2021-2022 General Election

GPSA General Election Results:

Council Chair: 

Candidate NameNo. of Votes
Benjamin Gerstner6
Alyssa Espinoza0
Aaron Cowan - Council Chair elect7
(Write in candidates)0

 

  • A detailed report on elections is available here.

If students have any concerns regarding the election results, a formal complaint can be lodged by filling out this form: https://gpsa.unm.edu/judicial/complaint.html  on or before Thursday, 29th of April 2021 at 11:59 PM.

 

President's Office: 

Candidate NameNo. of Votes
Aaron Cowan 117
David Saavedra - President elect130
(Write in candidates)3

 

  • A detailed report on elections is available here.

If students have any concerns regarding the election results, a formal complaint can be lodged by filling out this form: https://gpsa.unm.edu/judicial/complaint.html  on or before Friday, 9th April 2021 at 11:59 PM.

 

GPSA General Election Information:

The GPSA Presidential Election will take place starting at 8:00 am on Monday, March 29th and be open through 11:59 pm on Friday, April 2nd.  Graduate and Professional Students may vote for a Presidential candidate and the constitutional amendments by accessing a ballot on the Students tab in http://my.unm.edu during the period above.  Voting for the Council Chair will take place by Council Representatives at the April Council meeting.

 

GPSA Presidential Candidates:

david

David C. Saavedra

David, born and raised in NM just like many other Lobos, is currently working toward obtaining a Master of Public Administration degree.

David is running for GPSA President because he is dedicated to giving back to the community and looks forward to a fulfilling career in public service. He believes that the office belongs to all graduate and professional students; their perspectives are UNM’s most valuable asset. He commits to supporting the graduate and professional student population by serving as a mode of communication between students and UNM administration with integrity.

David looks forward to serving you as GPSA President!

aaron

Aaron Cowan

Aaron Cowan is a doctoral student in Learning Sciences.  He has master’s degrees in Public Administration and OILS, as well as undergraduate degrees all from UNM.  He is running for President after years of service in multiple GPSA committee chair positions. Aaron is committed to getting maximum benefits for UNM students.  He believes GPSA members must be paid fairly for their hard work.  He teaches citizenship at Catholic Charities, and fights for opportunity for all students, including the undocumented, while holding UNM administration accountable. He is a TA and RA and strongly supports unionization.


GPSA Council Chair Candidates:

(GPSA Council Chair candidates are voted on at the April GPSA Council Meeting by RDSA Council Representatives.  The general student body does not vote for Council Chairs.  Talk to your departmental RDSA Council Representative about your support for one of these candidates.)

ben.jpg

Benjamin Gerstner

Ben has served in various roles within the GPSA; Grants Committee Member (2017), Fill-in RDSA Representative (Spring 2020), RDSA Representative (Fall 2020 – Current), LSC Vice-Chair (Spring 2021). Given this experience and natural tenacity to understanding processes, he seeks to continue to lead the Council towards increased efficiency, transparency and RDSA participation.

He firmly believes communication is key to resolution and maintains a deep respect for viewpoints outside of his own. In this position he will work to create an official joint-research and analytics team with the executive branch, tasked with providing data-backed reports for the legislation brought forth to Council.

alyssa.jpg

Alyssa Espinoza 

As a medical student at UNM’s School of Medicine, Alyssa wants to foster an environment that helps graduate students succeed by improving issues that impact them most. Improving GPSA’s communication and collaboration across campuses (as stated in their mission) is a top priority of hers. Having graduated from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, she knows the importance of educational and professional advancement and believes in championing diversity initiatives and inclusiveness policies that reflect our community and improve campus culture. When not studying Alyssa enjoys trying out new recipes from her Indian cookbook, picnics with her dog and swimming.

aaron

Aaron Cowan

Aaron Cowan is a doctoral student in Learning Sciences.  He has master’s degrees in Public Administration and OILS, as well as undergraduate degrees all from UNM.  He is running for Council Chair after years of service in multiple GPSA committee chair positions. Aaron is committed to getting maximum benefits for UNM students.  He believes GPSA members must be paid fairly for their hard work.  He teaches citizenship at Catholic Charities, and fights for opportunity for all students, including the undocumented, while holding UNM administration accountable. He is a TA and RA and strongly supports unionization.

Full Text of Constitutional Amendments:

Amendment 1 (Click Here) - Removes the requirment that the Council Chair election has to happen at the April Council meeting.
Amendment 2 (Click Here) - Allows constitutional amendments to be voted on in any GPSA election rather than just the spring General Election.