Students for students wants to foster courage, conviction and compassion on campus

Today marks the day each spring when our campus is scattered with eager and ambitious individuals seeking to increase awareness about the ASUNM election process. Many students hear the name, “Associated Students of the University of New Mexico,” and associate the offices, agencies and positions as simply part of an undergraduate political organization.

But ASUNM is less a political organization than it is an advocacy organization. As the ASUNM presidential candidate with the team Students for Students, I feel it is my duty to share our belief in the potential of our students to act as advocates for our University community.

Every day, people take on leadership roles in their community, adopting issues near to their hearts and setting out to influence society. It isn’t only the goal or responsibility of elected officials to act as advocates.

Whether you are a member of Kiva Club, or the World Student Alliance, whether you are involved in Residence Life or Greek Life, whether you work or volunteer on campus at one of our resource centers or in one of our student service facilities, or you simply put forth great efforts in your academic pursuits, you are embracing an opportunity to be an active member of your community.

As a candidate for president of ASUNM, I seek to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity on campus, recognizing that our strength as a university lies in the collective individualities of each student, faculty, staff member, course, program, department and college, and in our ability to maximize student involvement and input.

I will strive to ensure that ASUNM remains an integral part of our community, working to inspire and enact profound change in the development and well-being of the student community with courage, conviction and compassion. As president, I will be visible, accessible and transparent, seeking to enhance communication through innovative methods such as, but not limited to, legislation, town hall meetings and communication through the Daily Lobo and other forms of social media.

With the guidance of my leadership and through the support of our community, ASUNM will communicate opportunities to serve on university boards and committees, to be involved in our several agencies, to attend open Senate meetings and to engage in decision-making processes that affect our academic experience here at UNM.

Students for Students advocates for the goals of our involvement to be centered on the academic mission of our flagship University; on the financial integrity of our actions surrounding tuition and student fees; on the accessibility of resources and opportunities for students such as advisement, research and equitable treatment; on ensuring the safety of our community for all those who share this learning environment; and on the strong and sustainable relationships between students, faculty and staff, which allow our University to thrive. (For a detailed outline of our goals and objectives, please visit our Facebook page:
Facebook.com/UNM.StudentsForStudents)

Remember that it is the responsibility of each undergraduate student to act as a citizen diplomat, an advocate for progress.

Together as people who demonstrate the ability to inspire, the courage to act with conviction, and the compassion to do so gracefully and effectively, we can make this University the best it can be.