Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
Ice machines emerged as the big issue in Monday’s forum between two teams running for student body president and vice president.
One team said adding them to residence halls would not happen; the other team said it’s possible.
More than fodder for this week’s election, the issue at the Associated Students of GCU Meet the Candidates event illustrated how student government navigates issues important to Grand Canyon University students.
“Our job is to let students know their voices are heard. … The goal is to have transparency. Students want to be told straight out what is going on,” vice presidential candidate Ashley Cote told the audience of students in Ethington Theatre. “Our job at ASGCU is to filter that – and tell students why or why it can’t happen.”
Cote, a junior from San Diego in sports and entertainment management, is the current ASGCU president but said she felt called to step out of the role after this year and let another student seek the experience. She teamed up as vice presidential running mate with presidential candidate Everett Ross, a sophomore from White Lake, Michigan, who is majoring in government/legal studies.
They face Tucker Hudson, a junior communications major from Mountain House, California, and his running mate, Dianne Carla Mae Nasibog, a Soldotna, Alaska, native studying government/local and state policy.
Each team faced nine questions from moderator Nolan Ramsey, and four from the audience.
The team of Hudson and Nasibog said they each have three years experience in ASGCU’s Freshman Class Council and Senate and have shown their willingness to quickly dig in by researching the topics important to students, such as putting ice machines in residence halls. They were told it was possible.
Cote said she already has worked on the issue as president and ice machines “can’t be added to residence halls because of plumbing,” though conversations are ongoing on placing the machines in other locations on campus.
ASGCU leaders work as a liaison between administration and students, so these conversations are at the heart of their roles. Hudson and Nasibog said the issues often affect students' everyday lives on campus, such as an initiative to use “crowd meter” technology to monitor traffic at fitness centers to better time when best to work out.
“Having these conversations prior to getting started shows truly we are ready to hit the ground running,” Hudson said in an interview afterward. “Departments already know what our priorities and concerns are. I think students will pick up on that.”
Cote said her established relationship with administration goes a long way to helping Ross have a good starting point as she steps in a supportive role. She said that in her time as president, she has helped lower the cost of a load of laundry on campus, kept the security gate open by the mail center and is finalizing new initiatives on campus dining.
“She is a wellspring of knowledge,” Ross told the audience, adding that he brings a fresh set of eyes to the issues. “ASGCU is here to serve the students, it’s just figuring out the best way to do that.”
Other key moments:
Ross, wearing a blue tie, had a laid-back aura leaning back in his chair on stage, introducing himself by saying, “hey guys.” He said he wanted to help students know ASGCU better by creating more collaboration with other campus student groups and increasing visibility on campus among students. “Slow down, smile and say hi, and be kind,” he said.
Hudson, wearing a red tie, leaning forward in his chair and standing to answer questions, stressed transparency, saying students often can be unaware of what’s happening on campus, which “makes them feel devalued or misrepresented. We really want to tell people they belong here and prioritize the idea of togetherness.”
When asked how they will make diverse students’ voices heard, Nasibog quickly jumped in.
“I was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. when I was 6 years old with my mom and became a U.S. citizen. Growing up in rural Alaska as an immigrant is definitely not for the weak. I spent a majority of childhood translating for my family and helping them fill out forms they couldn’t understand. So trust me, I know what it’s like if you are not heard, seen or understood. It’s my mission to make sure all GCU students feel that way because, at the end of the day, we are all God’s children and made in His image.”
Cote said afterward that she wants to increase the amount of time student body leaders interact with students beyond the “stage and a mic” moments that are part of the job, including adding interactions with orientation groups to start the year.
Voting occurs from 9 a.m. Wednesday to noon Friday on the GCU Life app. The elected student body leaders begin the 2025-26 academic year with training in the summer.
Which leads to the question that election candidates are often asked: What would you do on day one? Hudson stressed “crowd meters” at fitness centers, while Ross leaned into the pocketbook issue.
“Cheaper laundry, 100%,” he said. “We’re college students.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]
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GCU News: Cote, Pritchard sworn in as student body leaders
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