Campus sophomore Megan Yao is running for ASUC Senate on a platform of improving international student experiences and strengthening East Asian communities.
For many international students pursuing their studies at UC Berkeley across vastly different time zones, the pandemic has been a time marked by isolation, exhaustion and mental fatigue.
Although some professors have adopted accommodations, there remains to be change on a campuswide scale, resulting in calls from students and organizations representing the international community for greater flexibility in instruction.
Following the death of Kaijie Zhang, an international freshman who attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earlier this year, the ASUC has raised further concerns regarding synchronous online instruction. Zhang was taking courses synchronously from his family home in China and died after bouts of irregular sleep, according to a statement made by ASUC Senators Rex Zhang, Samuel Peng and Will Liu, who each represent the international student community.
Current ASUC Senator Ronit Sholkoff makes presidential bid
Last Updated 21 hours Ago
Ronit Sholkoff
Editor’s note: This is one installment in a three-part series on this year’s candidates for ASUC president. Read about the other candidates here and here.
UC Berkeley junior and current ASUC Senator Ronit Sholkoff is running for ASUC president with the goal of creating a smooth transition back to campus and improving student access to resources.
Her platforms are moving back to campus with intention as the COVID-19 pandemic ends; expanding diversity, equity and inclusion; creating campus resiliency before future crises; and strengthening wellness resources for students in areas such as mental health and sexual violence and sexual harassment. Sholkoff is the Student Action party’s sole presidential candidate.