Wednesday is Election Day for the Associated Students of UNM. Nearly 40 candidates are vying for 10 senate seats.
If elected, they will serve for two semesters as a senator in the undergraduate student governing body, and all undergraduate students will have the opportunity to vote for up to 10 candidates to represent them beginning in the spring.
The Daily Lobo has compiled a brief guide for the candidates after we reached out to them and asked them what they would value and what they would bring to ASUNM if elected.
Some candidates did not provide a response by press time. For them, as with all the candidates, the Daily Lobo provided their year and major as indicated by the UNM Online Directory.
Corrigan Newsome
Year: Junior
Major: Architecture
Thomas Miller
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Year: Sophomore
Major: Economics
Values transparency, loyalty and persistence. Miller believes safety is a serious issue on campus. The thing he is proudest of is recently interviewing for an internship with a law firm.
Tom Stivers
Year: Junior
Major: Political Science
Values being upfront about problems so that solutions can be created. Given the opportunity, he would ask UNM President Bob Frank why he is leaving his office in May. Also believes ASUNM Senate should be less homogenous in makeup.
Timothy Jenkins
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business Administration
Justin Hight
Year: Freshman
Major: Business Administration
Dan Malczynski
Year: Junior
Major: Biology
Mason Martinez
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business Administration
Values work ethic and wants student fees to be spent responsibly. If elected, Martinez would ask UNM President Bob Frank how he is pushing equality on campus. He is proudest of joining Greek life.
Kenneth Robinson
Year: Sophomore
Major: History
Mohammed Shawabkeh
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology
Fawwaz Lawal
Year: Junior
Major: Biology
His goal as a senator would be to ensure that student voices are heard. He said that UNM is diverse, and the key is to support that diversity. Previous experience with ASUNM includes volunteering with Student Special Events on events like Fiestas.
Kyle Wrasman
Year: Sophomore
Major: Chemical Engineering
Jackson Wawrzynski
Year: Freshman
Major: Business Administration
Jared Patrick Lucero
Year: Freshman
Major: Business Administration
He has experience in speech and debate, and is passionate about youth involvement and athletics. His goal as a senator would be to bring the UNM community together. He has no prior experience with ASUNM, but participated in student government in high school.
Jared Morris
Year: Senior
Major: Electrical Engineering
Morris says he would be interested in working on finances and managing student fees as a senator. He said the key to being a leader is standing up for what you believe in while acknowledging you are a small part of the whole team. He said he has no experience with ASUNM, but that he provides an outside perspective in that regard.
Carlos Bejarano
Year: Sophomore
Major: Athletic Training
Catriona Byrne
Year: Sophomore
Major: English Studies
Stetson McGahey
Year: Sophomore
Major: Civil Engineering
Believes the best way to market the University is through social media and funding clubs. McGahey wants to be involved in finances so he can help student organizations grow. His experience with ASUNM includes attending budget hearings for clubs.
Mark Basista
Year: Freshman
Major: Civil Engineering
Parker Padilla
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business Administration
Alex Nocella
Year: Senior
Major: History
Focused on improving security, the debate surrounding “stun guns” on campus, and facilitating student-parent academic success. He is interested in working with student veterans, and said his military experience shapes his approach to leadership.
Jordon Fulton
Year: Sophomore
Major: Criminology
Believes the best way to market UNM is its history as the flagship university of New Mexico. Has leadership experience from being involved with ROTC, and is interested in working on the Finance Committee.
Jonathan Sanchez
Year: Sophomore
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Focused on athletics, student organizations, improving Wi-Fi and campus safety, in that order. Believes the best way to market UNM is by making sure that athletics are successful and well-supported. He is interested in being on the Finance Committee.
Theo Pirone-Aufrichtig
Year: Junior
Major: Political Science
Studying political science and German with a focus on public policy and foreign relations. Focused on transparency. Pirone-Aufrichtig said the best way to market the University is by expanding art and science programs, and that leadership should rely on integrity and compassion.
Román Harvey
Year: Freshman
Major: Biology
Hannah Williams
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology
Seeking re-election. Williams said she is driven, passionate and has good time management skills. Her goal as a senator is to reach out to students for their input. Believes the biggest problem for undergrads is not knowing what resources are available to them.
Jacob Stearns
Year: Junior
Major: Political Science
Focused on equality, transparency and community. His goal as a senator would be to ensure that ASUNM communicates better with the student body. He said to make campus safer there needs to be a division between Central Avenue and UNM.
Sarah Moore
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Seeking re-election. Her goal as a senator is to promote diversity in those who run for Senate. She said the key to a safer campus is educating freshman about security, and believes the best way to connect ASUNM to undergrads is conducting outreach workshops through resource centers on campus.
Noah Brooks
Year: Junior
Major: Economics
Currently chairs the Steering and Rules Committee. Says he is inspired by how students are impacted by ASUNM’s work. Believes there needs to be a stronger push to connect with commuter students. His goal for another term as senator would be to make ASUNM Senate more diverse.
Denton Carman
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration
Priorities would include working to increase security in R-Lot and redistributing ASUNM funds fairly among the different student organizations.
Garet Elkins
Year: Freshman
Major: Economics
Antonio Santiago
Year: Sophomore
Major: Communication
Brei Garcia
Year: Junior
Major: Communication
Involved in Students for Life, Lobo Catholic and working at the UNM Athletic Department. Wants to increase program funding for UNM athletics, improve parking for students, staff and visitors, work to create more reliable and faster Wi-Fi, increase safety for all, and support student organizations in receiving funding.
Elena Garcia
Year: Sophomore
Says she wants to help see growth in student involvement and athletics. Believes when students are able to do what they love and incorporate that into their studies, they are successful. If elected, would be willing to hear opinions from all across the table in order to find the best solutions to issues, such as Wi-Fi and parking.
Matthew Crawford
Year: Senior
Major: Psychology
Francine Briones
Year: Junior
Major: Business
Spent last semester on an internship with the Walt Disney Company. Became involved with ASUNM through Emerging Lobo Leaders and Advanced Lobo Leaders. Says she will work to improve Wi-Fi, parking, safety and to promote athletics.
Kaylie Huizenga
Year: Sophomore
Major: Communication
Plans to prioritize inclusion, engagement and fiscal responsibility. Also wants to engage students who do not feel connected to the University. Said she plans to work on ASUNM's goal of fostering a safer campus by working closely with different resource centers. Strongly believes that campus safety should be the top priority of all UNM student leaders.
Cathy Cook is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Cathy_Daily.
