Undergraduate Student Government senate elections are underway, but the ballot looks different this year with only one female candidate: Sudeepta Murthy. Initially, the ballot had two other female candidates who pulled out of the race. The USG Senate Cabinet houses 12 spots, and with 13 candidates running this year, only one will miss out on a seat.
“[Being the only female candidate] was not acknowledged much until I brought it up to the stage,” Murthy, a freshman majoring in public policy and data analytics, said. “It’s a lot of pressure.”
Murthy also shared her fears of the dynamics of the cabinet if she were elected as the only woman. She cites concerns about gender role dynamics in the workplace and the general tendency for women not to get a voice within a position of higher power.
Senate candidate Jeremiah Boisrond, a sophomore majoring in legal studies, is seeking reelection to be a transparent and approachable leader for students, according to his campaign platform. Boisrond said that with one female running for senate, the cabinet is “not going to be reflective of the student body,” sharing Murthy’s concerns.
“[It’s] disappointing not to see necessarily equal representation,” said candidate Dakota Driemeyer. “[I hope] that us as men are educated on the issues facing women.”
Driemeyer, a junior studying economics, also believes that Murthy is “strong and confident” and, if elected, will be a loud advocate for the women on campus.
Murthy attributes the lack of female engagement in the student government to a lack of general knowledge about the role and uncertainty of USG. Murthy said that her female peers in USG tend to avoid going for these kinds of positions because they aren’t guaranteed.
She also recognized the popularity aspect of USG, comparing it to a “popularity contest.” USG Candidates are allowed to accept endorsements from Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), and Murthy says candidates have to take this into account.
Candidate Sabeeh Mirza, who’s running alongside Kian Salek, proposed another potential reason for the lack of female participation.
“There is a form of isolation and difficulty that female candidates face,” said Mirza, a sophomore majoring in political economy.
Mirza also expressed disappointment in the lack of gender diversity, deeming it “heartbreaking.”
Murthy said the lack of diversity is not just based on gender but that it’s also on academics, as students usually come from legal, history or political science backgrounds.
“It’s very gate-kept with a lot of people running originally from USG,” Murthy said.
USG Elections are open from February 18 - February 21.
Correction: This story has been updated with the correct spelling for Sudeepta Murthy. A previous version of this story misspelled her last name, “Murphy.”