Rise members will continue to work for students, environment

Editor,

I am completing my second and final year as an ASUNM senator, and I'm writing to give my two cents on the upcoming ASUNM election. I didn't get elected because I'm popular (I'm not in a sorority). I was elected because I ran with strong, intelligent leaders who cared about UNM students, and together we made a running platform of ambitious yet realistic goals.

By highlighting some of the positive things that ASUNM has worked toward recently, I'd like to bring attention to several of the current ASUNM candidates. In the Senate, I've worked alongside members of the Rise slate for almost two years, and I feel they are among the best student leaders with whom I have served.

Parking is a huge issue at UNM. The truth is, we aren't about to get more parking, and the cost of parking permits is going to continue to rise. ASUNM decided to tackle this problem by encouraging students to use alternative forms of transportation by raising awareness and making improvements to existing services. To work toward this goal, ASUNM formed a committee, chaired by vice presidential candidate David Conway. Seeking input from undergraduates on this issue, last semester ASUNM conducted surveys asking students why they weren't using alternative forms of transportation or what needed to be improved. The Alternative Transportation Committee opened dialogue with Parking and Transportation Services, and a plan is in the works to build a kiosk in the SUB that will provide students with pertinent information about bus schedules, etc.

The committee also surveyed bike racks around campus and wrote a proposal for the Parking and Transportation Services detailing locations where more bike racks are needed (i.e., Dane Smith Hall) and where better signs are needed pointing to bike racks that aren't in plain view. The committee also addressed the issue of bike thefts on campus. Conway has effectively chaired the committee again this semester, and the group continues to work to implement this plan.

A second issue addressed by ASUNM is sustainability. I currently serve as the chairwoman of ASUNM's Sustainability Committee. Our focus this semester is to discontinue the use of bottled water at ASUNM events (i.e., fiestas), with hopes of negotiating with Pepsi to stop the sale of bottled water on the entire campus. The production process for bottled water uses 2,000 times more energy than tap water, and it uses millions of barrels of oil every year in the U.S., contributing to carbon dioxide emissions.

Over the last few months, I've also gotten to know the members of the Rise slate who will be new to ASUNM, and I appreciate the combination of experience and fresh perspectives this slate can bring to the Senate. I am confident they will continue to work hard in the best interest of UNM students. They have set forth alternative transportation and sustainability as two of their main goals for the upcoming year, and if elected, I expect them to make real progress toward them.

Jessica Martin

ASUNM senator