The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico has recently adopted the hashtag #YOURstudentgovernment. Yet though our social media campaigns have changed, some things remain the same.
In the past four years that I’ve been involved in Student Government, the groups seeking our help and attending our meetings and events have remained the same. The truth of the matter is that ASUNM is here for the entire undergraduate body, which is roughly 20,000 students, but we’ve been missing the mark.
We can only hit the bull’s-eye with your help. So here are some things YOU can ask of YOUR student government so we can better hit our mark.
WHAT YOU GET FROM ASUNM:
• Money: To be frank, we have money and we want to give it to you. It is our job to make your college experience the best it can be, and an easy way to aid in this is by financially supporting you. One of the major ways we do this is through budgets and appropriations: if you have a Student Organization, come talk to us.
There is a budget process in both the spring and fall. If YOUR ORGANIZATION is new or missed the last budget process, you can apply for funding with us for this year. Additionally, if you already have a budget but need extra funding for something you forgot to put in your budget last semester, you can submit an appropriation for additional funding this semester.
If you are a chartered UNM organization, let us help you pay for conferences, travel, supplies and events. Let us help offset your costs. The forms to apply for funding can be found at our website: asunm.unm.edu.
• Jobs: ASUNM is operated for students, by students. Positions are available for YOU to gain experience, make some extra cash and make new friends. Currently, the Elections Commission needs nine commissioners. These positions aid in running all undergraduate student elections for the year. Each commission is given an invaluable experience and a stipend. Check out our website or Facebook page to apply.
• Scholarships: ASUNM gives Jenny Marie Ames scholarships to undergraduate students each semester. If you need help paying for tuition, books or any other educational expenses, be sure to check out what we can do to help make YOUR education more affordable.
• Information: In addition to providing funds and programming for students, ASUNM is an avenue for information to be exchanged. Just this last week we had presentations from President Frank’s office and Institutional Support Service on infrastructure changes being made on campus.
If something is happening on campus, we are a source of information; and if we don’t know, we can help figure it out.
Come to our office hours, ask questions and provide your opinions on issues presently faced by our campus. And if there is an issue that our University isn’t facing yet that you think needs to be addressed, bring information to us. Let us write legislation on your behalf, let us talk to administration about changes you think need to be made, let us learn from you!
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ASUNM only works if we are working to constantly make this University better, and the best way to do that is exchange ideas and information about what is already happening and what should happen in the future.
We love the students and organizations we already actively represent, but we want to grow. Let us live up to our new hashtag. Tell us how to be better, more accountable, and how to serve a greater audience. As always, feel free to stop by our offices or stop me on campus with any questions or concerns you may have.
Stay tuned to next week’s update on ASUNM.
Alexandra Cervantes is the 2015-16 ASUNM vice president. She can be reached at asunmvp@unm.edu.
