Alfred Aboya hopes to one day become president of Cameroon. His
lesser-known teammate, Joey Ellis, is starting a career in politics
on a slightly smaller scale.
Ellis, a redshirt freshman walk-on guard for the UCLA basketball
team, is running with Slate Refund for Financial Supports
commissioner of the Undergraduate Students Association Council. As
the only athlete running for office this year, Ellis is in a unique
position.
Ellis, who sat out this season after arthroscopic knee surgery,
knows that some students might initially think his candidacy is
just a game because he is an athlete. But he is trying to dispel
any notions that a jock has no place in politics.
“I don’t think students would think my running for
office is a joke just because I am an athlete,” Ellis said.
“Maybe some people would think that at first, but when I talk
to people they realize I am serious.”
But Ellis’s celebrity status is somewhat limited. He said
most students don’t realize he’s a member of the
basketball team until he introduces himself while campaigning.
Ellis is running for his first political contest against Bruins
United candidate Shaun Doria, a second-year neuroscience student.
As a member of Slate Refund, Ellis is focusing his platform on the
proposed $120 refund of mandatory annual Undergraduate Students
Association fees.
“If I can get people’s attention as an athlete,
that’s great, but I still want to be able to talk to them
about the refund once I have their attention,” Ellis
said.
To gain more attention for Slate Refund, Ellis is translating
his role on the basketball team into political capital. He asked
fellow freshmen teammates Kelvin Kim and Mike Roll if they would
officially endorse every Slate Refund candidate. Kim and Roll
agreed, and each player can be seen on the slate’s signboards
on Bruin Walk.
The benefit of having two noticeable members of the UCLA
basketball team is that it helps grab students’
attention.
“I think it’s a good starting point to start
thinking about Slate Refund,” said Garin Hovannisian, a
third-year history student and Slate Refund presidential
candidate.
“It’s a way of bringing attention to our
campaign,” Hovannisian said.
Slate Refund was sanctioned by the Election Board with the loss
of 15 minutes of campaigning due to the fact that Kim and
Roll’s signboard endorsements listed the name of each Slate
Refund candidate on signboards. The other candidates’ names
have been covered, and the signboards now say Kim and Roll endorse
“Slate Refund.”