Yale College Council vice president will not be the first position in student government for Madeline Bauer ’17. She has served on the Freshman Class Council, the Calhoun College Council and the YCC — experience she hopes to draw upon.

Running uncontested, Bauer said her top priorities include establishing greater internal unity within the YCC as well as projecting a more accessible view of the YCC to the greater undergraduate community. She explained that her vision was largely influenced by her experiences as a freshman in the YCC last year. According to Bauer, members were excited to attend meetings because they were among friends and were able to discuss their ideas.

“The message I want to get across is that I have a lot of experience in the YCC,” Bauer said. “Even though I am uncontested, I hope it is not by default that people are voting for me, but that they are voting for me because I really am the best candidate.”

Bauer said that while a lack of communication between the YCC and class and residential college councils has led students to view the YCC as an inaccessible organization, she plans to actively connect with all student governments on campus. Moreover, she plans to work closely with YCC policy directors to ensure the organization successfully completes all of its projects.

As vice president, Bauer said she will also bridge the gap between undergraduate student organizations — notably athletic groups and cultural houses — and the YCC. She explained that such groups have had many instances of “miscommunication” with the YCC in the past.

“I’ve been a part of and seen a lot of extracurricular activities so I see different facets of the student experience,” Bauer said. “The music and artistic side is a huge part of the experience at Yale and they’re my own experiences as well, so I have a good comprehensive view outside of YCC life.”

Outside of her work in student government, Bauer is also a member of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and Global China Connections.

One of the YCC’s greatest weaknesses is its lack of representation within the University administration, Bauer said. But she added that she believes the YCC has made significant progress on this front, noting that current YCC President Michael Herbert ’16 and YCC Vice President Maia Eliscovich Sigal ’16 have had healthy conversations with administrators that have improved the relationship.

Among her other initiatives, Bauer also intends to continue urging the University to divest from the fossil fuel industry, add shuttle routes to and from Yale Health and create an Asian American Studies major.

“I met Maddie earlier this year and right away you could see how dedicated she is to the student body and especially the YCC,” said YCC member Lauren Sapienza ’18, a member of Bauer’s campaign team. “I worked with her on one project during the fall semester and she was very helpful in guiding me to talk to the right people and shaping my vision for the project.”

Alice Zhang ’17, another member of Bauer’s campaign team, said she thinks Bauer is most suited for the position because she is easily approachable and has a strong understanding of the student body through her participation in other extracurricular groups on campus.

As YCC University Services Chair, Bauer has worked closely with the Mental Health Steering Committee, as well as coordinating student wellness workshops, a YCC summer storage system and improving special services transportation.