The Associated Students of the University of Arizona held its primary elections last week and two of the three presidential candidates move further in the process. Rocque Perez and Tara Singleton are both juniors running for the position of ASUA president. The Daily Wildcat got to know both of them and their platforms better.
Rocque Perez
Perez is currently running for ASUA president, running on the platforms of equity and student wellness, marketing and communications and local government and community engagement.
Perez is a currently a student body senator and has held a position for multiple years now.
“As a Student Body Senator, I addressed … student concerns, found solutions for bigger issues, and worked to make tangible differences within and around the campus community,” Perez said in an email.
Perez said he wants to be president to have a voice for the people who might not have their voices heard all the time.
He said in an email that he believes it is the duty of the student body president “to speak up for those needs, account for them at an administrative level and identify solutions that address the needs of each and every individual in a manner that works for them.”
In his time in student government, Perez has worked on a myriad of different resolutions, including working with Veterans Education & Transition Services and President Dr. Robert C. Robbins to get the UA recognized as a Purple Heart University. Perez helped work on the Census Project, which made the UA the first campus in the nation to develop and introduce a campuswide census to account for all student communities.
After graduation, Perez could see himself continuing to work in the UA Office of Government and Community Relations and the Office of Multicultural Advancement, working on behalf of the UA president’s key community initiatives and helping amass scholarship money for our in-need student communities.
“I really got my heart set on continuing in a greater capacity,” Perez said in an email. “I’d love to work for one of our in-state public universities and continue making those connections between UA and the greater State of Arizona.”
Perez is a junior majoring in political science with an emphasis in American politics and public relations.
Tara Singleton
Singleton is currently running for student body president, on three main platforms: civic engagement, impact of involvement and transparency and visibility.
Foremost, Singleton hopes to get more college students to vote by engaging in national and local politics. Singleton’s second focus is to make a positive impact on students by giving equal access to involvement opportunities to each student.
Ultimately, Singleton wishes to encompass her goal to improve communication between the student body and ASUA, with hopes that students can express their concerns and ideas so that ASUA can serve every student on campus.
Singleton explained that she plans to serve students’ needs by centralizing resources.
“The student government should serve not only those involved in it but every student on campus … Many student populations access similar resources that are spread out across campus,” Singleton said over email. “I hope to coordinate these efforts and consolidate resources into one easily accessible place. Overall, I want to empower ASUA leaders to serve by reaching out, rather than just looking internally.”
Singleton has been apart of ASUA for the past three years serving as the head of elections and policy committee as a senator. This past year Singleton worked with ASUA’s Programs and Services, serving as administrative chief of staff to Administrative Vice President Kate Rosenstengel. Singleton said she’s running for student body president to give back to a university that has offered her so much.
Singleton said she thinks student advocacy affects real change, emphasizing how student voices have the strength to push the university to new places to fit the needs of students.
Singleton has seen areas where change is needed and hopes to be in a position to drive movements that need attention.
After graduation, Singleton plans to continue her role in advocacy and diplomacy with a career in human rights law.
Singleton is a junior majoring in philosophy, politics, economics and law, French and philosophy with an ethics emphasis.
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