Former senator Morrison appointed to lead SPA office

Former ASUM senator Sean Morrison was appointed ASUM Student Political Action director Wednesday in a unanimous decision by the new senate at its first meeting of the semester.
Morrison, 23, was re-elected to the senate last spring, but resigned to accept an interim appointment to the post last spring.
After seeing the work that Morrison did over the summer, ASUM president Trevor Hunter said he decided to ask the senate to appoint him as the SPA director at its first meeting.
SPA is an ASUM organization that works to get students involved in local, state and national politics.ASUM senator Lucas Hamilton, 21, who chairs the SPA committee, has known Morrison since they first worked together on the senate two years ago.
“I think he’ll be fantastic,” Hamilton said.  “I think he’s got the experience and the political knowledge to get things done efficiently and effectively.”

Former ASUM senator Sean Morrison was appointed ASUM Student Political Action director Wednesday in a unanimous decision by the new senate at its first meeting of the semester.
Morrison, 23, was re-elected to the senate last spring, but resigned to accept an interim appointment to the post last spring.
After seeing the work that Morrison did over the summer, ASUM president Trevor Hunter said he decided to ask the senate to appoint him as the SPA director at its first meeting.
SPA is an ASUM organization that works to get students involved in local, state and national politics.ASUM senator Lucas Hamilton, 21, who chairs the SPA committee, has known Morrison since they first worked together on the senate two years ago.
“I think he’ll be fantastic,” Hamilton said.  “I think he’s got the experience and the political knowledge to get things done efficiently and effectively.” 
This summer, Morrison prepared for the election cycle, including a number of events aimed at getting students registered and prepared to vote in November. 
ASUM has printed voter guides in the past, but they were often extensive and wordy, Morrison said. 
He said he has worked to develop a pamphlet that is more concise. 
“I’ve tried to make mine a little more palatable,” he said.
Morrison said the voter guide would highlight the candidates’ opinions on higher education in addition to overviews of initiatives that will appear on the ballot.  He said many people only vote for the president, which appears at the top of the ballot.  He wants students to pay attention to items that appear below the presidential candidates.
One such item is the six-mill levy, which has appeared on Montana ballots every 10 years since 1948.  It is a property tax that raises money for Montana colleges.  Morrison said it is important for college students to realize that if the levy doesn’t pass, it will mean higher tuition costs and fewer resources on campus.  It will be the last item on the last page of the ballot. 
Morrison has also worked to organize a number of political events on campus, including a gubernatorial debate between Gov.  Brian Schweitzer and Republican challenger Roy Brown on Sept. 15. 
Morrison says that the notion that young people aren’t participating in politics is a myth and that the current range of adults between the ages of 18 and 25 vote more than any previous generation.
“We vote in higher numbers than Gen X ever did,” he said.
Morrison said he would bring experience to his new position. In addition to serving one-and-a-half years on the senate, he has been a member of Students for Economic and Social Justice worked with Forward Montana.
Hunter said that after conducting interviews, he decided Morrison was the most qualified for the job and that he had a plan for what he wants to achieve.
“He’s a very strong and effective communicator,” Hunter said. “He has a politically sound mind.”
allison.maier@umontana.edu