Though Joel Lanzaga seems competent to fill the position, this board gives him a tepid endorsement for vice president of academic affairs because he proved to be uneducated about issues relevant to his office.
Lanzaga’s goal of cross-campus networking is worthwhile, but this board is disappointed that he only presented one tangible platform. With an entire year in office, he needs to formulate more concrete goals to benefit his constituents.
Lanzaga said he plans to foster entrepreneurial connections between graduate students. As a student leader in the Anderson School of Management, Lanzaga has experience programming events and organizing his peers. He plans to hold events where graduate students from a variety of disciplines can network and collaborate to complete class projects and even form businesses.
Connecting students specializing in different fields is a worthwhile goal that aligns with many graduate students’ main focus: launching a career. Lanzaga also hopes to encourage more students to participate in entrepreneurial competitions, which are usually dominated by Anderson students.
Despite his one quality platform, Lanzaga does not have a clear vision about how he would better advertise these events.
Lanzaga mentioned he wants to advocate for more manageable class sizes for teaching assistants, an ongoing concern within the UC. But when pressed further about the issue, he did not seem to know much about the latest negotiation between the TA union and did not not know how to go about effecting change.
As vice president of academic affairs, Lanzaga must meet with campus leaders within the TA union to understand how to advocate for them. To tackle the issue of rising class sizes, Lanzaga needs more than the basic understanding he currently has.
He also mentioned advocating for tuition relief but did not have a clear vision for his role in the conversation.
If he takes the time to learn about issues relevant to his position, Lanzaga will make a fine vice president of academic affairs. This board encourages him to further develop his platforms and strategize innovative ways to encourage graduate student engagement, which has been a concern for graduate students in the past.