Iowa State Student Government elections take place Monday with students running campaigns to represent their respective colleges on the student lead council.

Sanjana Addagarla and Armaan “Guppy” Gupta are the two students running for the senator position representing the College of Business.

Both candidates were able to provide insight and answers about their platforms and what they offer to bring as a representative over email interviews.

Armaan “Guppy” Gupta

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois

Major: Pre-Business

Class: Freshman

 Q: What motivated you to run for Student Government?

A: I think too often people complain about the decisions that get made around them, but don’t make the effort to be a part of the decision-making process. I don’t want to be in a position where I’m just an observing bystander and not an active participating member of the resolutions being made on my campus and in my community.

Q: Why are you the most qualified candidate to represent the College of Business?

A: I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life. I sold pens and pencils in elementary school, sold used phones to classmates who got theirs taken away in middle school, produced music and sold it online in high school and now operate a website design and branding agency for small businesses. I’ve learned the value of real-world engagement and discovered that what we learn about in the classroom can only go so far. At some point, we as students have to experience how our education influences our ability to prosper in the world we seek to impact.

These experiences are what separate me from my opponents. The leadership, decision-making and people management skills gained from serving my customers and community makes me the most qualified candidate on the ticket for this upcoming election.”

Q: What are some issues within the College of Business that you plan to address if elected? 

A: Within the Ivy College of Business specifically, I want to focus on the following issues and challenges:

1. Starting more entrepreneurial programs funded by the Student Government for students from our college. These would be grants or even microloans for students to jumpstart a new business idea or nonprofit.

2. Making resources provided by the Student Government and the university more accessible. These would include programs such as student counseling.

Q: What are some of the campuswide issues you would like to address if elected?

A: Across the campus, I would like to focus on:

1. Tuition transparency. While all the budgeting information, administrative salaries and expenses are available online, it’s not something the everyday student can decipher. I want to work with our leadership to design a simple-to-use website that lays out exactly what our school spends its money on (down to the cent) and why?

2. Student Government-funded art grants. I think Ames as a city and our campus by proxy have a lot of room for becoming more attractive for prospective students and residents. Small art grants geared toward both art students and anyone else at Iowa State would be a cost-efficient way to make our campus appealing. It would also give students real-world portfolio projects that they can use in the future.

3. Collaborating with the City Council to put in place private real estate development tax incentives would help Iowa State and Ames attract more real estate development and competition in the housing market. I have heard from one too many of my friends on campus about the lack of attention and care some landlords display for their student tenants. I believe the best way to deal with this issue is to increase competition and utilize the free markets to give students better options.

4. I want to make pancakes at every dining hall on campus an everyday occurrence. In general though, I want to see how we as students can have an influence on menus at our various dining options.

Q: Any specific legislation that you would like to introduce or support early in your term if you get elected?

A: I would want to start with getting a bill made to allocate part of the student activity fee budget or Senate Discretionary fund toward small art grants open for any students. Not only would this help Iowa State University spruce up its campus and make it more visually interesting, but it would help us preserve our culture for generations of Cyclones to come. Investing in public art would help us convey our values, enhance our community and give prospective students all the more reason to choose ISU.