Justin Alder, a sophomore music education major, is one of three candidates running for ASUI president. He is running alongside Sawyer Hamm, a junior majoring in musical composition and trumpet performance, who is running for ASUI vice president.
Alder is from Lewiston, Idaho, and came to the University of Idaho because of its great music department. Alder chose the music education major as he believed it could provide a career teaching and make a significant positive impact on young people’s lives.
“I was provided a lot of great opportunities in my high school’s music program, and I came here because we have an incredible music program,” Alder said. “I want to be able to make as much of a positive difference as possible and I think that’s kind of what I’m able to do as an educator.”
Both Alder and Hamm have been active in student involvement, particularly in jazz band and marching band. Because of that, as president, Alder wants to emphasize students first by improving the connection between the ASUI and students, creating more communication with the students, and letting students know they have a stronger voice than they know.
To do this, Alder and Hamm want to keep ASUI meeting minutes up to date for students to easily access. They also plan to open forms for students to submit complaints, comments, or suggestions. They also want to publicize what the ASUI does for students who do not know so that they understand that ASUI bills can create change on campus and bring awareness to different issues.
Alder and Hamm are prioritizing making parking permits on campus cost less. According to Alder, his interest in the Parking and Transportation Services started when a colleague of his received a $100 parking ticket while parking at school school-approved business.
“We were unable to get an appeal, so our professor actually wrote him a $100 check on the spot to cover for it,” Alder said. Now, Alder wants to use the platform of the ASUI president to help improve the relationship between students and the Parking and Transportation Services and lower ticket prices.
Alder and Hamm consider themselves as outsiders from typical ASUI candidates who, according to Alder and Hamm, are usually business or political science majors.
“Our majors definitely take us around the school in a very unique way between jazz fest, athletic bands, fundraisers, and all sorts of things, we’re all over the place,” Alder said. “We’ve built connections all over the university between people we meet in school and connections we have with Greek life and connections we have through the athletic program. I think we have a great perspective because we have so many connections and I think we can relate to a lot of students.”
“I think my most important jobs [as president] are appointing cabinet chairs and having my voice. My voice is I think the strongest tool that anybody has,” Alder said. “I do want to select officials that align with my views. Particularly someone who will advocate to the parking board to lower the price of parking permits is a specific one, but also it would be cool to get some representation from all sorts of backgrounds and across the cabinet.”
Alder and Hamm hope that their campaign of approachability sets them apart from other campaigns.
“I think our platform of being more open to student involvement as our main platform above specific policy issues is important and I think that sets us apart,” Alder said. “I’m not running to put my own views into this job. I’m running to put the students’ views and I think I and Sawyer are extremely effective at interacting and working with students everywhere.”
More information about Justin Alder and Sawyer Hamm’s campaign can be found on their Instagram @alder.hamm.asui
Georgia Swanson can be reached at [email protected]
James Rogers
Go Justin Alder for ASUI president. He was a leader while at LHS, especially in classrooms, like mine. He will represent UI to its highest levels.