Get to know: Jaymie Roybal

Jaymie Roybal, Now Slate

Daily Lobo: Tell me about the slate that you helped create and its platforms.

Jaymie Roybal: We wanted the platforms we’ve developed to be straight, have really broad issues — and then we tried to generalize them. The three main platforms are connect, protect and reform.

DL: Can you elaborate on what you will do within each of those categories?

JR: For connect, we really want to connect general students to ASUNM. I feel like often times there are students that feel ASUNM only represents one group of students. So what we did when we were constructing the slate is we wanted a diverse group of candidates. We want to connect student groups to ASUNM, like a listserv e-mail, or maybe us getting full Senate meetings up on a website.

We also want to connect ASUNM to the State Legislature. We have a lobby director that works all year round, and last year that was pretty much me. I organized UNM Day, but I feel like that position should be more than one day.

For protect, UNM is going through some severe budget cuts right now. We want to make sure that the quality of education is maintained and even improved. We’re really going to work to make sure our tuition dollars go to the best programs and the best faculty.

For reform, we really want to reform the financial processes in ASUNM. I think they are really outdated. I think students should have full access to money without having to jump through so many hoops.

DL: Tell me a bit about yourself, like where did you grow up, etc.?

JR: I grew up in a really small town in northern New Mexico called Española. I went to Pojoaque High School. Aside from the organizations I am involved with, I really love to play volleyball. I was involved in ASUNM as attorney general. I’m involved in Trailblazers. I sat on the Student Fee Review Board. I also worked at the UNM ticket office, and right now I am working with Marc Saavedra at UNM Government Relations.
DL: How are you going to work with UNM administration to advocate for students?

JR: I think a lot of that starts at square one with the students. ASUNM needs a Facebook page. I know it might sound kind of silly, but it’s important to communicate with students. I also want to have open forums so that the students can know what we’re doing. When we have voices from the students, that’s when you really make sure you’re having efficient meetings with the president, the provost and the Board of Regents.

DL: How will you maintain or improve ASUNM’s relations with GPSA?

JR: Adrian Cortinas, the vice president on the Now slate, wrote a resolution last semester with Megan McRobert (GPSA Council chair). In that, they were talking about maintaining GA and TA jobs. They are so important on this campus, especially to the younger students. We acknowledged that those jobs need to be protected.

We both have our separate interests, and there will be times when we have different stances on an issue. But at the end of the day, we’re all students, and the University should be serving all of us. The road to improving the relationship has already been paved, but I think it comes with open communication. Maybe that means meeting once a month, or twice a month. And we can find out, “What are the issues GPSA is facing, and what are the important issues we are facing?”