Although many students used Spring Break as a time to relax, some newly elected ASUU officials used the week as an opportunity to get to work.
The recently elected Associated Students of the University of Utah leadership has started to address a variety of issues, the most pressing being to unite members of the GO and Revolution parties within the new student government, said Tayler Clough, ASUU president-elect.
“We are working together with members of the both the GO and Revolution parties to help accomplish our goals,” Clough said. “We want both parties to be a part of everything we do. It is always good to have a variety of perspectives in any decision that is made.”
Clough said the issue takes on added significance because, though the Revolution Party won the presidential race, Senior Class President-elect Erica Andersen was a member of the GO Party. Also, both the General Assembly and Senate are split down the middle between the two parties.
“This is a unique situation because of the makeup of the new leadership,” said Erica Sellers, a newly elected senator from the College of Business who ran with the GO Party. “In past years, one party has usually dominated. That is not the case this year. I don’t think there will be any problem with the two groups working together, but it will take effort on both sides.”
Sellers said the next step is for both parties to sit down, figure out what campaign ideas are feasible and go forward with what needs to be done.
In addition to attempting to unite the two parties, Clough and Rachel Rizzo, vice president-elect, have begun the process of selecting who will serve on their executive cabinet next year. An e-mail was sent to the general student body last week encouraging all students to apply.
Applications for cabinet positions are available beginning today. The applications can be picked up in the ASUU office, Union Room 234, and are also available online at www.ustudents.com. Applications are due Friday at 5 p.m.
“We are looking to get the ball rolling,” Rizzo said. “We should have our chief of staff in place within two weeks, and our executive cabinet within a week or two after that.”
Clough said the party has also begun working with community organizations to take the first steps toward establishing its proposed mentoring program. It has also started creating a service corps that will eventually take the place of the ASUU service board.
Sellers said although the groups might have different platform ideas, they should still be able to get things done.
“In the end, we all want what is best for the university,” Sellers said. “There is no reason we shouldn’t be able to work together.”
Richard PaysonRachel Rizzo and Taylor Clough hug as other Revolution party members celebrate after the announcement that Clough and Rizzo won the Presidential election by 171 votes. The new leadership of ASUU spent spring break working on uniting the winning candidates from Revolution and Go parties.