Gansa ’17: waffle fries, ripe fruit, 'bike reform'

Undergraduate Student Government presidential hopeful William Gansa ’17 -- an outside candidate who has not been involved with USG in the past -- is running on an alternative platform of small issues and reforms that, he claims, have historically been less publicized and have not been addressed by other candidates.

Some of these issues include adding waffle fries to dining hall menus and making sure their fruit is riper, ensuring the survival of the Integrated Course Engine and implementing 'bike reform,' a mysterious term that is included in his platform but is defined nowhere.

“These are all little parts of a person’s day, but when they all add up, it really speaks to an effect that can be hugely detrimental or hugely beneficial to one’s mood,” Gansa said.

Gansa's platform also says that he is running for Government Club, seemingly poking fun at the USG's name. His website also identifies current USG president Shawon Jackson '15 as the president of Government Club.

Visitors to his website are greeted by a full-page picture of a cow in front of a construction site with a title that reads: "Will Gansa is dead serious." Scrolling to the end of his website leads to a series of 10 pictures of Gansa's face that purport to portray him as a "normal human being." In between, Gansa details his alternative profile and had included two videos of himself as of Sunday evening.

Gansa, unlike his two opponents, does not have any endorsements on his website.

He said in response to a question for this article that he is running a serious campaign.

In explaining his platform, Gansa said that waffle fries are an important issue on campus because they are essential to student happiness.

“Almost every Princeton student would tell you that steak house fries are by far the inferior option to waffle fries, but they appear two or three times as much,” Gansa explained. “It’s the little things in your day. You know, it’s not really about the massive issues.”

There are four people working closely on Gansa's campaign team, including Nicholas Horvath ’17, who said he had been Gansa’s press secretary for a year and a half. Both Gansa and Horvath have been enrolled at the University for a year and three months.

Horvath explained that his role as press secretary is to speak to the media on Gansa's behalf in case Gansa cannot comment and wants the press secretary to do it for him. No previous press appearances could be found for Gansa or for Horvath representing Gansa.

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“It can be hard to be around Will because he is so inspiring. So when you are near him, you feel really inspired,” Horvath said. “I think because he is just a great leader, so whatever Will is expressing, you want to work for it too. You want to fight for change with him.”

Claire Ashmead ’17, who is also part of Gansa’s campaign team, said she wasn't surprised by Gansa’s decision to run for USG president.

“I feel that, from the way he acts, he was sort of on trajectory to do something — something big like this,” Ashmead explained. “He is such a charismatic individual.”

Gansa did not explain specific measures he would take to implement his proposals if elected president and said that if the USG president sets an agenda, then USG decides what the measures to be implemented will be.

“The USG, in a lot of ways, they talk the talk," Gansa said. "They speak about reforms and this and that, but I think that the policies I’m implementing are fixes that are really intuitive fixes. And I think that’s totally achievable whether or not I have tons of experience putting on Mental Health Awareness week.”

In one of his videos, Gansa gives perhaps a glimpse of what his leadership style would be. In the video he claims to paraphrase French political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau saying that, if elected, he would be a leader who "takes matters into their own hands."

Gansa said he has garnered wide support for his campaign and hopes to spread his campaign through word of mouth because his platform touches on issues that are conversation points on campus.

“Every single person I have talked to has been very enthusiastic about what I have to say,” Gansa said. “I think people are a little — maybe a little surprised. Maybe it’s a little out of character for me to do it. But when I talk about the ideas, you know, I see that shift to enthusiasm in their eyes.”

Gansa is a history major from Los Angeles, Calif.