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ASUPS 2013 executive elections begin

It’s that time of year again—the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound is holding elections for new executive officers, President and Vice President, as well as Senator representatives from each class. ASUPS is responsible for funding student-run clubs as well as campus cultural and entertainment events, such as Bill Cosby’s recent visit and the Step Afrika concert held in Schneebeck Hall.

On the ballot this year are Scott Miller and his vice-presidential running-mate Santiago Rodriguez going up against Eric Hopfenbeck and vice-presidential running-mate Krista Haapanen.

Scott Miller, a presidential candidate, is a seasoned ASUPS member. A senator his freshman and sophomore years and the current Director of Business Services, Miller is familiar with the infrastructure of the student government and believes he knows what it needs to be more efficient. He is eager to contract events that attract the entire student body and continue his efforts in equitable finance allocation among student organizations, particularly by increasing sports resources. Miller is majoring in English Literature.

Vice Presidential candidate and BLP and FLIA double major, Rodriguez was a senator his freshman year, Club Liaison Director sophomore year and is currently Senate Chair as a junior. He has been on several committees including Media Board, Food and Safety, Sitting Concerns, Budget Committee and Governance. Rodriguez is eager to expedite the financial processes of ASUPS alongside his campaign partner Miller and continue maximizing the relationships he has already made with executives and administrators as pathways for the student government’s success.

“My experience is important,”  Rodriguez said.  “I’ve seen several ideas and projects fail because of the nature of the University, and therefore I’ve been able to create feasible and profound goals that will hopefully receive little resistance.”

Miller and Rodriguez are centering their campaign platform on Efficiency, Sustainability, Security and Spirit. They have decided to pursue myriad short- and long-term goals including broadcasting March Madness Basketball games in Marshall Hall, hosting U-Bolt bike lock raffles to decrease theft and ensuring that there are working printers in the piano lounge and on the second floor of Wyatt Hall.

They also plan to install security cameras in hot spots near bike racks and parking lots to reduce instances of theft. With an additional $3 sustainability fee next year, Miller and Rodriguez plan to elect a Sustainability Director to cooperate with student and faculty groups such as Students for a Sustainable Campus and Sustainability Advisory Committee to jumpstart and sustain the University’s green efforts. They are committed to increasing attendance at Logger events, through collaboration with Logger Nation and a new University-wide calendar.

Junior Economics major and presidential candidate Eric Hopfenbeck is eager to use both his experience within ASUPS and as an active member of the Puget Sound community to lead the student government. Interested in establishing a complete and up-to-date calendar for on-campus events, Hopfenbeck is committed to reaching out to the student body for their sincere feedback so that ASUPS can build a strong on-campus community.

“I can bring ideas of what campus actually needs and wants because of my experience in many different areas at Puget Sound,” Hopfenbeck said. “I strive to be easily approachable and I am always willing to listen to what people have to say.”

A senator in his sophomore year, Hopfenbeck has gone through the budget process and understands ASUPS inner workings. Dedicated to making Puget Sound as inclusive of a community as possible, Hopfenbeck is eager to use his experience as a Campus Visit Program coordinator, an Ultimate Frisbee team member and previous ASUPS senator to foster “Puget Sound pride.”

Krista Haapanen, junior Biology major and candidate for the Vice Presidential position, got involved in student leadership after freshman year. As an RA her sophomore year in University Hall, she had the opportunity to see what needs upper classmen living on campus have and feels very prepared to bring creative new ideas into the student government. Haapanen continued to explore residence life and campus leadership opportunities this year as an RA for incoming freshmen.

“If we recognize how we can benefit each other that’d be really positive,” Haapanen said regarding collaboration between Residence Life, Greek life, clubs and intramural sports.

With the strong campaign focuses on collaboration, community and creativity, a large part of Hopfenbeck and Haapanen’s campaign centers on the new mandate that students must live on campus for two years; it strives to make sure campus events are frequent, accessible and publicized. They want to break down the common perception of ASUPS as an “exclusive club” so that groups such as RSA, RHA, student organizations and Greek Life can collaborate with ASUPS to create a unified Puget Sound community.

Hopfenbeck and Haapanen are familiar with the traditional ways ASUPS operates and wish to provide a different perspective as representatives from a diverse number of campus organizations and adapt the current system to achieve their goals for the entire student body. They plan to invest quality time at the beginning of the school year to establish strong unions between ASUPS and other student leaders to ensure that, as executives, they are receptive to the student body’s concerns and ideas.

Also running for open ASUPS senate positions: Alissa Hartnig (Sophomore Senator), Ian Latimer (Sophomore Senator), Marc Fagaragan (Junior Senator), James Robinson (Senior Senator), Cora Young (Senator at Large), Vivien Jones (Senator at Large), Andrew Perkins (Senior Senator and Senator at Large), and Sang-won Kim (junior senator).