An election for the ages

By

President

Name: Danielle Bibbs

Year: Junior

Major: Communication studies

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: I would like to be a part of the ASUP Executive Board for two reasons. First, I would like to represent the voice of the students of UP. I want to play a big role in making sure our students are heard and that they are answered either by discussion or by action. The only way to ensure that is by working with the administration, Board of Regents and with the school president. Second, this is my only chance to run as I'll be a senior next year. So it's now or never.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: School activities that I have been and am currently involved in include: Army ROTC, Associated Students of the University of Portland (ASUP), Ohana/UP Connections, Organización Latinoamericana Estudiantil (OLE), Guam Club, Mariachi Performance Club (Los Chavos), Black Student Union (BSU) and Encounter With Christ (Campus Ministry).

I am also a big supporter and frequent volunteer of the College Republicans, the Hawaii Club and Movimiento Estudiantil de Chicanos de Aztlán (MECHA.)

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: My goals as an ASUP Executive Board member include maintaining my position to the best of my abilities. This includes learning everything that I can and doing everything in my power to make sure the Executive Board and the Senate are at their personal best. I hope to inspire others to become involved in student government or just take a greater interest in their academics.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: If elected, I would like to reach my constituency by being where the people are. I would like to attend club meetings, participate in a variety of school events and have a greater hand in serving our community. I hope to create informal events in which my constituents could come and find me outside of the ASUP office or other ASUP events. I also would like to be a frequent user of social media including Facebook and Twitter in order to contact, inform and hear from my constituency.

 

Name: Zack Imfeld

Year: Junior

Major: Theology

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: The Executive Board plays an important role in UP students' lives. I would love the opportunity to positively affect the lives of my fellow Pilots because I truly love this university and the people on this campus. I would be able to speak clearly and confidently to the administration and university community as an ambassador for the students. Also, I currently have relationships with several members of the administration, and I believe the connections I currently have will allow me to effectively communicate the needs of my fellow students to the administration to make a positive change to our campus.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I have been an ASUP Senator, the Committee Chair of Oversight and ASUP Awareness, Villa Maria Hall President, a Praise and Fellowship leader, a Villa Mass musician, an Encounter team member, a Villa Maria hall receptionist and a student ambassador.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: My goals include listening to the students and doing my best to get their voices heard, working with the administration to make our campus better, fixing the West Side Quad and spending the money students pay for their Student Government fee, and have those monies affect our current UP student population. I will accomplish these goals by maintaining regular office hours, being a good listener and available to my fellow students, building strong ties with the administration to get work done on campus and encourage clubs to spend money and dream big!

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: Frankly, I will do whatever it takes. Whether it's e-mails, office hours or meeting people around campus, I will encourage open communication with every UP student because all of our voices are equal. I will effectively present the views of the students to the university community, so I believe that listening and effectively communicating our needs will be important. I would like to hold office hours outside of St. Mary's in the Bauccio Commons or Pilot House because those buildings get the most foot traffic and that way the students will have easier access to the Executive Board so their voices can be heard.

 

Vice President

Name: Chloe Ruffin

Year: Junior

Major: Education

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: I love UP. The three years I've spent on The Bluff have been the best. I love the people, the sense of community, the spirit of service and the cooperative commitment to achieve excellence demonstrated by students and faculty alike. My experience has been particularly enriched as a result of my three years of service in the ASUP Senate.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: During my time at the University, I have been ASUP Mehling Hall Senator, ASUP sophomore class senator, ASUP School of Education senator, ASUP Campus Affairs Committee member, ASUP Committee on Infrastructure Chair, ASUP Club Recognition and Advisory Committee Chair, on the ASUP Elections Committee, a CPB Coffeehouse Coordinator for two years, Treasurer of Kappa Delta Pi and on the Founder's Day Committee for two years.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: First, I would be to improve communication between ASUP and clubs. This year, $15,000 was wasted by clubs not spending their budget. I would create a "Club Liaison" position within the Senate to work with clubs to ensure they best utilize their funds. Second, I would improve the West Side Quad. I would form a committee that included administrative/facilities staff and student representatives whose sole purpose would be to address this issue. Lastly, I would increase awareness regarding ASUP as a student resource. I feel more students need a better understanding of how ASUP can serve them and that their voices can be heard. We could invite particular groups of students to each meetings (ex: engineering, seniors, intramurals, etc.)

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: You name it, and I will do what it takes to reach my constituency. I am willing to hold my office hours on campus during a time/place when the largest majority of the students are there. I'll also utilize media and technology to reach my constituents. I will work with the Tech Department to utilize the Portal/My Communities. I would also create a Facebook group where members of my constituency could openly discuss any concerns or suggestions. Twitter and texting are also viable options. I will reach my constituency by active listening. Sometimes, people just want to be heard. A majority of the compliments/complaints that Senate receives is by word of mouth.

 

Name: Christopher Collins

Yea r: Junior

Major: History and German studies

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: I want to be part of the AUSP Executive Board because I have gained a great amount of experience by serving in ASUP as both the Shipstad Senator my freshman year and as one of the Off-Campus Senators this year. Also, I feel like I am well equipped to both listen to students' concerns and work to fix any problems they see on campus.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I was a Senator for Shipstad my freshman year and an Off-Campus Senator my junior year. I did not participate in Senate my sophomore year because I was studying abroad in Salzburg for the year. This year in addition to being in Senate, I am on the APA Committee.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: Some of my goals as a member of the ASUP Executive Board are to continue the current Executive Board's work on making ASUP more transparent and accessible to a larger portion of the student body. I have already spearheaded resolutions such a comprehensive e-mail newsletter to allow students quick and easy access to the happenings of ASUP and other clubs on campus. Also, I will work with the University to create a more diverse UP community in regards to people with different social, economic and cultural backgrounds and try to get the diversity to overarch into all aspects of the University's motto of teaching, faith and service. One way I can do this is by engaging and working with the Moreau Center and clubs on campus to use ASUP to better promote and help facilitate diversity in a positive and tangible way.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: If elected, Danielle Bibbs and I will work together to host numerous events to get the student body and us together and enable us to communicate about different problems on campus and how and what they want to see changed on campus. We will also work to get the ASUP office known as a place where students can stop by not only to voice a concern or complaint, but also to socialize and know ASUP is here for them.

 

Treasurer

Name: Caitlin Chu

Year: Sophomore

Major: Accounting and finance

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: I want to be a part of the ASUP Exec. Board because I have been a part of ASUP for almost two years now and I love being able to be the voice of the student body. This is also a great opportunity for me to do something I have wanted to do since I came to UP.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I have been a freshman workshop leader, a peer mentor, an ASUP Senator (Mehling Hall Senator, Financial Management Board), involved in Relay for Life (general committee member, Accounting and Registration Chair), and currently active in Alpha Kappa Psi.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: I will motivate clubs and organizations to spend all of their allocated funds each semester and encouraging clubs to reallocate funds in order to spend all their funds before budget meetings. I will fairly allocate funds to clubs and organizations that have spent their funds well or ask for modest funds by reviewing a club's past spending. I will uphold the finance policy and ensure the Senate and Finance Committee are regularly reviewing the policy. I will work closely with the Inventory Committee to ensure funds are not being allocated toward additional items that already exist within a club or organization.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: As a former senator, I sent out monthly e-mails to my constituents to update them on issues discussed in senate. I believe e-mail is the most efficient way of reaching my constituency because every student at UP has to check his or her e-mail at some point in the day. I will also use Facebook groups to reach out to those constituents who are always on Facebook and not so much on their e-mail.

 

Name: Andy Ottolia

Year: Junior

Major: Business

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: I am a UP business student with a large interest in financial success. As an ASUP Exec. Board member I will do everything in my power to help ensure financial decisions in a successful manner.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I have been a Senator from 2009-2010, an E-Scholar and the Founder and CEO of P-Town Global LLC.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: Communcation will be key in how I will accomplish my tasks as ASUP Treasurer. I plan to keep an organized and consistent record of all the finances within ASUP.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: I will have weekly office hours. I am also very open-minded toward anyone who would like to dicuss any concerns.

 

Secretary

Name: Kristin Johnson

Year: Junior

Major: Political science

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: I wish to be a part of the ASUP Exec. Board because I want to increase awareness of ASUP around campus, and its related activities, in order to get students more involved in the UP community.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I was the Relay for Life Co-advocacy Chair and member of Colleges Against Cancer.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: As an ASUP Exec. Board member, my goals would be to provide a well-organized foundation for the Senate and Exec. Board as well as be a positive representation and advocate for the UP student body. I would accomplish these goals by taking great responsibility in my duties as ASUP secretary.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: If elected, in order to reach my constituency I would make sure to be an active participant in Senate and Exec. Board meetings and take responsibility in providing and advertising important information to the students.

 

Campus Program Board Director

Name: Hillary White

Year: Junior

Major: Organizational communication

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: The Campus Program Board is such an important component of UP life and culture. It helps to build community among students and is a major player in campus life. I, as the CPB Director, want to continue to bring students fun events they are excited to attend. CPB events are a great way to bring students together, and I want to continue to be the leader of such an important cornerstone of campus life.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I currently hold the position of CPB Director, and last year as a sophomore I was the CPB Films Co-Chair and the Spring Dance Co-Coordinator. In fall of 2009, I was on the Election's Committee, and I was an orientation assistant. I'm a member of Alpha Lambda Delta.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: From my experience as a member of the ASUP Executive Board, I know how important it is for all of the members to keep in touch with their constituents. Our job is to be the voice of the students, and that is done best when we are in contact with as many students as possible. It is really important to turn that communication around and make ASUP transparent. My goal is to increase transparency by getting students to want to know what is going on in both ASUP and CPB. Name recognition is the most important vehicle for this change. I think that if students start to connect CPB and ASUP together, then we can start to influence their views of either organization. We need to create a culture of students looking at the ASUP My Communities page for information regarding senate meetings, CPB events and club support. Only then can ASUP become a vibrant, recognizable life-force of this campus.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: CPB already uses e-mail, Facebook and posters, but I want to do more to reach off-campus students. To do this, I want to make CPB updates and news more readily available. I want to make the background on the library computers upcoming CPB news so any student who logs on to a computer has CPB updates ready for them. I want to add a calendar to the St. Mary's Student Center and the Pilot House with CPB events for the semester. Also, I want to continue to increase the turnout at CPB meetings. If more people attend our meetings, then we will have even better input on what students want, which makes CPB events that much better.

 

Name: Sean Ducey

Year: Sophomore

Major: Secondary English and education

Please briefly state why you wish to be part of the ASUP Exec. Board: As an active leader in CPB for the past two years, I have had the opportunity to observe many different CPB activities through a supportive yet critical perspective. By attending weekly meetings, movies and many other events, I recognize the need for a unique style of leadership – one I would be honored to provide. I would like to serve as the CPB Director so that I can use my many experiences to improve CPB: effectively promoting activities voiced by the students, for the students. I want to influence change, enhancing each student's time on this campus. I am involved in many aspects of campus, so I have a good sense of what students would like. I have plans to get more feedback from our constituency. I have served in essentially every program CPB does. I hope to broaden my service to improve our programs.

Please list the activities and groups with which you have been involved at the University of Portland: I have been on CPB in the past. I was the Dance of the Decades coordinator for the last two years, a CPB sound technician and a member of the Villa Drum Squad. I have been involved in Relay for Life, a Hall Intern, have participated and led on Encounter with Christ Retreat and the Alaska Plunge, am an admissions tour guide, a receptionist in the School of Education, an altar server, a hall retreat coordinator, an activities fair coordinator, a member of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Also a proud Eagle Scout, where I Still work during the summer.

Please list your goals as an ASUP Exec. Board Member. How are you going to accomplish them?: I want to bring a big name performer to campus. I attended a class to learn how to do it. I understand the work it will take, but I want to see this happen. I will use Facebook and the "new" Portal to better communicate CPB events. I want to see better communication with off-campus students. I want to obtain more feedback on events, and I want more student say in movie selections. I want to add new activities to keep students interested in the events while simultaneously keeping events that are highly successful and popular. Finally, I want to move funds to have one more Coffeehouse per semester.

If elected, what will you do to reach your constituency?: First, I would include as many student voices as possible. In doing so, CPB can restructure the budget to better suit the wants and needs of students. Second, I will implore my fellow students to offer more suggestions to form programs. Once we establish this program for the UP community, CPB will effectively incorporate as many opinions as possible. If elected, student opinion – not the decisions of a select group of individuals – would lead this campus to events our constituents would enjoy. Finally, I look to better promote programs and activities organized by the Campus Program Board.

 

How to vote

Online voting starts at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22nd and ends 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23rd.

To vote, go to PilotsUP.