Derek Khanna is one of the candidates running for president this Thursday in the Student Government Association election, and has announced his proposals for the post. “I think students should vote for me because we have had the same people running the SGA for several years, they have just been changing chairs,” he said. “It is time to change the status quo.”

Khanna is the founding member of Pi Kappa Alpha, a fraternity less than a year old that prides itself on excellence in scholarship, leadership, athleticism and acting as gentlemen.

He has also been a senator for two years. Khanna has said that he is the only senator to vote against the latest fee increase. However, SGA minutes show that he was not in office during the Oct. 5 vote on a proposed fee increase, and that two senators opposed it.

“It seems to me that raising fees should be the last option,” he said. “More effort needs to be put into corporate ventures, streamlining programs and looking toward alternative funding.”

Student Bridges is the only academic program that is funded by student fees. Khanna thinks it is an excellent program and should be expanded, but not at the expense of rising fees.

“All academic programs should be paid by the school,” he said. If elected, Khanna intends to improve the intellectual, class and racial diversity within the University of Massachusetts.

“Intellectual and class diversity are just as important as racial diversity,” he said. “All three should be brought to the forefront of discussions.”

“I think subjects like Caribbean Studies should be running on the curriculum at UMass,” he said. “People should have the ability to be proud of their culture, language and history and, in turn, teach others about it.”

Khanna also thinks it is time to change the daily running of the SGA.

“The student body can no longer control their own space