Editor’s note: A version of this ASUU presidential update first appeared in the November 2019 ASUU Campus Connect Newsletter.
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Updates from the Executive and Legislative branches
Executive
This month the ASUU presidency has focused heavily on collecting the student voice on the issue of campus safety. Already they have received hundreds of submissions on their ASUU Campus Safety Survey, and are continuing to try and collect even more student opinion on this topic. Student Body President AnnaMarie Barnes has been working on the Chief Safety Officer search committee, bringing the student voice to the process of finding the individual who will be responsible for a wide range of safety issues. Barnes is also working on several university policy changes regarding mandatory training, student voice in the RPT process, and the university’s consent policy. She has also begun projects targeting transparency in funding and food insecurity on campus.
Vice President of University Relations Latifa Yaqoobi coordinated with the Dream Center to host an event that supports student immigrants and members of our campus community with various documentation statuses. She will also be looking into other avenues of support for DACA and undocumented students throughout the rest of the year. Yaqoobi is also looking closely at student fees and will be proposing several changes to student fees at the end of the month. Barnes and Yaqoobi have also been working together to try to further engage the academic side of campus in the discussion of mental health.
Vice President of Student Relations Gabe Martinez, will be hosting another Student Commission Meeting this month. The topic of discussion will be around trainings for students versus a mandatory first-year semester-long course. The Student Leadership Council will be participating in the Student Alumni Boards food drive and volunteer day at the Utah Food Bank. Additionally, Martinez has begun establishing the University Class Gift and is also collaborating with other student leaders to create a late-night programming series. He is also working on restructuring the Special Projects Fund with other members of ASUU.
As a part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and SafeU Month, the Presidency also hosted an Escalation Workshop with the University Counseling Center, which focused on supporting victims and survivors of intimate partner and domestic violence. Additionally, the presidency is moving forward with mandatory mental health awareness trainings for ASUU leaders.
Directors within the ASUU Executive Cabinet have been working on programming and initiatives for the student body regarding civic engagement, equity diversity and inclusion, involvement and more. The ASUU Government Relations Board hosted its second annual Campaign Carnival, bringing local candidates to campus to interact with our students. They also coordinated with local election authorities to make the Marriott Library a voting location this year. The Diversity Board hosted its annual Cultural Appropriation Event, discussing the importance of cultural sensitivity and respect for cultural symbols and icons. Lastly, the Campus Events Board hosted a screening “Joker” for students.
Both the Legislative and Executive Branches collaborated with the University Counseling Center to create the interactive Red Flag Project drawing attention to healthy relationships and domestic violence.
Click here to learn more about the Executive branch.
Legislative
The ASUU Senate has been busy hosting their monthly College Student Council Meetings, and this month the meetings focused specifically on campus safety, giving students further opportunities to communicate their concerns with their ASUU leaders.
The ASUU Assembly passed dozens of funding requests for student organizations this month.
Click here to learn more about the Legislative branch.