Kyle Biederwolf said the Associated Students of UNM was his first taste of student politics.
It was in his second freshman semester that the junior business major ran for ASUNM senate. During his two terms in the senate, he has sat on the finance committee and outreach committee.
After those two terms he applied to become the executive director of Emerging Lobo Leaders and has held that title ever since. He was also board president of the SUB and the head of recruitment for Alpha Tau Omega.
UNM, he said, has been an important part of learning who he is.
“I have been affected by UNM. This University has given me so much and I want to be able to give something back,” Biederwolf said.
As ASUNM president, Biederwolf would have three initiatives for safety. The first, to improve communication between ASUNM and the policy office.
“We want to get the actual facts and know exactly what we can do,” Biederwolf said. “Anyone can say they are going to do something, but the only way something can actually be done is working with the policy office.”
Second, he would like to have a senator representing the safety committee. And third, although the Women’s Resource Center hosts a few self defense classes once in a while, Biederwolf said there needs to be more consistent programs, such as a weekly class at the Johnson Center.
For his outreach focus, Biederwolf said he wants to make sure that every single opinion that comes through the executive leaders on this campus has a student voice behind it, whether it be a student poll, walking around Smith Plaza asking questions to students or hosting an open forum for political discussions.
“We would like to have an open forum every month or maybe more. That is how we can find out what the students want,” he said. “If I’m elected, I want to have a weekly newsletter or video of everything that passes through ASUNM for any student to see.”
Biederwolf’s success focus involves creating a UNM After Hours program, providing students that are busy during the day with student services and resources that are right now only available during daylight hours.
“With all these different angles that I have been able to do on this campus and all the different experiences that I’ve had, it has prepared me for this position,” he said. “Being able to work with administrators and work with students and departments, run meetings, things in my past have prepared me for this position. I’m excited to set in and improve ASUNM, whether it is in safety or supporting students as a whole. I believe stepping forward in the position I can get it done, and I believe that my entire team can get it done as well.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Denicia Aragon is a freelance writer with the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news @dailylobo.com on Twitter @DailyLobo.
