Campaign Season Begins!

At 5:00 today it became official, ASAP has entered campaign season. After a long day that began at eight this morning, I'm proud to report we've recruited 34 senate candidates! Our candidates hail from almost every college within UWM, and are surely the most impassioned and qualified future representatives I've had the honor of working with.

After turning in a stack of papers as thick as The Bible to the University Student Court this afternoon, I breathed a sigh of relief. There were times when I wondered how many people would end up following through with their promises to get involved, and sure enough, come through they did! Now we begin the easy part, talking with the student body about our plans to improve life here at UWM, and learning more about what the students expect from us. This face to face communication is what I like best about being a student representative, and I hope to be able to gather a lot of creative input about ways to heighten student involvement and increase satisfaction with on campus events.

I'm a problem solver by nature. When I hear someone has a problem with the way something runs here, my first thought is what I can do as a Senator to help fix it. On the campaign trail I'll have the same mindset, so don't hesitate to give me any suggestions you may have!

I plan to hold a ASAP party meeting early next week and pound out our marketing strategy. I can't wait to get started!

In other news, I was proud to see the Student Association Senate take a stand for faculty and staff's right to collectively bargain at last night's meeting. My legislation "The Worker's Resolution" passed handedly, and set a strong tone for the defense of the rights of our professors, teaching assistants, and classified staff members. The UWM Post did a nice job of covering the debate, so I'll include a link below. Other than that, I plan on meeting with Union Director Scott Gore soon to discuss creating a financial plan to build music practice rooms in the Union, as well as purchasing more composting bins. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I was recently appointed Union Policy Board Chair. Although my term only lasts till the end of the semester, I'll make sure to make it productive.

Alex.

P.S. The UWM Post link:
http://www.uwmpost.com/2011/03/07/sa-senate-meeting-recap-this-is-what-democracy-looks-like/