Daily Lobo: What makes this ASUNM election so important?
Monika Roberts: I think just because of what's going in the University and everything, there's a need for really strong student leadership. Communication within the University right now is all over the place. It kind of goes along with one of our Rise goals to facilitate better communication with GPSA, with faculty and staff, with the administration, and I just feel like if we can get Rise student leaders elected into these 12 positions, then we can work together to better facilitate our communication, and hopefully there isn't so much turmoil in the University. Right now, I just feel like there's so much misunderstanding with
everything that's going on that people are confused and upset, and they just want to get things figured out, and they want to know what exactly is going on. If communication is fixed and we can do it better, then I feel like a lot of the problems that are going on now will be resolved.
DL: What made you want to run for ASUNM president?
MR: I've served (as) an ASUNM senator for the last three semesters and just sitting on the Student Fee Review Board and the Budget Summit Undergraduate Committee, just seeing all of the issues that students bring up, I just feel like it's really important to have a voice for those
students. A lot of students are pretty vocal, but then there are a lot who aren't. I feel that it's important to represent those who aren't as vocal, just so you can get their point across. Sometimes, the more vocal students are, their whole stance on things is completely opposite of those who aren't as vocal. Sometimes they're too afraid to speak up against the more vocal, if that makes sense.
DL: What would be your first act as ASUNM president?
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
MR: I think just kind of going around and talking to the ethnic centers and student groups. A lot of people feel that they don't have a voice in a lot of things, and I also feel that a lot of people don't know that the president has several appointments that he or she can make, like, I mean, just talking to Ashley Fate this year. She has so many different appointments she has to make, and usually she has to go out and seek people for those positions, and sometimes she does have a hard time. I think if we can advertise that more to, like, the ethnic centers and the student body, just letting people know that there are those positions that they can apply for. Student Fee Review Board has positions that need appointments. There's different committees and boards across the University that Ashley is always looking for people to appoint to. If more students know that there were those kinds of positions and appointments open, they would apply and want to be more involved. It's just that most people don't know how to get involved - just trying to reach out to more students to let them know that there are these positions that they can get involved in and actually be heard.
~Pat Lohmann
