There are two Emilys to get to know this year: Fritze and Connally. These two women are the faces of the undergraduate and graduate student bodies on campus.
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona and the Graduate and Professional Student Council are two student governmental bodies — and both have big plans for the new year.
“”We have a very good new senate class,”” said Katherine Weingartner, executive vice president of ASUA and public management and policy junior. Six of the 10 senators are from Freshman Class Council, an effort by ASUA to get new students involved in student government early. “”I’ve already received proposals (for senate projects) and booked rooms,”” Weingartner said.
Chad Travis and Garrett Voge, two pre-business sophomore senators from Freshman Class Council, have started planning their senate projects for this year.
“”They immediately got inaugurated and after two days, they were holding a forum on S.B. 1070,”” Weingartner said. She feels this has given the new senate class a strong resolve to start this year strong.
Travis’ new project is to advertise about the various senate projects to the students most apt to attend them, those who live on campus. Monthly posters will be posted in residence halls to alert people of the senate projects and new initiatives that ASUA plans to enact over the school year.
During their first meeting of the year on Aug. 25, the 2010-11 ASUA Senate will approve the new budget in order to fund this and several other projects under the guidance and direction of ASUA President Emily Fritze.
GPSC President Emily Connally spoke highly of Fritze and said she is excited to work with ASUA to strengthen the student voice on hot-button issues.
“”There’s certain issues where if the students don’t stand together, the faculty isn’t going to do anything,”” Connally said. “”And Emily (Fritze) is amazing actually so I think it will work
out well.””
Connally, a graduate psychology student, is looking forward to a research showcase in late October open to all students and combining all the graduate councils on campus.
Both Weingartner and Connally see this new year — and their continued work with each other — as the mark of a more productive year. They both wanted to work on transparency.
Weingartner noted one of the missions of the new senate is to produce a report, which details their mission for the year and what was accomplished.