Meet the Candidates for Union Leadership (2026–2027)

Below are the candidates running for union leadership positions for the upcoming term (May 2026–May 2027).

Voting opens on April 18th, 2026.

Click on the names to see their campaign posters!

Candidates for President:

Alex Corpuz

My name is Alex Corpuz, I am a first-year medieval studies master’s student here at WMU. My research is focused on issues of translation and, thus, on issues of (mis)communication.

Prior to coming to Western Michigan, I worked at a private non-profit whose primary mission was to facilitate grants to public humanities organizations. While there, I assisted in fundraising activities, including soliciting donations and collaborating with the state government for public funding. Our organization was a nexus between local nonprofits and state-based funding opportunities. I was able to establish a nonprofit newsletter to share stories about local history, and to assist community-based organizations in getting funding from diverse sources. I also worked closely with our business advisor to manage finances have detailed experience with record retention standards and small-scale governmental processes. I also have experience with non-profit audits, cashflow management, and wage negotiation.

Here at WMU, I am the vice president of the Goliards, the graduate student organization for students interested in medieval studies. I also work for the Medieval Institute, managing their contact database, copy-editing, and creating process documentation. The Insitute is an interdisciplinary organization within the university, thus I have connections to multiple departments.

As president, I will be able to leverage my experience in large and small scale government negotiations to advance the aims of graduate teaching assistants at Western Michigan. I have extensive experience with nonprofit management, and so have the skills necessary to advance the mission of the TAU while always foregrounding my fellow students and their needs.

Hann verðr þá varr af mér

Candidates for Vice President of Contract Enforcement:

Willow Sipling

Willow Sipling previously served as Senior HR Business Partner at the University of Notre Dame, Director of Workforce Transformation at Hubstaff (a workforce management software company), and now works in the community as an organizer and program leader at OutCenter, as a General Civil Mediator with Citizens Mediation Service, and as the Vice Chair of the City of Kalamazoo’s Board of Civil Rights. She also maintains her Society of Human Resources – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification, to stay current on labor relations, employment law, and workplace safety standards.

She believes in labor reform through collective and material action, appeals to goodwill and ethics, and by not backing down from durable sanctions as situations require. As a sociology PhD student, she is adept at understanding social research, uncovering motivations and systems of structural change, and analyzing great sociologists’ wisdom and theory about human-centric (and not extraction-centric) work.

Candidates for Vice President of Organizing:

Halle Martin

Halle Martin is a doctoral student studying Medieval history. From her work as President of the History Graduate Student Organization, she has developed experience in recruitment, community organizing, event planning, and team coordination.

Having doubled the membership of her org in 2026, Halle engages with members early and often to ensure nobody is left out of the loop. If elected, she will personally see that every eligible graduate student receives a personal message in addition to departmental visits at the start of the year.

She is committed to ensuring each department has stewards who feel confident in her responsiveness and commitment to relaying their needs and ideas to TAU leadership.

Learn more about Halle Here

Candidates for Communications Officer:

Lulu Downing

Lulu Downing is a PhD student studying digital humanities and public history with extensive experience working in social media management and database curation. She has served as a board member for multiple clubs, including the Social Media Manager and Vice President of the Irish Culture of Language Club at the University of South Florida (USF), the Vice President for the USF Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, and recently Vice President for the WMU History Graduate Student Organization.

During her time in these positions, Lulu understands the importance of communication and the vital role it plays among a student body. Should Lulu be elected to serve as the communications officer for TAU, she will ensure that the student voice is heard.

Learn more about Lulu Here

Candidates for Treasurer:

Denyil Phillips

Hi, my name is Denyi Philipps. I am a first year history masters student, my focus is on English and economic history. My main research focus is on trade networks and their impact on early Tudor economics. I have been the vice president of a student organization in undergraduate. We were focused on pop culture and media and it’s Introduction to the student body. I have also been highly involved in the WMU History Graduate Student Organization where I have supported the organization through providing ideas for events, fundraising, and social presence.

As treasurer I will be able to present an experienced presence in organizing a student organization. I would also bring new and old ideas from a variety of historical and modern sources. This would create a valuable and useful resource for the TAU as it enters its next stage of supporting teaching assistants across WMU.