By Colton Coughlin
On behalf of the ASUP Executive Board and myself I would like to welcome you back to campus! I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the student government, ASUP. Many may wonder what we do on campus.First of all, we fund almost all the events you will go to on campus this year. We fully fund the Campus Program Board, CPB. CPB is responsible for all the school dances such as Homecoming and Dance of the Decades, the weekend movies in BC Auditorium, the Coffee Houses, Comedians, and other social events. We also provide Espresso UP, where there are FREE coffee drinks on Wednesday nights from 7-10 p.m. in St. Mary's. Aside from those, we are responsible for ADvantage, which provides all advertising on campus. Pilots Express is another service we offer around each break. This service takes you to and from the train station and airport. So, when one asks what ASUP does on campus, I hope they remember just a few of the examples I have provided. If you are interested in helping out with any of the events listed you should come by our offices in St. Mary's. The Senate meets every Monday in Shiley 301 at 4:30 p.m. Senate is a great way to involve yourself in the community and meet more people as well as find out what is going to happen on campus before it actually happens. ASUP will have a table at the Activities Fair on Friday, September 4th in the academic quad and the Wellness Fair on Wednesday, September 9th at the Pilot House. Senate applications are available at (pilots.up.edu/web/asup/senate). Applications are due on September 11th to Samantha Riofta, the ASUP Secretary. Fall Senate elections will be online on the Portal September 22nd and 23rd. As last year's Secretary for ASUP I made it my mission to fill every Senate seat, and I will do that again this year as President. It is important for the Senate to be full because the students are represented by their Senators. For those who do want to make changes, one big way is with the Capital Improvements Fund through Senate. This fund is about $20,000 a semester. It must be used for a physical change or improvement on campus each semester. This fund allows Senators to wield a considerable amount of influence over what changes occur on our campus. Some of our past Capital Improvements have been: the flat screens in Howard, the Cove, and Franz, as well as new furniture for St. Mary's and the Pilot House, the main entrance cross walk, the sustainable patio outside the pilot house, the new Espresso UP machines, and the soon to come new Villa basketball court. ASUP is the bridge between the students and the administration. It is important to keep that communication open and flowing. ASUP is the students' voice of change. Join the team!Colton Coughlin is ASUP President
