Shreya Deshpande is the 2019-2020 Vice-President of ASUCD. Ms. Deshpande feels that "ASUCD works against student communities, instead of with them," and stated that this must be changed. This was part of her campaign platform, which also includes interest in mental health advocacy, environmental sustainability, student safety, and expansion of pre-graduation internships for students.
Ms. Deshpande is a double-major in cognitive science and sociology and was a 2018-2019 member of the UC Davis Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission.
Feb. 2019 debate
During a contentious 2/19/2019 candidate debate, protesters alleged that ASUCD demonstrated "anti-Blackness" and began waving a sign reading "F**k ICE," presumably a reference to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ms. Deshpande responded to this protest by leaving the candidate table and joining the protesters. One at a time, the rest of the political candidates joined her.
Membership in Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission/Officer Natalie Corona controversy
Ms. Deshpande was a member of the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission in January 2019, when her commission released a controversial Facebook post which appeared to many to be an insult to murdered Davis Police officer Natalie Corona. This action of Ms. Deshpande's commission drew local and national criticism and condemnation.
It is not known whether Ms. Deshpande supported the controversial Facebook post, but at this date there has been no reporting that Ms. Deshpande has come out against the Facebook post.
At a January 22, 2019 forum, Ms. Deshpande stated that she felt a proposed ASUCD resolution honoring murdered Davis Police officer Natalie Corona did not represent the sentiment of the entire student body.
During a January 24, 2019 Senate hearing, Ms. Deshpande spoke against a Senate resolution honoring Officer Corona.
While making her argument that Officer Corona deserved no ASUCD honors, Ms. Deshpande compared Officer Natalie Corona to Stephon Clark. "She knew that she could go out and die that day; Stephon Clark didn't." (source: 1-24-19-Minutes.pdf)
(For reference: Stephon Clark was a felon who on 3/14/2018 ran from Sacramento police, disobeyed multiple police orders to show his hands, and was subsequently shot to death by police who mistook his cell phone for a gun. Police were attempting to detain Mr. Clark because he matched the description of someone who local residents reported to 911 had been breaking windows that evening.) Source
Active Voice in Local Affairs
Ms. Deshpande appears to be an active voice in local affairs and is quoted in articles celebrating the UC Davis CoHo and discussing Davis parking problems.
Past Candidacy for ASUCD elected office
Ms. Deshpande ran for ASUCD executive office in winter 2018 but was disqualified by the ASUCD Elections Committee because she missed a required candidate workshop. Ms. Deshpande claimed that she had a documented medical emergency and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Elections Committee chair, but ultimately dismissed the suit, stating that the lawsuit was unnecessary and she did not want to cause distress to the person she sued.
Demanding that Police Turn in their Guns
In May 2019 Ms. Deshpande cast the tie-breaking ASUCD Senate vote, allowing the passage of an ASUCD Resolution that demanded that UC Davis police officers go on patrol without firearms. This issue was debated at multiple prior Senate meetings.
Sources: here ; here ; here ; and here
