Editor,
On April 8, the Daily Lobo ran the article “ASUNM candidates stress sustainability, safety” and we felt it was our duty as the current ASUNM Chair and Vice Chair for the Outreach and Appointment Committee to inform the student body of the things ASUNM has been working on for the past academic year.
The ASUNM Senate has made great progress in building a coalition between the Office of Sustainability, UNM Recycling and the Sustainability Studies Program. In the fall semester, we worked with UNM Athletics to implement the “Lobos Can Recycle” initiative. This initiative involved ASUNM senators collecting aluminum and plastic at UNM football tailgates. Additionally, UNM Recycling placed recycling bins sporadically around tailgates beforehand.
The Senate launched an initiative titled, “Adopt-A-Bin” in collaboration with UNM Recycling to rent out the metal recycling bins currently on UNM campus and allow student organizations to rent them on a semester basis. This will advertise organizations and aid the UNM sustainability efforts. Revenue from this program will go toward a new green account to aid in funding sustainable initiatives throughout the campus.
On March 1, ASUNM held a town hall meeting addressing the Master Plan. We wanted to give students an opportunity to learn about UNM’s 10-year plan and provide the developers with the student perspective.
ASUNM also has an ASUNM Facebook group that is constantly updated with upcoming events, discussions and important announcements. In an effort to be more visible on campus, the Senate decided to do out-of-office hours last week at various UNM locations, such as the Ethnic Center foyer, the Mother Earth Fountain in the Yale Mall area and outside Zimmerman Library on Smith Plaza.
Finally, in an attempt to increase transparency, ASUNM has revamped its Web site to be user-friendly and responsive to the needs of its constituents. Visit asunm.unm.edu to keep yourself updated and learn more about us and what we are working on.
On April 29, ASUNM will be hosting a Take Back the Night event co-sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center. The event will be a candlelight march beginning at Johnson Field and ending at the Duck Pond from 8 p.m – 9:30 p.m. We will be hosting guest speakers and have fun physical activities to raise awareness of campus safety and sexual assault.
To further our efforts, ASUNM is working to reach out to students and improve communication. Come by La Posada on April 28 for a Lobo Ice Cream Social from 4 p.m – 5:30 p.m. Tell ASUNM your student concerns over some ice cream and mingle with your fellow classmates.
Zoila Alvarez
Outreach & Appointments, Chair
Adriana Romero
Outreach & Appointments, Vice Chair
ASUNM Senators
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