something that a lot of people talk about at Northwestern, and it’s something in terms of cultural diversity we’re lacking. But to me what I really see is a diversity of interests, and a diversity of ideas that isn’t so much projected out in statistics. There are so many people from so many different parts of the country and so many different parts of the world. But not just that, it’s people who think so differently and are passionate about what they think about.
AY: I think it’s really the Chicago campus. Being able to go and do homework in the law library makes your homework pale in comparison when you see these law students with multiple books the size of encyclopedias, and I think the fact that we can go down to Chicago on the Intercampus, and do homework and grab lunch downtown or go shopping is probably for me that’s something that I forget a lot of the time that we can take advantage of.
Do you have irrational fears?
AJ: Yes. I am wildly afraid of rats and mice and rodents in general.
Do you encounter them often?
AJ: Being from New York, riding the subways a lot you do, and being from India whenever I go back home, I’ll see them. God, I don’t even want to think about it. It can get very irrational.
AY: I’m not the biggest fan of clowns, but I wouldn’t say I run and hide when I see one.
So it’s not like the Stephen King novel “It”?
AY: No, not at all.
Who do you think is Northwestern’s biggest celebrity?
AY: You know I think Northwestern’s future biggest celebrity, and she’s definitely on the rise, is Zoe Damacela, the freshman fashion designer. After I saw an article about her in campus media, I followed the links they had. She’s being mentored by Tyra Banks, she has an incredible array of clothing already and has for many years.
AJ: To me, it’s probably Coach Fitz. He’s still a name that everyone on campus knows. Our school pride is so underrated and we have so many kids that are so crazy about football here. I would also say Bill Carmody is on the rise as well in terms of celebrity status. And the third one ultimately is Morty Schapiro. Still, two years into it, he’s still the name on campus.
Do you have any pet peeves?
AY: I’m not a fan—and this has happened many times—of taking an exam and the person next to me just sniffs the entire time. And it’s like, please get a tissue.
AJ: So I drum, I’ve been drumming for the past 15 years. So every time I’m on a table, I’m probably one of those kids next to Austin taking an exam, except I take a pencil or start drumming with my hands. That’s one of my pet peeves is that people keep telling me I have to quiet down. I guess it’s something I have to work on.
Who headlines your dream Dillo Day?
AY: Let me make sure I really want to say that answer.
AJ: You know what, I thought Passion Pit was an incredible concert when they came for A&O, and I really loved that show. So maybe bring Passion Pit back. Or Dr. Dre would be awesome—like good old school rap.
AY: So I’m just going to say it, I don’t even care about the repercussions. Probably over half the campus is going to disagree, but if maybe if Northwestern was located in another part of the country, I would want Carrie Underwood. Hands down. I know country music is not everyone’s cup of tea here at Northwestern. People are probably glad that I don’t have a choice in who’s coming.
Last question. What were your career aspirations when you were 5 years old?
AY: Because I was in kindergarten then, I wanted to be just like my kindergarten teacher, so I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher and drive a Buick Park Avenue.
AJ: It’s funny. I was a big fan of cars in general, so there was a time that I wanted to be an F1 Grand Prix racer. Because in that time, I lived in the Middle East, I lived in Bahrain, and F1 was a big thing in the Middle East then.
