On April 25, the newly elected ASUU officers will take over their new positions and the current administration will no longer attend meetings, fill out reports or plan student events.
Members of the outgoing administration said they had a good experience serving in ASUU despite the long meetings and slow university bureaucracy.
“I really enjoy attending ASUU events and just seeing how much students like it and seeing how much students get involved,” said ASUU President Geneva Thompson, a senior in political science and international studies. “Not everyone knows ASUU is putting it on, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. But really just seeing students enjoying their college experience I think is really cool.”
One of Thompson’s biggest goals coming into office was to improve the U’s methods for reporting acts of discrimination. She saw friends go through the process and said it was really slow. This year, ASUU worked with the U to create a new director of inclusivity.
“This person’s whole job is supposed to make sure that students are being heard and feel comfortable when reporting acts of discrimination,” Thompson said. “We’re really excited about that. The search committee should be meeting soon and hopefully they can get someone hired before I graduate.”
Thompson wished she could have done more to create a support system for students with disabilities on campus. She said they do not have the same support structures as other students, such as student groups or activities.
“I did not realize there was such a lack of support, of emotional support,” Thompson said. “That’s kind of a bummer moment … I could have done something if only I knew.”
Thompson is graduating this semester and plans to attend law school.
”I would like to go into advocacy work especially. I’m really interested in working with women and domestic abuse cases, but really anything kind of social justice and advocacy themed I am really interested in,” Thompson said. “I’m in love with policy, and so I would love to help inform or influence the creation of policy — maybe someday get elected.”
ASUU Vice President DJ Payton, a senior in international studies and history, said his time at ASUU helped him grow as a person.
“It’s been a very positive experience. I’ve learned a lot about who I am as a leader, as a student and as a person, how I work with people in those relationships,” Payton said. “And the really cool thing is that you have a really good set of advisers in this office that help you grow as a person and [in turn] will help you help others to grow in those positions and serve the students.”
One of Payton’s favorite parts of serving as vice president is the variety of duties he has, since his position has more freedom than position of ASUU president.
“I get to touch different things in my position, and I get to choose what things I touch, and that’s fantastic because I get to sculpt my experience,” Payton said. “You can go out and find a way and make them happen because you are motivated to do so.”
As part of his responsibilities, Payton serves as one of the ASUU child care program co-chairs, the ASUU Assembly chair and works on the student commission. The commission brings students and administrators together to work on projects and the Pac-12 commission, which tries to advance traditions and campus spirit. He also created Game on the Green, a football-watching party for the U’s away games.
“I think Game on the Green is something I’m really proud of. A lot of people might say it was small [and] it wasn’t quite a whole lot, but I see it has room to grow. I feel like we took a very significant step this year to making a campus tradition happen,” Payton said. “If I am coming back to the U in 10 years to visit and [Game on the Green is still] happening, that will light up my world.”
Payton said at times the pressure of office can be hard to deal with.
“Not to say that people see me and [think] I’m perfect, but when people look at Geneva or me or any of the directors, we can’t make mistakes. We’re walking on a line that has no safety nets where we’re supposed to be the ones who are running things correctly,” he said. “We’re the first people who are criticized for some of the things that we do, being that face, being that frontline person.”
Payton is going to graduate school to study higher education administration and student development. He is currently selecting which university to attend.
“I want to work as a dean of students or a director over an office like orientation or admissions or financial aid, [any] of those that are in student affairs. I feel like I’ve had a broad experience and it helps,” Payton said.
Senior class president Erika Minjarez, a senior in mass communication and political science, never planned on running for an ASUU office before Thompson and Payton approached her.
“Honestly what I think I am most proud of is the fact that I actually did this,” Minjarez said. “It gave me a really good opportunity to reach out to people and just say ‘hey this organization and the university have a lot of things offer.’”
Through her time as senior class president, Minjarez said she learned it is not possible to plan for everything.
“That kind of stuff used to stress me out and now it just is what it is. Let’s just make it what we can make it, and let’s keep going,” Minjarez said. “I’ve also learned to just put yourself out there and be open to opportunity because if you’re open to it great things will happen, usually.”
Minjarez said one way she got through the frustrations of her position was to keep everything in perspective.
“You just need to remember why you’re doing it and what makes you happy about doing it,” Minjarez said. “For me it was the people, and there were times when I was really stressed out and thought to myself ‘why am I here?’ and then I would go to meetings and meet new people and that’s why — these [students] are so cool.”
Minjarez will attend law school at the U next semester and does not yet have a definite career plan.
“I thought about it long and hard for about five years about what I want to do with my life, and I still don’t know. I think whatever happens after law school we’ll see. I [am] just going to go with it. That plan has worked out for me so far,” Minjarez said. “I also feel it is going to enable me to help people in the future, which is what I really love to do — whatever that looks like.”