ACADEMIC ADVOCACY
Commission Mission
The Academic Advocacy Commission represents the undergraduate student body in the UC Irvine Academic Senate. The UC Irvine Academic Senate is composed of faculty committees which authorize and supervise all courses, oversee degree requirements, and many other academic policies. Our commission nominates undergraduate representatives to relay the student perspective to the UC Irvine Academic Senate. For the 2024-25 academic year, the Academic Advocacy Commission will aim to increase awareness surrounding academic policy, equitable quality of education, and interdisciplinary initiatives. Additionally, in order to hear more student perspectives, our commission will host events to create direct conversations between the student body and administration.
ACADEMIC ADVOCACY DIRECTOR
Christopher Tan
Pronouns: he/him
Year: 4th
Major: Biomedical Engineering, B.S.
Contact: academicadvocacy@asuci.uci.edu
Office Hours: Fridays, 4-5 PM @ ASUCI Office
Hello Anteaters! My name is Christopher Tan, and I’m really excited to be serving as the 2025-2026 Academic Advocacy Director. I am a 4th year Biomedical Engineering: Premed major, and student advocacy has always been one of my biggest passions. I look forward to increasing awareness of educational policies and connecting with fellow students. I always appreciate seeing a new perspective, so please feel free to reach out to academicadvocacy@asuci.uci.edu!
ACADEMIC ADVOCACY REPRESENTATIVES
Alexa Espinosa
Pronouns: she/her
Year: 1st
Majors: International Studies, B.A. & Political Science, B.A.
Office Hours: Monday: N/A; Tuesday: 8-11am, Wednesday: 8am-6pm; Thursday: 4-6pm; Friday: 2-4pm,
Hello! My name is Alexa Espinosa! I am a first year student at UCI, double majoring in International Studies and Political Science. I am honored to be working as an Academic Advocacy Student Representative with ASUCI this year!
As a proud first-generation Mexican-American student, one of my main goals this year is to enhance the voices of first-generation students and students of color as the road for higher education can be unfamiliar to us. My main agenda will focus on advocating for fair access to academic resources, addressing student needs, and bringing in the student perspective within faculty meetings.
And as an advocate, I am devoted to ensuring that all students at UCI are being heard and given the adequate academic resources needed for their success!
Naveen Sanka
Pronouns: he/him
Year: 3rd
Major: Business Administration, B.A.
Office Hours: 5:30-6 PM, Lido Isle B in Student Center
Hi everyone! I’m Naveen, it’s my first time with ASUCI, but I’ve always wanted to be involved with some form of student advocacy after bumping into the external branch of ASUCSD in Washington, D.C. (I was there for my Spring quarter as part of the UCDC program). One of my favorite parts of UCI is teaching Undeclared students in their first year at UCI, I enjoy community-building and learning from peers, which is why I’m excited to be part of the Academic Affairs branch at ASUCI- so I can listen to what students want and push for a meaningful change.
I’m from Berkeley and enjoy cooking, music (trying to learn the guitar), and backpacking, feel free to stop by during my office hours and say hi!
(Also, a really cool program on-campus is called the U-Teach program, where anyone can sign up to teach their very own class.)
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There are no open applications for the Office of the Academic Affairs Vice President at this time. To see a list of all open applications for ASUCI, please check out our Open Positions page (About --> Open Positions).