Eight senators were elected to the senate in the recent ASUI elections to serve in the fall session. The senators discussed their goals, concerns on campus and how they plan to benefit the students.
Michael Carberry
Sophomore finance and accounting major
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for your position?
Michael Carberry: I actually transferred from a different school down in Twin Falls, the College of Southern Idaho, and down there I served as a senator. I kind of got to learn the position and see how I could help and affect students at the school. I just thought I’d take that experience and come and transfer up here and run for senate as well.
A: Your platform mentioned a lack of food options on campus, how do you hope to expand options?
M: I know there are some local vendors around town that I think might be interested in the proposition to come and service some students here on campus, maybe in the TLC. So I think that maybe starting a group of us senators going and talking to different vendors downtown, I think we could definitely look into expanding some options, working with the school and just seeing what’s possible.
A: With your previous work in sustainability, what do you think UI could do to be more sustainable on campus?
M: I think University of Idaho is definitely ahead of the game in terms of other ways, but I think there’s always room for expansion. Some opportunities we have, we usually have someone in the TLC sorting, recycling and things. I think that could maybe be expanded through different areas of the university. I know they offer food in more than one spot. As well as just more education and understanding of where our waste is going and how students might want to decrease that waste.
A: Are there any additional concerns on campus that you plan on addressing?
M: Some concerns I might look forward to addressing is some security issues at night. I know some students don’t feel safe walking at night back to their dorms or their home. I think some options we could put are those emergency stations you will see at hospitals and stuff, like an intercom system where you can talk to security. Things like that, getting the word out about enhancing security at night.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
M: With the degree in accounting and finance that I’m working for, I would love to go into that kind of field right now. Maybe some trading or different corporate financial jobs. And long term, I see myself kind of going towards real estate development and bettering communities that way.
Emily Corisis
Senior forestry major and fire ecology and management minor
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for this position?
Emily: I wanted to be more involved on campus.
A: What are you hoping to accomplish in your position?
E: I’d like to bridge the gap between different groups and organizations to strengthen the Vandal Family.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
E: After college I’d like to continue working in fire for the Forest Service.
A: What will you do to help make sure ASUI represents the student body?
E: I’d like to help ASUI better center funds toward the wants and needs of the students.
A: What are you looking forward to as an ASUI Senator?
E: As a senator I’m looking forward to getting to know more groups of people and helping to better the university. I just hope we have enough time to accomplish the things that we are working for.
A: What else would you like students to know about your experience and skills coming into this position?
E: I want people to know that I love being a Vandal. I’ve been a part of Greek Life, the Vandal Spirit Squad and Vandal Catholics. I’m very excited to see where we take ASUI this year.
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Mark Currier
Senior material science and engineering major
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for your position?
Mark Currier: I definitely wanted to get more involved, and it is going to be my last year, so I thought “might as well do something to leave a legacy” so to say.
A: As you have discussed in your campaign, how do you believe the use of biodiesel fuel on campus would benefit students?
M: It would definitely benefit the bottom line of the university and reduce costs, because obviously we are going through a lot of cost-cutting measures recently with the $22 million budget cuts. It’s just another place we can cut money and save. It helps emissions — as obviously our goal as a university is to reduce emissions — and it helps students as we might be able to not have to cut somewhere else eventually. Honestly, we’re probably going to have more costs come just because of coronavirus, I wouldn’t be surprised if we did. This is just somewhere we could cut that would be better, not only for the university in the money sense, but in emissions. It’s really a win-win no matter where you go. I mean, the only losers I guess would be Busch Distributors, because they might not make as much money, but we’re focusing on students and the university in our case.
A: As another point on your platform, how do you hope to engage under-involved students?
M: I’ve been an off campus student not involved in Greek. Most of the time, you see a lot of Greeks involved on campus and I definitely want to see more engineering students involved on campus. I basically want to find some students who want to have more fun and have them spread the word a little bit more, because the best sales tool you can use is the word of mouth. Having people go around, having fun and having events really getting people out there. One of the things I really liked as a sophomore that happened was people really pushed the soccer game against Boise State. We had thousands of people show up to a soccer game, which is not common. I think we set the record for attendance at a collegiate indoor women’s soccer game. We basically lost that momentum right after when we could have kept it. It would be nice to see more students involved. It’s just offering opportunities for students to not necessarily come with their friends, cause a lot of students will have their friends cancel plans. We want to make events where students can come alone and don’t have to be in a big group. A lot of people go if their friends go, but if their friends cancel, they don’t. We definitely want to get more people involved on campus. It’s going to be a lot of trial and error I believe, because some things work and some things don’t.
A: Also addressed in your campaign, why do you find it important to raise awareness for men’s mental health?
M: Young men’s mental health is — I wouldn’t say neglected — but it’s not viewed as important. But we’re starting to see people are dying from this and killing other people. I don’t want University of Idaho to be the next spot of a mass shooting, which has started, sadly, to become common in America. I think this is something we need to address, because we don’t see women shooting up schools. But we see men and obviously there’s a mental problem there and we need to address that and we need to start healthy conversations around that.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
M: I hope to get a job, an engineering job. I’m not really set on anything, I’m kind of open, but I definitely want to get a good job, start to pay off student loans, and then hopefully that’s immediately after college. You know, get my own apartment, get settled. Then, I don’t really have any for sure plans yet, I mean, I have ideas of what I want to do. You kind of have to go with the flow with some things, because all your plans always change. But, I’d like to work for Parker Hannifin. I worked for them last summer in an internship and I was going to work for them this summer, but with coronavirus going on that internship unfortunately got canceled. So we’ll see what happens after graduation.
Dylanie Frazier
Junior philosophy major and psychology minor
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for this position?
Dylanie: The lack of feminine hygiene products in on-campus restrooms and the increase in the price of feminine hygiene products in some science buildings. I want to help U of I become a more welcoming and diverse place for students to feel comfortable.
A: What are you hoping to accomplish in your position?
D: Free feminine hygiene products in the bathroom to start with and then moving on to see what U of I can do to expand eco-friendly programs. I would also work towards helping students become more aware of the projects, services, and events happening on campus. My overall goal is to get students more involved in on-campus activities to help make the best out of college.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
D: I am planning on going to law school at U of I and working towards being a public defendant.
A: What will you do to help make sure ASUI represents the student body?
D: Communicate with students on what their wants and needs are and reflect that in my decisions. I want to be as transparent as possible and work with different groups on campus to come up with a fair solution or event.
A: What are you looking forward to as an ASUI Senator?
D: Being able to communicate with the student body and meeting new individuals with different ideas and mindsets. I am looking forward to communicating with living groups and clubs on campus to see what I can do to help.
A: Is there anything you are worried about being an ASUI Senator?
D: My biggest concern about being an ASUI senator is not being able to complete every project I would like to. I and my fellow senators will need to review projects and decide where funding and resources should go. My goal is to represent all organizations on campus.
A: What do you want people to know about you and your skills coming into this position?
D: My goal is always to be fair. I want to be able to communicate with others and come to a decision on issues surrounding campus. I have held multiple leadership positions throughout high school and college, and I am currently a volunteer coordinator for kids with disabilities. I am an active citizen and regularly do research into current events.
A: What other clubs or organizations have you been a part of at the university or any other institution?
D: In high school, I was a volunteer leader for St. Luke’s hospital junior volunteer program as well as debate captain. I have been a part of Delta Delta Delta Sorority for the past two years and am currently the philanthropy chair. Tri Delta has helped me grow into the leader I am today and helped understand what it means to serve and be kind. I am an active volunteer in the community of Moscow and Boise in thrift stores, hospitals, local events and many other organizations. I have also attended meetings with Generation Action club on campus that supports sexual health education and awareness. I am a part of the honors program on campus and have been on an ASB volunteer trip to Sandpoint to raise money for the community cancer foundation.
Hunter Gust
Sophomore finance and accounting major
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for this position?
Hunter: I ran for this position to make sure that the whole student body is being represented. I hope to be able to connect every student and group with each other on campus. I believe I can make a difference and I love every part of being a Vandal.
A: What are you hoping to accomplish in your position?
H: One of the major problems on campus is the parking and transportation center. I believe that many parking spots are not allocated correctly and we can always keep improving. Also, another thing I would like to see implemented at our fine learning institution is Emergency Blue Poles, these would be located around campus and by simply pressing the red button on these blue poles, you could be connected to campus security with two-way communication. These are all over at larger colleges, but I believe every college should have this to keep students safe.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
H: Well, I am currently a sophomore majoring in finance and accounting. While I am not attending school, I manage a golf course with my best friend and fraternity brother, Jason Waters. After I graduate, I would love to take everything I learned here at the university and managing a golf course and run my own company.
A: What will you do to help make sure ASUI represents the student body?
H: I plan to communicate with many groups and students around campus to learn about what changes they would like to be made around campus.
A: What are you looking forward to as an ASUI Senator?
H: I am looking forward to many things as an ASUI Senator. I cannot wait to grow as a student leader and to meet more people from many different backgrounds around campus.
A: Is there anything you are worried about being an ASUI Senator?
H: There is nothing that worries me about being an ASUI Senator. I feel like with my background in management and being involved in Greek Life that I am very well prepared for this position. I think this will be a fun challenge to take head-on.
A: What do you want people to know about you and your skills coming into this position?
H: I grew up from a small town called Wallace, Idaho, home of the Miners. I have been involved in many clubs and sports in high school. I was the Idaho State President for a club called TSA in high school and I also lettered in varsity football, basketball and golf for all four years. Like I said before, I currently am managing a golf course and I am a proud member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity
A: What other clubs or organizations have you been a part of at the university or any other institution?
H: I have been a part of the trapshooting club and a proud Fraternity Man of Phi Gamma Delta here at the University of Idaho.
Ezmy Perez
Freshman crop science and horticulture and urban agriculture major
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for your position?
Ezmy Perez: What motivated me to run was an interest in developing my leadership skills. I also love working with people and I think serving the student population really for me is what I want to work for because I have not had the opportunity to ever really do something like that.
A: What are you hoping to accomplish in your position?
E: Actually, I’m currently serving on the Senate. I was appointed earlier this semester but one project, unfortunately, I have had to postpone is the clothing bank project that I have going on. Basically, it’s a clothing bank on campus, there’s one currently actually, and we’re trying to expand it so students have access to business clothes. That way if they have a job interview or an internship that they’re going for, then they don’t have to worry about that being a barrier for them. So that’s the first project I want to tackle and educating students about resources on campus by any means possible is something that I want to improve on starting next semester as well.
A: Why do you believe educating students on resources for food and clothing insecurity is so important?
E: Moscow is a small town and the university — considering how many students are there and how many students are affected by these security issues — we really need to take it upon ourselves, as students who are going to be leading in the future, to really acknowledge that these are issues going on. That they’re not just discrepancies that appear every once in a while.
A: How do you plan to educate students on resources available?
E: One of the senators currently is working on a resource card, which I think is a fantastic idea. But going off of that, I think being able to go and encourage students to get out and mingle and encourage the integration of Greek and RHA students, as well as off campus students, is really the route I want to take, because then everyone feels included.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
E: Well, that’s a difficult question cause there’s just so many open doors, you know the future, we never really know what’s going to happen. But if I have to broadly plan out what my plan after college was, I have a job secured in the seed industry. That’s what I’m studying, horticulture and crop science, but there are just so many choices. I know for sure I’m going to stay working in agriculture, but I don’t know which field in particular. I know I’m very fascinated by research but production is also something that interests me as well. So it’s very broad what I may do.
Wil Jansen Van Beek
Sophomore mechanical engineering major
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for your position?
Wil Jansen Van Beek: Honestly, I just saw some things around campus that I thought need to be improved and I just decided to make a campaign out of it. ASUI has done a great job in the past of getting things done both on the Moscow campus and even in the state of Idaho and I feel like the ASUI is a really, really good channel to get things done.
A: As mentioned on your platform, how do you plan to recognize students for community service and why do you find it so important?
W: I think it’s really important to give back to the community especially where Moscow’s a college town, you kind of build off the college and I want to make sure that the community of Moscow is taken care of as well as the students. I think it’s important for people to recognize that giving back to the people that make your community is what makes communities great. So, I just wanted to find an official way for people to recognize that and engage with it. As far as the plan goes, I’m not sure what the legislation is going to look like for getting that done, but I can say I will be meeting with some of the different living groups to see what they have in place and work with them to find out what top standards for each of their organizations are and then make a plan from there.
A: As a supporter of the transition of the Idaho Commons into the Idaho Student Union Building, what do you hope to see out of it?
W: Right now, I know that the ISUB has opened up more so students can stay later in the ISUB and they can hold meetings there and what not. I think we need to continue to expand that so that people want to come to the ISUB. There should be entertainment options inside of the ISUB, whether that’s a bowling alley or some kind of small movie showroom or something like that. I mean I don’t really know what’s possible, but I think there could be more things in the ISUB people can gather and do.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
W: Hopefully I land a good engineering job. I’m not sure what my specialty is going to be yet, but it’s going to be a collection of my internships and whatever other work experience and class work I can get after that. My goal is to get some kind of engineering job after college
A: Do you have any other campus concerns you plan to address in your time as a senator?
W: Yeah, absolutely. I’ve noticed that a few of the other candidates mentioned that they felt safety on campus was lacking and I definitely want to make sure we remember some of the campus events that have happened, the Green Dot programs and some of the other safety training programs on campus. I just want to be sure those are properly funded and promoted.
Jackie Uhling
Junior electrical engineering major and accounting minor
Argonaut: What motivated you to run for this position?
Jackie Uhling: I have always been a proud Vandal, I thought running for ASUI Senate would allow me to understand more about University of Idaho.
A: What are you hoping to accomplish in your position?
J: As a senator, I hope to increase the sense of Vandal Family around campus. I also hope to help with the parking and transportation and sustainability issues I see on campus.
A: What do you aim to do after college?
J: I plan to use my degree as an electrical engineer in the power sector.
A: What will you do to help make sure ASUI represents the student body?
J: Having lived in both a sorority as well as the residence halls I have experienced firsthand both good and bad things on our campus. I plan to take input from the student body as well as capitalize on my own experience to create change where it is needed.
A: What are you looking forward to as an ASUI Senator?
J: I am looking forward to being more involved with the university. I am excited to learn more about how ASUI can serve the student body.
A: Is there anything you are worried about being an ASUI Senator?
J: My main worry as an ASUI Senator is not being able to accomplish everything myself, the other senators and the student body would hope for.
A: What do you want people to know about you and your skills coming into this position?
J: I would like people to know that above all I care about the University of Idaho and its students. I have held previous officer positions in high school, and I plan to work hard to serve the student body well.
A: What other clubs or organizations have you been a part of at the university or any other institution?
J: At University of Idaho I am a proud member of my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, as well as an ambassador for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. I am also a part of the SAFE club.
Haadiya Tariq and Brandon Roberts can be reached at [email protected]