Transfer student Harmony Bulloch is running for ASUC Senate as an independent candidate with an endorsement from the Transfer Coalition to remove barriers for transfer students.
Bulloch lived her entire life in Petaluma, California. According to Bulloch, going to college wasn’t talked about a lot in her family and, at times, she had difficulties navigating the process. After graduating from high school, she worked as a waitress until she realized she missed academics and so began attending Santa Rosa Junior College. With the guidance of her community college professors, she was admitted to UC Berkeley in spring 2019 as a political science major and global poverty minor.
If elected, Bulloch will encourage the creation of transfer-specific housing and foster a more welcoming environment for transfer students. She also plans on increasing funding and space for the Transfer Student Center to provide more specific advising for transfer students.
Bulloch wants to allow the use of community college GPAs in applications to UC Berkeley-run programs such as UCDC for transfer students’ first semester on campus. According to Bulloch, this would give students time to adjust to being on campus and ensure they do not miss opportunities. If elected, she will also encourage releasing transfer admission decisions before Cal Day so students have the opportunity to learn more about campus and participate in the festivities with their families.
“Most of these ideas have come from other transfer students who have shared their experiences and perspectives with me, and these are some of the barriers that they’ve run into,” Bulloch said. “We think as a community and a coalition that we can really work to bring to the forefront and encourage the university to make these changes.”
Bulloch intended to run under the Transfer Coalition — a group designed to promote transfer students for ASUC positions — but will be running as an independent, as the ASUC Elections Council did not approve the coalition as an official party.
Transfer Coalition chair Alexander Alpi assisted Bulloch in the creation of her platforms. He said the group was not approved by the ASUC due to an issue with the name referring to the transfer student representative, an existing position on the ballot.
Bulloch said she believes the election of a transfer student, regardless of party, will give transfer students some hope. She aims to create an atmosphere of discussion and for the transfer community’s voice to be heard.
“It’ll give transfer students some hope that it’s possible to get into these positions and provide the base and support they need to run for these positions that are traditionally only held by 4-year students,” Bulloch said. “It will set a good example of what the ASUC should be and how transfer involvement should look like going forward.”
