ASCWU re-elects Cantu as president

The Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU) reelected Malik Cantu as their president for the 2024-25 academic year when the votes were tallied earlier this month.

Cantu was first elected in May 2023 and has been a member of the ASCWU since coming to CWU four years ago. They campaigned on continuing the effort to build a new Multi-Cultural Center on campus, along with an opportunity to continue building relationships in the CWU and Ellensburg communities. 

“I am so incredibly grateful to be stepping into this role again,” Cantu said in a statement to The Observer on May 23. “To be trusted with this privilege twice is a rare opportunity so I fully intend to give back as much as possible through raising awareness and making progress on the initiatives I ran on. This campaign process was very eye opening for me as a leader so I’m excited to also work on my areas of growth.”

According to the voting results certified by the ASCWU Election Commission, Cantu received 52.3% of the votes for president. Eliasib Alvarado received 31% and Charles Johnson got 13.6%. Nick Villa was re-appointed as vice president with 87.6% of the vote, and Alec “Hondo” Acosta-Vega was voted in as senate speaker with 50.8%. 

Joining Cantu, Villa, and Acosta-Vega on the 2024-25 Student Senate will be:

• Michelle Carillo, director, governmental affairs
• Gerardo Castillo, director, student life and facilities
• Caleena Wyman, senator, graduate school
• Mariana Leos-Bravo, senator, College of Business
• Gabriel Genzel, senator, College of Arts and Humanities
• Ivan Rojas Iman, senator, College of the Sciences
• Anthony Marquez, senator at large
• Camden Delano, senator at large

In addition to voting for the Student Senate, the ASCWU also passed the CWU Student Green Fund, a $5 quarterly fee that applies only to on-campus residents in Ellensburg. The vote passed with 66.3% approval.