The Daily Emerald Opinion Desk and its columnists operate separately from The Emerald newsroom. This endorsement reflects the opinions of columnist Aishiki Nag, and not of all Opinion Desk editors or columnists. No newsroom editor, reporters, managing editor or the Editor-in-Chief was involved in the editing or production of the content in this endorsement.
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On Wednesday, April 1, the ASUO Elections Board held its annual debate between the two slates of candidates running for ASUO president. This debate was moderated by The Daily Emerald and included time for opening remarks from candidates, a section for questions from The Emerald, a section for questions from the public and closing remarks.
For the 2026 election cycle, Quadrian Gill and Brendan Randall are running for president, and Amaya Peralta and Anton Mandrosov are running for vice president. Gill and Peralta are running under the UO Student Power slate, and Randall and Mandrosov are running under the Student United Front.
Both slates of candidates have shown great promise and dedication to the student body, but during the debate, Gill and Peralta’s leadership experience made them more promising candidates for the 2026 election cycle.
What Gill and Peralta have is experience and existing coalitions. Throughout the debate, they were able to point to successful recent wins from ASUO, such as the ICE notification bill and future goals to work with student groups. In particular, Gill mentioned his commitment to building a Latinx student center at UO, an ongoing effort throughout his tenure as ASUO speaker of the legislature.
Peralta is the current ASUO director of advocacy and has organized multiple lobby days throughout the school year. Her expertise in lobbying can only serve to strengthen advocacy efforts.
During Gill’s opening remarks, he showcased some recent ASUO victories he had personally helped with, such as the 24-hour library pilot program in the science library, expanded cultural spaces such as the SSWANA center and the establishment of financial aid support for international students. “This campaign is more than a list of promises – it’s about building a student government for a school that is accountable, delivers real results and stands with student movements,” Gill said.
When asked about the three biggest issues students are facing on campus and the actions their slate is proposing, Gill echoed many familiar concerns. Gill argued there is a safety problem on campus, citing ICE’s presence and student concerns. He also mentions that UO is one of the few four-year institutions that doesn’t have a 24-hour space on campus. His third point was to build on labor wins on campus and to continue making jobs accessible for UO students.
Randall is a second-year law student at UO Law School and, notably, a double-duck, having earned their undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon as well; they are an associate member of GTFF, a full member of UOSW and a Duck Rides worker. During their opening statement, Randall advocated for increased and formalized student representation within the Oregon legislature, the Eugene city council and the U.S. Congress to advocate for student needs. Randall also criticized the use of Engage as the primary platform for student organizations to communicate with ASUO.
Randall said the three biggest issues students are facing are that they aren’t being heard and have trouble connecting with the current system through Engage, that there needs to be an emphasis on safety on campus and that living expenses for university students need to be more affordable.
“It’s hard for students to get food sometimes, and the food banks here on campus are few and far between, and off campus, even more so,” Randall said.
One of the points on which Randall and Mandrosov stood out was their criticism of, and accessibility to, ASUO members and resources for graduate students and law school students. ASUO does need to make a greater effort to better represent and communicate to ensure its services are accessible to graduate students.
Both slates have shown policy proposals that reflected a commitment to making UO more accessible and welcoming to students; they covered a plethora of issues with similar goals, such as making sure the university has a policy for federal forces on campus, bettering communication within the ASUO and continuing to build partnerships with local elected representatives.
The following school year is anticipated to face many challenges, such as a $25 million budget deficit and a hostile federal administration to higher education; Gill and Peralta’s candidacy can build on current positive momentum from ASUO and secure more wins for higher education.
