Many students — with only weeks left in the 2001-02 school year — are just waiting for the term to end. But for Rachel Pilliod and Ben Buzbee, their year as ASUO Executive is just beginning.
Pilliod and Buzbee will take the helm of ASUO president and vice president, respectively, from Nilda Brooklyn and Joy Nair officially May 25.
The two are already working
to make their platform promises
a reality.
Staff interviews for next year’s
offices are being completed this week for spots including finance coordinator, controller positions and a number of advocate positions. The results will be announced Monday. With more than 60 applications received and 47 interviews to conduct, the selection process was time consuming, but the large pool of
applicants made it possible for them to find the students best prepared for the jobs, Pilliod said.
“The exciting thing is that seeing so many interested applicants allowed Ben and I to have a better understanding of the level of understanding people have in different areas,” Pilliod said.
The two are also working to better acquaint themselves with administrators and campus groups to make ties for next year and open up the lines of communication. Aside from the current campus body, they are also reaching out to incoming freshman through IntroDUCKtion and Week of Welcome, and they plan to be more involved in orientation for international students than past executives, she said.
Although Pilliod and Buzbee are newcomers, they are not going into the job alone.
Brooklyn and Nair have been working with the incoming leaders since the beginning of the term to ensure a smooth transition process, meeting with them weekly and answering any questions the incoming president and vice president might have.
“We will always be available as resources if they need us,” Nair said.
Earlier elections this year than last year worked to Pilliod and Buzbee’s advantage by allowing them more preparation time, Nair said.
Pilliod and Buzbee have already started working on two campaigns, one to improve campus safety, the other aimed at bolstering student voter turnout.
They have been brainstorming ideas for the safety campaign on how to make the campus more aware of the crimes that take place on it. They want students to feel safe and comfortable. One idea Pilliod has thought of is a flag system, where flags would be put up on University vehicles when a crime is committed so students know of the incidents they would otherwise have to wait to read about in the news.
“The problem is there’s a delay in communications when something happens, and the University loses focus of what happened,” Buzbee said.
With Get Out the Vote, Pilliod is hoping for a bigger ballot box with more visibility and more student access to voter registration cards.
Pilliod and Buzbee are also pursuing individual goals.
“Ben is also very active in developing plans for a leadership initiative on campus and I am still working with the University Health Center and different community groups on health-related issues and the student population,” Pilliod said.
During the summer, they plan
to go over ASUO program contracts in detail and get those contracts approved.
Despite the time commitment — which could be likened to a full-time job — Pilliod thinks it is time well invested.
“I can honestly say that it encompasses more than I ever expected, but that I am enjoying all of the challenges and rewards associated with it,” she said.
Buzbee wants students to know that although they are in positions of leadership, he and Pilliod are there to help.
“We want students to know we’re here to serve them and advocate for them,” he said. “We want people to approach us and share ideas.”