To take part in the student government elections, LDSSA invited the HOUSE and Peak parties to talk with students about their platforms at the LDS Institute of Religion atrium Tuesday.
“We set this up so [the parties] would be able to meet potential voters,” said Victor Debell, vice president of LDSSA and a senior in medical lab science. “LDSSA is changing, so our focus has been a little unclear. We’d like to be more involved with what ASUU is doing.”
Students lingered in the institute’s atrium after class and found some of their friends on the HOUSE or Peak parties. Many students said they voted or will vote to support their friends.
David Barlow, a senior in international studies, voted for students in both the HOUSE and Peak Party. He said he wanted to support his friends in Peak and also voted for HOUSE members after seeing some of his friends’ names on the list. But other than supporting friends, he didn’t feel campus voting to be significant.
“I don’t know if it’s that important [to vote],” Barlow said. “I wouldn’t feel bad about it if I didn’t. I just don’t know how much of a difference it makes.”
But Susannah Ungricht, a freshman in exercise science, said it is important to vote, even on a campus level. By itself, a party might not make a big difference. But she said for a university as a whole, ASUU can impact campus. She voted for Peak members.
“I know Peak is more about student involvement,” Ungricht said. “I think that’s good to have.”
Bridger Harris, the Peak candidate for vice president and a junior in marketing, said many of the students simply wanted to know the difference between the two parties. Some students asked the party how they would benefit from the community and LDSSA.
Harris said there is currently not a lot of collaboration with LDSSA and ASUU. They hope to connect everybody and make sure LDSSA is included next year.
James Thatcher, HOUSE candidate for the Humanities Assembly and a junior in political science and English, said he spent most of the time explaining HOUSE’s goals and making sure voters understood some of the platforms such as “sustainability” or “transparency.”
Sam Ortiz, HOUSE candidate for vice president and a senior in social work, said students wanted clarification on HOUSE’s sustainability initiatives and what those entailed. Ortiz said one of the initiatives included improving recycling on campus while keeping the current budget.
Thatcher admitted he used to think being in ASUU was just a “résumé builder.” He said he now sees the impact the elected party has — specifically in campus funding.
Debell said the event enabled students to recognize the link between LDSSA and ASUU. He said taking part on campus also includes being involved with the institute.
“The goal of LDSSA is to get people to enroll in an institute class,” Debell said. “Part of getting people here [enrolled in institute] is getting there [and being involved in] ASUU.”