Sophomore Caucus: Kate Alvarez and Iris Chan

Record: 2

The Alvarez-Chan ticket has little experience in student government, with slightly more in leadership: Alvarez holding two leadership positions within Stuyvesant and having served as the vice president of her school’s chapter of the National Junior Honors Society.

Campaign: 3

Boasting an Instagram and a website, though the latter has been poorly advertised, Alvarez and Chan have created numerous pathways to reach the sophomore class. Still, they lack a Facebook page, one of the best methods of communication for Stuyvesant students.

Platform: 3

While their teaching assistant proposal seems promising, the majority of Alvarez-Chan's other campaign promises seem either infeasible or unnecessary.

Basing much of their campaign on the promise to create a more inclusive grade as well as their emphasis on college help and general accessibility, the Alvarez-Chan ticket has an ambitious plan for the coming year. Alvarez asserted, however, that their passion will allow them to achieve such goals and their dynamic partnership—with Alvarez planning ahead and Chan acting boldly in important moments—will help them succeed as a Caucus.

The Alvarez-Chan campaign rests its policies, efforts, and objectives on a foundation of effective communication with the sophomore class. As co-presidents, they wish for their platform to have optimal transparency. When asked about previous experience, however, Alvarez and Chan had little to point to within student government. Still, Alvarez and Chan cite their unconditional embrace of positivity as a way to bridge the gap between students, student leaders, and administrators and ensure that this year’s sophomores maintain “positive mental health” and get the answers they deserve in these unprecedented times.

Their platform features some promising and creative ideas, including collaborating with other organizations and clubs at Stuyvesant to organize and host events with fun activities pertaining to specific students’ interests. When asked how they would ensure optimal attendance at these events however, the pair’s explanation consisted of “organization” and their ability to “plan ahead.” In addition, their plans for racial justice seem unlikely to change anything, and their proposal to bring college admissions officers in to talk to sophomores would only exacerbate Stuyvesant's already-toxic obsession with college.

Still, among their most promising policies is that of appointing upperclassmen to offer advice and logistical guidance to sophomores as teaching assistants. Chan said that she had already reached out to ARISTA (which expressed interest in working with them if they were to become Caucus presidents) to collaborate on this initiative. While this might save teachers time in the long run and present a smoother transition to certain classes, it is not guaranteed that all teachers will want to read through applications for assistants or that a sufficient number of upperclassmen will apply given their arduous schedules and academic situations.

In light of Alvarez-Chan’s minimal record and experience in the SU as well as campaign ideas that seem unlikely to play out, The Spectator chooses not to endorse the Alvarez-Chan ticket.