1. What do you think accounted for you winning?
2. Once elected, was it what you expected?
3. What surprised you most about being in the Senate?
Brandon Lee
Social and Behavioral Science
1. I had full support from my departments, namely Environmental Studies and Gender Studies. In addition, the SAC chairpersons who knew me had passed on their preference for candidate. I had large support from graduate students, especially from anthropology, geography and political science. A benefit of being an incumbent is that SAC chairpersons know you and know what to expect.
2. Running and being in the Senate is a great and rewarding experience. As a returning senator, I understood the roles and responsibilities of the Senate. I had great mentors.
3. No reply
Bryce Peterson
Science
1. I spent a lot of my time campaigning. I never knew you could get by on such little sleep, and how I passed my classes remains a mystery to this day. Much of my time was spent talking with individuals. I listened to concerns and voiced my opinions and views on certain issues. I would like to think that somehow I resonated with the students and they, in turn, voted for me.
2. My term as Senator and Senate Chairperson has been riddled with surprises. Some of the issues that students have approached me with I would never have dreamed existed. I have also had much more fun than I expected. C-SPAN often looks boring. The ASUU Student Senate is anything but.
3. That politicians don’t get thebabes.
Danielle Fowles
Humanities
1. I think the fact that my bio was online really helped. For some reason, my opponent after the primary did not submit a bio and it left students without a way to identify with him.
2. Just about. I expected it to be a time commitment and I take it seriously, as do all ofmy fellow senators,so it has been an enjoyable learning experience.
3. How much ASUU really does for the student body. We have been able to fund a number of students and SACs with research that will provide them with valuable experience. And as a chairperson of a club on campus, I know that the Assembly helps student groups achieve great things that they wouldn’t be able to accomplish on their own.
Ryan Yoshida
Engineering
1. I believe the party affiliation was a major part, but also it was getting out there and talking with students that seemed to be the most effective.
2. Not really. I was expecting to have a whole lot more weight put on me by my college’s student body. The SACs have been very supportive and seem to be able to handle almost everything with very little help from me. I just hope that the students feel that I am accomplishing my job to their expectations.
3. The support that I have gained from the dean’s office, the SACs and the students. I think what it comes down to is that the leaders of the college want to make it a better place for the students.
Whitney Ranes
Business
1. Talking to people and campaigning effectively.
2. I had served on Assembly the year before so I knew what was expected.
3. I was surprised at how much the Senate does and how they help out and coordinate Student Advisory Committees.
Brian Kendell
Architecture
1. I would say that I won because people knew me better than the other candidates.
2. I don’t think there were any surprises when I took office. I went to a couple Senate and Assembly meetings and talked extensively with previous senators, so I knew what I was getting into.
3. I was surprised to find out that the Senate’s voice carries some weight in the administration and that we are asked to be on many important university committees.
Natanya Miller
Education
1. Fate. I honestly do not know.
2. I did not have any expectations; I was not sure what it was going to be at all.
3. The people.We have a very active Senate, and there are many issues that I would have never thought of that come up all the time.
Matt Jensen
Fine Arts
1. I spoke with a lot of people that I already knew and then with
infinitely more that I didn’t.
2. Serving on Senate has been an incredible experience. I have learned a lot about things that I wouldn’t have ever imagined. Also, I have had a great time getting to know the other members of the Senate.
3. I am always so impressed with the people involved. Every year we hear about how things could be so much better, but I really think there are a lot of good things happening that most students simply don’t know about.
Branden Rosenhan
Medicine
1. Apathy/Not voting on the part of most of the more junior medical students. I barely beat out a more junior medical student which
shouldn’t have happened. He and his classmates were in classes together at the time of the final election and more of them should have voted. I was in class with only one-third of my class (class sizes are equal, about 100 each) and the rest of my classmates were on vacation.
2. No reply
3. I didn’t have many expectations coming in, so I haven’t been surprised by much.
Jessica Wempen
Mines and Earth Science
1. One: Almost everyone in my major voted for me.My numbers are really pretty pathetic when you look at them.I think I only got about 30 votes, but when you are in a small college, that is all it takes to win. Two:I think I ran with the right party.
2. Yes and no.There is a lot of pretense in ASUU, which I expected.However, there are a significant number of people who are highly dedicated and motivated.The number of truly dedicated people surprised me.
3. The dedication of the senators surprised me the most. I came into the Senate expecting poor attendance and an elitist attitude.The group I found was not what I expected. Though elite, most of the senators are exceptionally humble.They are serving in ASUU because they believe they can make a difference for students on this campus.
Suzanne HarringtonNursing
1. I showed that I cared.2. Yes, because I feel that we made a difference in the legislation we produced, and that is why I ran in the first place.3. How much fun it was.
Jen JankowskiHealth
1. I did not win; I was appointed.2. I was not elected. However, being in the Senate is much like what I thought it would be.3. The personalities of the other senators.