(The Beacon)
By
After a highly charged election resulting in a run-off for every contested ASUP executive board position, there are now two presidential tickets left in the running.
Next week, it will be time for students to decide who will lead their government.
Who will we choose to fight for the issues we care about?
Who will be our voice to the administration?
If you want a presidential team that will go out of their way to connect with you, will represent your wants despite any personal biases and has solid plans to make this university a more welcoming place, cast your vote for sophomores Quinten Chadwick and Elvia Gaona.
Over the last two days of the ASUP elections, Chadwick and Gaona were walking up to students in The Commons and The Cove with laptops and iPads encouraging them to vote on the spot.
It is this hands-on approach that they plan to bring to their presidency if elected.
Chadwick and Gaona want to connect with students by consistently having tables set up around campus hosted by senators, where students can address any concerns they have or simply strike up a conversation.
They also want to give senators access to the ASUP office, so that it becomes a place where students can visit any time of the day and where they can bring questions and concerns.
They plan to bring the issues they learn about from students to the administration in monthly or bi-monthly meetings with different administrators.
Although the candidates who ran and are still running have made many promises to the student body, this duo - who have been part of Senate since their freshman years - have shown that they can get things done.
Gaona wrote Resolutions 13-06 - which asks the University to change the Nondiscrimination Policy to add sexual orientation and gender identity - and 13-04, which petitions for an extension of the add/drop deadline for classes.
The other presidential candidates, John Julius Muwulya and Andrew Bosomworth, have just one year of Senate experience between them, and have not articulated concrete plans to make UP a more inclusive community.
Both candidates show an interest in making sure that all students at UP feel safe and welcomed by their sponsorship of Resolution 13-06 and Resolution 10, which asks the University to create an Office of Inclusion.
This office would give students of diverse backgrounds trained professionals to talk with who have a direct line to the administration.
Chadwick and Gaona want to change the culture at UP to one where every student feels welcome. They propose diversity training and forums to help create such a culture.
They also care about fulfilling the student body's desire despite any personal biases, encouraging the Senate to get behind the issue of inclusion purely because it is what the student body wants.
Like Muwulya and Bosomworth, they want to raise awareness of ASUP and engage students in their community - but unlike what they have articulated, Chadwick and Gaona have concrete and detailed plans to make this happen.
If elected, they hope to hold a workshop during Freshman Orientation where they take students to St. Mary's Student Center and show them the student media and ASUP offices, educating them on what these groups do on campus, and what the groups can do for them.
This workshop would also include teaching new freshmen about their resources on campus, such as the Office of Inclusion, if it is created.
That way, students who feel unwelcome or alone at UP but are too afraid or shy to speak up,know where to go to find advocates on campus who will speak for them.
Chadwick and Gaona want to increase communication among UP administration, Senate and students to create a more welcoming environment at the University.
If you want dedicated, experienced and proactive ASUP leaders acting as your voice to the administration, vote Chadwick and Gaona for ASUP president and vice president.
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