麻豆影院

By the University of Colorado Student Government

Please join CUSG on Wednesday, April 2, at 7 p.m. in the VAC Auditorium for the Spring 2014 Candidate Debates. All Tri-Executive and Representative-at-Large candidates will discuss the state of the campus, their plans for CU, and their involvement histories. Before engaging civically with your student government, take a few minutes to read the biographies and platforms of the three contending Tri-Executives tickets. We will see you Wednesday for food and democracy.

Beginning Monday, April 7, through Thursday, April 10, all current 麻豆影院 students have the right and the responsibility to cast their vote in the Spring 2014 CUSG election.听Log on to 听to cast your votes for CUSG Tri-Execuive, Representatives-at-Large, ASSG Co-Senators, ASSG Representatives, and UCEC candidates. Polling locations will also be established across campus for in-person voting.听

Candidates for Tri-Executive

The INSPIRE Ticket 听
By Ashley Prince, Mitchell Fenton, William Silkman听听 听 听听

Ashley Prince is a junior studying psychology and business. She鈥檚 originally from Canada but grew up in Superior, Colo., just 15 minutes down the street from CU. When she鈥檚 not busy with school or CUSG, she spends her time playing guitar and writing original songs.听 Ashley also enjoys volunteering at soup kitchens around 麻豆影院, singing at senior citizen homes and mentoring teenage girls. Ashley is also on Kappa Alpha Theta鈥檚 standards board.

Ashley has been a part of CUSG since her freshmen year, starting with Freshmen Council, then Secretary of Arts and Sciences Student Government and currently serving as Representative at large and Representative Speaker. Since day one, Ashley has been a proud supporter of the INSPIRE ticket and everything it stands for. Ashley鈥檚 biggest passion within CUSG is to make sure the students鈥� voices are heard. By increasing the visibility of CUSG so that more students have the opportunity to understand and ask questions about what the University of Colorado student government does, more students can have an input and make sure their voice is heard. Ashley wants to INSPIRE students to be involved on this campus.

Will Silkman is a junior studying international affairs and business. For the past two years he has served on the Finance Board, most recently as the Vice Chairman. In that role, he has been a valuable contributor to the management of student fees, specifically helping pass the annual budgets of our 13 cost centers. He is the only Executive candidate in this election with more than six months experience on the Finance Board, bringing an unmatched background and set of skills to the INSPIRE ticket.

On the Finance Board, he serves as liaison to the UMC, our largest cost center, and provides financial regulation assistance to the Student Group Funding Board. Despite remaining a full-time student, Will also interns 20 hours a week at Janus Capital Group in Denver, demonstrating his excellent time management skills. He is also an involved leader in Greek life, having organized multiple philanthropy events, alumni mentoring programs, and other personal development initiatives as the Vice President of External Affairs for his specific fraternity, Chi Psi. He has contributed to a student-run newspaper, was a member of the Honors RAP his freshman year, and frequents many of our student-funded resources in the UMC and across campus.

Will is a passionate worker that tirelessly strives for the highest level of success in his personal life, school endeavors, and extra-curricular activities. Taking this attitude into Vice President of Internal Affairs, he will do everything he can to make sure that the actions of Student Government reflect the needs of students in a sustainable way. By collaborating, working together, and fostering positive relationships, INSPIRE can eliminate inefficiencies in CUSG鈥檚 current processes while tackling the wants and needs of students at a level never before seen.

INSPIRE is excited to introduce their President of External Affairs, Mitchell C. Fenton. Born and raised in Brookfield, Conn., he came to the University of Colorado in 2010 to experience what the west had to offer. Outside of the classroom, he can be found in Chautauqua Park enjoying the outdoors, trap shooting in Lefthand Canyon, or running around on Kittredge field with his lacrosse team. Mitchell is studying psychology and political science, and will be graduating in spring 2015. In addition to currently sitting on Legislative Council as a Representative at Large, Mitchell is also president of both the Men鈥檚 Lacrosse team, and the Collegiate Sport Clubs Executive Council, as well as a voting member of the UMC Board.

Mitchell was selected as President of External Affairs largely because of his desire to effectively represent the University of Colorado on a larger scale. As a member of Legislative Council and UMC Board, he has a wealth of experience within student government representing the interests of students here on campus. As President of External Affairs he would be charged with representing these interests at the city, and state level. This includes working closely with 麻豆影院 City Council to ensure the voices of CU students do not go unheard when it comes to matters that directly effect student life both on, and off campus.

Additionally, Mitchell would be responsible for coordinating lobbying efforts at the state legislature, in order to best represent the opinions of CU students to the state government. Issues at this level, such as higher education funding, and state tobacco laws impact the everyday lives of students, meaning their opinions must be taken into account during the legislative process. By the end of his term, he hopes to have improved the lives of CU students by working with the city of 麻豆影院 to make the hill both safer and more student friendly, while also fighting proposed legislation that would adversely affect members of the CU community.

Mitchell鈥檚 love for this school is what fuels his passion to enhance the experience of every student at the University of Colorado. In his time at CU, he has strived for a diverse and all encompassing experience, which has shaped him into a dynamic student leader on campus. He has truly found a home here, and firmly believes in his ability to improve it for both current, and future Buff鈥檚. It鈥檚 time to get inspired CU. Vote For Mitchell Fenton, Ashley Prince, and Will Silkman to be your next CUSG Tri Executives!

The INSPIRE ticket believes in fostering an inclusive and sustainable campus environment听through the engagement and representation each听CU student. We want to change the听impression of 鈥渟tudent government鈥� at CU by听working with听every student. We advocate for collaboration and cooperation between student groups, cost-centers, funding boards, and the administration to achieve the most efficient听and reliable听funding processes.听We are practical about budgets, remain听flexible enough听to provide the greatest value of services to students, but听always听keep in听mind the ever-increasing cost听of attendance at CU-麻豆影院.

By building on positive relationships we听will听continue to INSPIRE听positive change across campus and ensure the necessary level of student services. Above all, we believe in electing the most experienced and qualified leaders who听are realistic yet optimistic听about campus-wide goals and who will continually stand up for听every single student. INSPIRE is听about recognizing and capitalizing on our differences while creating a campus听community for every Buff.

John Q. Adams said that 鈥淚f your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader,鈥� and as Tri Executives we want to INSPIRE positive change in every organization, community, and student on this campus. Buffs, it is time to 鈥渓et your light shine."

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The MOVEMENT Ticket听

CU is known externally for our long history of political and social activism, our research and academic prowess, and our ability to make the top ten countdowns on any BuzzFeed compilation about colleges that rock. Internally, we Buffs know that our peers have lofty dreams and high aspirations, and at any given moment we are surrounded by greatness in the making. We are Buffs. We are strong, energetic, idealistic, hopeful and empathetic.

Every year, student tickets vie for your vote by chasing you around campus, talking your ear off, and working extremely hard to become your student government leaders. This spring there will be three tickets hoping to gain your vote, and UNITE is truly the best choice for students. UNITE is a ticket made up of students from all over campus who believe in making college affordable for every student through advocating for lower tuition, allyship, improving safety on the Hill and around campus through improved lighting, fighting to increase diversity on campus, uniting to support our student groups and cost centers, and working to create a positive relationship with the 麻豆影院 community. We are a genuinely representative ticket in that we hold dear to our hearts and embody descriptive, symbolic, and substantive representation of the Buff community.听听听听听

We are working to UNITE for access and affordability, diversity, freshman involvement, sustainability, faculty relationships, CU colleges and schools, engagement and transparency, safety and inclusion, and student groups.

After an extensive open primary process, the UNITE community nominated Juedon Kebede, Lora Roberts and Chelsea Canada as the spring 2014 UNITE Tri-Executive candidates. Lora, Chelsea and Juedon are three highly involved, hard working, exceptionally knowledgeable student leaders who will use their expansive experience to create a positive campus environment for all Buffs. Below are the biographies of our fearless, wildly qualified, and genuinely kind UNITE Tri-Executive candidates.

A little about Juedon Kebede:

My name is Juedon Kebede and I am running as a Tri-Executive on UNITE. I am a junior majoring in communication, originally from Memphis, Tennessee, but went to high school in Austin, Texas.

When contemplating on where to spend my next four years as a senior in high school, no university gave me the 鈥渁hh鈥� feeling like the University of Colorado. Since I was an out of state student, I came to CU knowing almost no one. It saddened me that many of the friends I did make my first year had to leave CU due to high tuition expenses. Making sure that everyone has access to this university, regardless of your financial situation, is key not only for the academia of oneself but also building that sense of community and learning those irreplaceable social skills you only learn in college. As a Tri-Executive, I want to ensure that there will be no tuition without representation, and work to get a student regent on the CU Board of Regents who will advocate for an end to extreme tuition increases.

My experience with CUSG has increased tremendously. I started with Freshman Council my first year of college and was then elected as Representative-at-Large my junior year. From there I was elected as the Legislative Council President for the 80th Legislative Session, and have been not only working on the legislative side of CUSG but also working with Student Affairs to strengthen inclusivity on this campus.

I also started a student group called Impact the Youth, which brings high school students on to campus on a weekly basis to be mentored by a CU mentor. This program was designed to increase unity with the 麻豆影院 community, bringing families onto campus, interacting with college students.

Understanding that unity brings power is another crucial concept that our CU leaders need to focus on. Strengthening inclusivity amongst the community, not just the CU community, but the 麻豆影院 community as well will bring more cohesion, resources and indisputable interpersonal knowledge. I plan to work with Admissions, ODECE, Student Affairs, and many of the cost centers to focus on efforts of retention and diversity enhancement. In order for our future to stay bright and get the best college experience, I want to UNITE the BUFFS!

A little about Lora Roberts:

My name is Lora Roberts and I am running as a Tri-Executive on UNITE. Currently, I am a junior studying communication and pursuing my elementary school licensure. I have always identified as a 鈥淐olorado girl鈥� because I was born and raised in this great state. The last four summers I have worked at a summer camp down in Littleton, which has taught me a great deal about patience. When I was younger I swore I would never go to CU because I wanted to be independent and travel the country, however as I grew older, I realized there was no better place for me than right here at CU-麻豆影院.

My journey in CUSG has been a long one; this is actually my 3rd full year in the organization. I started in Freshman Council my first year where I learned the inner workings and true potential of CUSG. The next year I was hired onto staff as the Liaison to Athletics and Alumni and then was asked to advance up to the role of Director of Communications. Working as Director of Communications was difficult, and through trial and error I realized what are, and are not, effective ways to reach the student body. I learned that in order to engage the student body in an impactful manner, we must ask students what they believe, have an active social media, an up-to-date website, and participate in and sponsor student events.

Currently, I am CUSG Chief of Staff. It has been an incredible experience and I have learned so much from the office holding UNITE tri-executives. Part of my role includes assisting the executive branch in decision making and running a full staff of 18. I am considered the right-hand woman of the tri鈥檚, a 鈥�4th Tri-Executive鈥� of sorts. I also manage Freshman Council this year, which I am accelerating from a program that creates and hosts two events per year, to five events.

While my goals for next year are numerous, I have two specific goals close to my heart. First, I hope to keep UNITEing organizations, including RHA and Freshman Council, to continue actively engaging freshman students. I believe that freshmen are the key in a lot of ways to better campus climate. If we can educate them sooner on things like bystander awareness, or what it means to be an ally, I believe we would have a more positive campus environment. I hope to continue the work of the Tri-Executives from this year to help bring a freshman course to CU鈥檚 campus that would focus on issues such as this.

Also, I want to continue working on issues related to student groups. This year the UNITE administration has been taking a look at the system we have set up for student groups and accessing if it is the most productive and beneficial system possible for all stakeholders. In order to have student groups who thrive, we need to provide a system that works and is manageable. I hope to continue working on making the process easier for student groups to navigate. This can be done by working with and fixing deficiencies in organizations such as SOFO, Events Planning and Catering, and Program Council. I also want to continue to fund student groups because their events are important to a positive campus community and campus climate. However, we need to make the funding system easier for student groups to understand and navigate. This is something I hope to do with the student group reform process. I want to continue this mission and UNITE to help our students groups succeed. I want to UNITE the Buffs!

A little about Chelsea Canada:

My name is Chelsea Canada. I am a junior studying broadcast news with an international media certificate. During my time at CU, I have been involved by being a student group leader, a student employee for the university, interning with non-profit organizations, and collaborating with cost centers on campus to try and make a difference in students' lives. These specific communities include the Rec Center, New Era Colorado, the Women鈥檚 Resource Center, VerVE collisionz dance team and the Puksta Scholars.

I was elected last spring as one of the Co-Senators for the School of Arts and Sciences Student Government. My experience includes sitting on two different funding boards. I am currently the Co-executive of the School of Arts and Sciences Student Government. This board determines how student fee money could best benefit the school of arts and sciences and it鈥檚 students who make up the livelihood of this campus. As the Vice President of the Council of Colleges and Schools, I am able to help decide what student fees would best be used for to support a variety of students from different corners of campus. I am also currently the co-chair for the Legislative Affairs Commission. This commission was put in place to pass resolutions in support of state issues that directly affect CU students. For example, the last bill we passed through student government was in support of increased state funding for higher education. I am currently putting together the Air Board which is the joint board that oversees Radio 1190 because I believe it is important to ensure that all of our cost centers on campus are getting the support they need.

My experiences over the past three years have shaped my priorities that I would want to address if I were elected. My first priority would be to ensure that CU is accessible to students who want to attend. Coming from a first generation family and single parent household, I have experienced this firsthand. Another priority is to make sure student groups are receiving the support they need not only by the funding sources that are available, but also by knowing what other resources are available to them. My third priority is to bridge the gap between many different communities across campus. My last priority would be making sure students feel supported with the resources offered on campus and encouraging student engagement during students first year on campus. The livelihood and wellbeing of students should be a top priority because it influences performance and drop-out rates specifically.

I believe I have the experience to represent the BUFF community and advocate for all students. I would love to serve as one of your next tri-executives. I want to UNITE the BUFFS!

Lora Robert鈥檚 experience with freshman engagement and student group advocacy would make her a great President of Internal Affairs. Juedon Kebede has the experience working with the Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students on campus climate issues which would prompt him to be an awesome President of Student Affairs. Chelsea Canada鈥檚 resume with the Legislative Affairs Commission, dealing with student issues on the state level, makes her ideal for President of External Affairs. With the combined CUSG experience and dedication that we all possess, we hope to further our involvement in CUSG by becoming the next Tri-Executives. Because of the incredible passion we all share to better the CU 麻豆影院 campus and the 麻豆影院 community, we know that we are the best candidates for the job. WE WILL UNITE THE BUFFS!听鈥淎s we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to UNITE around our common values and our common humanity.鈥� 鈥� Bill Clinton