ASUM candidates gear up for primaries

Students will be able to electronically vote in the ASUM executive primaries through Cyberbear today, beginning at 12:01 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m.

The three executive teams running for president and vice president are Allie Harrison and Jake Yerger; Ali Tabibnejad and Peter Bailon; and Trevor Hunter and Siri Smillie.

Running for business manager are Eric Mundt, Alex Gosline and Jose Diaz.

Allie Harrison, Jake Yerger

Yerger is the only candidate who is not a senior or graduate student.

“(Yerger) is bringing a fresh perspective to ASUM, which is a really important thing,” Harrison said.

Harrison has been an ASUM senator for two years and involved in campus committees.

Yerger has no experience with the ASUM senate, but he was an intern with MontPIRG last semester and is still involved with the organization.

“I can’t say that I have the same experience as other candidates, but I do provide a fresh perspective,” Yerger said.

Harrison and Yerger said they want to transform how students view ASUM and what it does, increase UM’s retention rate, improve student housing and encourage students to organize grassroots movements to lobby next year’s legislative session.

Harrison said right now ASUM governs student groups, but she and Yerger want to work with them.

They also want to help make freshmen feel more at home on campus so they will stick around for graduation. Retention isn’t just about academics, but also about connecting students with campus opportunities, Harrison said.

Yerger said they hope to promote the Off-campus Renter Center to help make housing safe and affordable, and they will work with Missoula City Council to accomplish this.

Harrison also said encouraging more student involvement will bring additional credibility to education issues when presented to the Legislature.

“Working together to make campus better is not just a catchphrase, it really is our focus,” she said.

Ali Tabibnejad, Peter Bailon

Candidate Ali Tabibnejad ran for the office his second year at UM, but lost. He’s running again because he believes he can make a difference on campus, he said.

He has been on the senate for four years, making him the candidate with the most time as an ASUM senator.

His running mate, Peter Bailon, has never had an ASUM office, but has spent a large amount of time with student groups on campus. Bailon said he will bring a new perspective because he hasn’t experienced the student government structure.

Tabibnejad and Bailon said they want to make ASUM a friendlier place for the senate and student groups.

Tabibnejad and Bailon want to approach lobbying for higher education in a different way.

“We want to present a new fundamental argument to the Legislature, an argument that goes beyond the, ‘We’re poor students and need money,’” Tabibnejad said.

He wants to sit down with as many legislators as possible to persuade them that higher education is something necessary to nourish all aspects of a productive life and healthy society, he said.

“We both believe because we hold a broader perspective on education that through dialogue we can help people broaden their focus on it,” Bailon said.

Tabibnejad said the ASUM senate should be a welcome place for learning. It can be used as a practice ground for public speaking and criticizing in a healthy way.

It’s also a place to effect change on campus, Bailon said.

The executive budget recommendations need to be tailored more toward the actual needs of student groups, Tabibnejad said. He wants to make budgeting easier next year by understanding how student groups use their money.

Trevor Hunter, Siri Smillie

Trevor Hunter has been on the senate for three years and has been involved in eight different university committees and five different ASUM committees. He witnessed three different student administrations and saw what works and what doesn’t work in ASUM, he said. ASUM functions best when it is open to multiple viewpoints and gives everyone the chance speak. Changing policy, if students have concerns, is important too, he said.

“ASUM always has to be proactive; it can’t just be a one-issue government,” Hunter said.

Smillie sat on the senate for one semester and served on several committees. She also experienced working at the state level. Last year she worked as a lobbyist in Helena and on the Senate Finance Committee.

Smillie said it’s important to have leaders in ASUM who understand what needs to be done.

“We’re a great complement to each other,” Hunter said. “I know the campus issues and ASUM intimately and Siri brings a lot of state experience.”

Hunter and Smillie said they want to focus on getting the student voice heard on campus and at the state level. Hunter said that every decision made on campus should have a student voice. They said will ensure that students’ interests are protected on all levels.

Because next year is a legislative year, Hunter and Smillie hope to start a grassroots movement on campus. If elected, they said they would organize workshops on lobbying and inform students who their house representatives are along with how to contact them. They also hope to encourage students to write letters to their state representatives. In the spring, Hunter and Smillie plan on taking the student letters and ideas to the Legislature. They also hope to work with other leaders and the student body to ensure a strong lobbying team, Smillie said.

She and Hunter also want to increase the amount of money that they’re able to return to student groups so they can be more affective and active.

“We need to shift the focus back, away from the bigger issues such as global warming, stretch it back to what is happening right now on this campus and what is going to be happening in Helena,” Smillie said.

“We’ll be successful next year because of our experiences,” Hunter said. “We’re never going to forget the students.”

Business Manager Candidates

Eric Mundt

Eric Mundt is an economics and communication studies major running for ASUM business manager.

He is the treasurer-elect for Kappa Sigma fraternity and says he has a firm understanding of money, but never sat on the senate.

“I bring a new voice to ASUM,” Mundt said. “I’m not engrossed in the politics and can offer change.”

ASUM has lost focus with students, he said, and he wants to bring it back, making ASUM more student-friendly again.

If elected, he said he will review the budget process and make sure student groups that make an impact on campus are not neglected. He would also like to limit resolutions to things that actually impact the students.

“It’s time to review the process and reward the groups that actually benefit from the money,” he said.

Alex Gosline

As a student at large for one year and a senator for one year, Alex Gosline says he’s the most eligible candidate for business manager because of the amount of work he has done with ASUM and the budgeting process. He is majoring in finance with a minor in economics.

Gosline hopes to help student groups set up budget requests so they have a better opportunity to be funded equally. He wants all student groups to be happier with how ASUM treats allocation requests.

He also wants to save more money so more of it can be spent on students.

Gosline missed the executive forum last Thursday because he was working at Wells Fargo Bank, a job he says is helping him prepare for UM’s business manager responsibilities.

Jose Diaz

Jose Diaz, a political science major, said he has four years of experience managing budgets, compiling fiscal reports and distributing money. He was an ASUM senator last year and has been involved with various student groups.

He said his years of problem-solving with students and working with finances has prepared him for the business manager job.

If elected, Diaz wants to fund every student group on campus to their satisfaction and increase the amount of money brought in for the groups. His plan is to conduct fundraisers to help bring in cash for groups so they’re comfortable with the amount of money they receive.

“With fundraising we could really get that kind of funding that student groups need to grow and continue to expand,” he said.

He also wants to expand ASUM sponsorship with businesses to receive more funding for student groups that are struggling, as opposed to increasing the ASUM fee.

“I’ll be more proactive for student groups instead of waiting for them to come to us,” he said.