ASUI Senate Candidates

James Howard – Freshman, on-campus, Business and Economics

My name is James Howard. I”m a freshman majoring in business and economics. I grew up in Fruitland, Idaho, and graduated from high school in 2013. I spent two years traveling to the Philippines and working, then decided it was time for college. I currently reside in the Wallace Residence Center and work at Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters here in Moscow. My vision for the University of Idaho is to help make it a completely self-sustaining university. I want to foster ideas that will make us a leader in this way. Additionally, I”m campaigning on the livability here – between the outdated state of our dorms and the dreadful state of Bob”s Place, I want to make the living conditions here healthier and more enjoyable for both current and future students. Our community suffers because of this poor state of livability. The day freshman year ends, many students move off campus, losing a valuable piece of the everyday community. My priority in running for senate is the well-being of all UI students. Please don”t be breaking my heart – vote for me.

Dakota Lynd – Junior, Kappa Delta, Biology/Pre-med

As a biology student emphasizing pre-med and minoring in Spanish, I have a unique perspective to bring to the senate. I am involved in Kappa Delta Sorority and the Pre-Med Club.  I am running for senate because I want to evaluate the unnecessary supplementary costs for students so that we can make the University of Idaho more affordable for all students.

I would like to have teachers adopt the open textbook program for their 100-level classes, which makes textbooks free for those classes. I have also talked to a lot of students and heard that they are unhappy with their meal contracts, so I would like to look into other options as far as revising the meal plan and getting more student voice heard to find a better option.  The WUE program allows students from out-of-state to attend the UI while paying in-state tuition.  Bringing back this program would raise our enrollment rate and would allow the university to be more financially accessible to out-of-state students.

Laura Ehman – Junior, Kappa Alpha Theta, Food and Nutrition

I am a junior at the University of Idaho and am a part of a Greek organization.   I have been part of the Student Alumni Relations Board for three years and have served as many different committee chair positions in the organization. As a woman of the university, I am working to promote sexual assault awareness and the Campus Safety Week. It is important for all students on our campus to feel safe, and feel like their needs are being cared for. I recently came back from studying abroad in Argentina, and student diversity and cultivating those relationships is very important to me. Working towards reestablishing a Moscow-Pullman bus is essential both for connecting the two universities but also for those students that choose to dual enroll and must currently find their own transportation.   All students should feel represented on our campus and I want to do this and be the voice for those students.

Cortney Hudson – Sophomore, Kappa Delta, Chemical Engineering

As a sophomore chemical engineering major, when I think of the University of Idaho I think of our strong Vandal community, but I feel as if it can be improved. Running for senate to me means increasing the unity of our students in separate living groups both on and off campus. Throughout my time here, I have affiliated myself in groups campus-wide including Greek Life, Residence Life, Society of Women in Engineering and the School of Music. To me unity of students comes about from each student feeling represented at the university which I believe I can do effectively.

Furthermore, my running mate Charles Price and I want to strive increase the availability of healthier and more affordable food options on campus. One way we wish to do this is by looking into the catering provided and seeing if there is a way to represent the preferences of students in their food choices.

My passion for UI ensures that I will strive to represent what is in the best interest for the students and commit to representing their voices.

Drayke Hilpert –  Sophomore,  Kappa Kappa Gamma,  International Studies and History

I”m Drayke Hilpert. I am a sophomore at the University of Idaho and I am from Spokane, Washington. I am studying international studies and history. I am running on a sustainability platform, primarily focusing on making the university a plastic bottle-free campus. In order to make a more sustainable campus I hope to implement recycling incentives as well as raising awareness of the benefits of recycling. If elected I would work toward the promotion of reusable water bottles and implement a pledge for those dedicated to the cause of reducing plastic waste. Drayke”¦ with a “y””¦ because “y not?”

Anne Zabala –  Junior,  Off-campus,  English and Organizational Science

I am a fourth year student studying English and organizational science. Currently I work as an Alternative Service Break (ASB) Coordinator in the Volunteer Center and have previously served as ASUI”s Student Lobbyist. I understand policy and have learned how to engage students from all backgrounds. Senate has two responsibilities: improving our university experience and communicating with students, both in listening to their input and talking about the work that student government does. If elected, I will work toward this goal.

For these reasons, I am running on a platform of Engagement, Community, and Productivity. I will push to make Senate more visible by creating regular times for senators to be on campus speaking to students. Both campus and the city of Moscow are not as bikeable as they should be. This is the kind of community issue we should be addressing. Additionally, I will fight to stop student fees from being wasted because we don”t utilize central purchasing. We buy thousands of T-shirts every year, but don”t receive the best discount because we order from many different vendors. We could be saving time and money on this issue. Ultimately, a vote for me is a vote for efficiency.

Cruz Botello – Sophomore,  Phi Gamma Delta,  Sociology

The first tier of my platform is more inclusive student involvement. The senate is elected for the students by the students and their voice is the primary purpose for this position. I would facilitate student ideas through surveying, open forums, and social media.

My next tier is funds management. Why are we spending money on activities students are not attending? We need to put this money back in the power of the students because they deserve a say in where their money goes and what it is being used for.

Finally, we should utilize more involvement with the Moscow community. SYNC was a great way to introduce students into volunteering with the community and more programs like this should be introduced throughout the year.

Rachael Miller –  Junior,  Alpha Phi,  Political Science and Public Relations

I am a junior at the University of Idaho studying political science and public relations from McCall, Idaho. I have served a full term on the ASUI Senate and am an active member of Alpha Phi, the UI Honors Program and many clubs on campus. I am passionate about ASUI and strive to promote the interests of the entire student body in my time in Senate.

My running mate Cruz Botello and I are running on a platform that encourages inclusivity and diversity, improvement of facilities and productivity in terms of policy. As senators, we aim to represent the entirety of the student body, including minorities and under-represented interests, in all projects, legislation and discussions in ASUI. If elected the provost to advocate for and proceed with the transformation of the main floor of the Idaho Commons” planned student space. Additionally, we hope to re-stimulate the $200 million worth of differed maintenance projects that currently exist at the University of Idaho. Lastly, we hope to energize the ASUI Senate to continue pushing policy such as medical amnesty and professor usage of Blackboard to the UI administration and Idaho State Legislature on issues that directly impact students.

Jessica Gee –  Junior,  Kappa Delta,  Political Science

As a Vandal I have many values, but there are two in particular my running mate, Dominic Delatorre, I will focus on as your senators for ASUI: safety and community. My name is Jessica Gee and I am from a small town called Idaho City, Idaho. I transferred to the University of Idaho at the beginning of this school year to finish my degree. I am working on my B.S. with a major in political science and a minor in journalism with hopes of attending law school. Immediately after transferring to Moscow I began getting involved on campus. This includes writing for The Argonaut student newspaper and becoming a member of Kappa Delta Sorority. As I mentioned above, safety is something I value and would like to improve. I want to better the Safe Walk program and make it more visible to the student population. I also want to enhance the Vandal community by making sure all groups have an equal voice. I want to enlarge the presence of groups such as the LGBTQA, Black Student Union, and Native American Student Association.

Dominic Delatorre –  Freshman,  Phi Gamma Delta,  Statistics and Pre-med

As a double-major in statistics and pre-med and a member of FIJI Fraternity, I have many responsibilities. However, I also have a responsibility to improve the University of Idaho campus which I feel I can do as a senator for ASUI. My name is Dominic Delatorre and I am from Middleton, Idaho. I am a freshman working towards my B.S. degree which I will use to apply for medical school. Becoming a part of the Vandal community has been an enriching experience and would like to have the opportunity to improve our campus. My running mate Jessica Gee and I are primarily focused on safety and community. We believe improving the Safe Walk program would be beneficial to students” well-being across campus. We want to make the program more visible to fellow Vandals so they can utilize it to its full extent. Also, we believe equal representation of all organizations and groups is incredibly important. We want to work with groups such as LGBTQA, Black Student Union, and Native American Student Association to increase their presence on campus.

Meredith Breen

My name is Meredith Breen and I am a sophomore studying anthropology. I am originally from Middleton, Idaho. My whole family are Vandals, so I am thrilled that I get to attend this university, and continue on the family tradition.   I work for the University of Idaho Housing office, at the Wallace information desk. My platform is a two-fold program. The first part of my platform is creating stronger bonds through the campus community. I believe a strong community can foster great success. I would like an opportunity for each person to get to know their fellow Vandals. The second part of my platform is to help deter sexual assault on campus. I would like to be able to provide sexual assault prevention training for everyone on campus. Sexual assault is not something that our campus can just sweep under the rug. I want to create a discussion how the Vandal community can stop being bystanders to a very pertinent problem. I am very excited at the possibility of representing an amazing student body.

Tanner J. Beymer

Tanner is a senior studying agricultural economics and political science and, in addition to ASUI, is a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and the Student Alumni Relations Board.  Tanner is running alongside current ASUI Senator McKenzie MacDonald.  If elected,  Tanner will work to further the student experience by emphasizing the development of the Vandal community, increasing efficiency in the Senate and across ASUI, and strive to be accountable to his fellow students about every decision that is made.  Furthermore, he previously served as the ASUI Director of Policy.  In that role, he started laying the groundwork for the legislative effort to enact medical amnesty legislation, which he hopes to continue to work on as a senator.

McKenzie MacDonald

Hello Vandals! My name is McKenzie MacDonald and I am a sophomore double majoring in Political Science and Economics. I currently live in the Residence Halls and have had a great experience so far and plan to live there again next year.

I have been an ASUI Senator since September of this year and am very excited to be campaigning to retain my seat. I, along with my running mate Tanner Beymer, are looking forward to representing students to the best of our ability. To do this, we believe in the three core values that make up our platform: Community, Efficiency and Accountability.

To improve the campus community we are looking forward to being part of the conversations about expanding student space, student safety and the overall Vandal experience.

The efficiency prong of our platform has to do directly with efficiency within ASUI. The quicker that ASUI can get things done, the more we will be able to do for the students.

Finally, accountability is very important to us. As student representatives, we need to make sure that every project is seen through to the end and that every decision we make is with the students in mind.