University of Massachusetts junior Lindsay McCluskey, a candidate for student trustee of the Student Government Association, is determined to make an impact on student life at UMass.

She and her running mate, SGA presidential candidate Malcolm Chu, are taking on many issues they feel students are encountering regarding a UMass education. Their campaign platform, on their Facebook group “Malcolm Chu ‘ Lindsay McCluskey for SGA President and Trustee,” promises to increase UMass’s affordability, campus safety and accessibility to underrepresented students.

“What is unique about Malcolm and I is the fact that we have already been organizing on and off campus around the issues that we would like to see the SGA address in the coming year,” said McCluskey. “We have co-founded organizations, have organized rallies and have already been working to make concrete changes that will improve the lives of UMass students.”

Their campaign also promises to lessen police presence in dorms, give Registered Student Organizations more authority, and improve academic advising.

McCluskey, a 21-year-old anthropology major, has been involved in organizing since the beginning of her sophomore year, when she ran for senate. The same year, she served on the Statewide Student Organization Committee and co-founded the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts.

PHENOM “is a statewide organization that brings students, faculty and staff together to advocate for a stronger system of public higher education in Massachusetts,” said McCluskey.

She currently holds a seat on the organization’s executive board. McCluskey is also serving as the secretary of external affairs for the SGA. This year, she has used this position to work with students at other universities to advocate making colleges across the country more affordable and accessible.

In addition to PHENOM, McCluskey has co-founded Massachusetts Students Uniting, which currently brings students together from UMass Amherst, UMass Boston and Salem State College to advocate for increased need-based financial aid.

On a national level, she is serving as the New England Regional Chair of the United States Student Association, which teaches students across the country to develop effective issue-based campaigns.

“I believe that through the statewide organizing that I have been engaged in over the past two years, I have acquired the skills and knowledge needed to be student trustee. I have built connections with students at the other UMass schools, am well-versed on the issues of college affordability, and have been organizing students to take action on these issues, which I plan to continue in the coming year,” said McCluskey.

More information on the campaign can be found on Chu and McCluskey’s UMass blog at blogs.umass.edu/malcolmc, or via their campaign’s Facebook group.

Lucas Correia can be reached at [email protected].