After just being announced the winner of ASUA’s special senatorial election last Thursday, Morgan Abraham can already be found hanging out in the ASUA office at the Student Union Memorial Center.
Abraham, an engineering management junior and the president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, will be ratified at the senate’s meeting on Wednesday. The Arizona Daily Wildcat caught up with Abraham to get an idea of his goals for his senatorial term.
Why did you choose the UA rather than ASU?
It was always going to be in-state for me, and I just found love here when I visited the campus. I had a lot of friends coming and it just made sense. I definitely don’t look back — it was the best decision I ever made. And then on top of it, I’ve always been a forward-looking person, and so they did have the major I was looking for — engineering management. It’s a very unique major and ASU doesn’t offer it, so it kind of just worked out.
Since you are an engineering management major, where did the interest to run for ASUA senate come from?
I’m currently the president of my fraternity of 150 guys, so I’ve always been a leadership type of a person. I’ve always enjoyed being involved and making a difference. Politics is my second passion so it made sense. I love it, and I love being able to help out. I’m just kind of learning and contributing. They already have an amazing senate team. I’m just hoping to add a little bit to it.
What is your platform and does your platform resemble Claire Theobald’s? She focused on creating an officer or board to check on the senate and changing the ASUA bylaws for a more open government with more realistic plans.
My platform is not similar to hers, but it does offer great ideas. Mine is more focusing on Spring Fling, moving it hopefully to campus one day. I’m not saying it will be this Spring Fling — that’s already been planned — but to start making strides to work toward that.
Also bettering and getting people more involved in career services and alumni services. I’m an outsider to ASUA. I’m still learning. I’m very new to this. I have a whole structure that does not come naturally to me. I don’t know anyone and so I feel like I see things a little bit differently than kids who have been doing this since their freshman year would. I didn’t realize that Career Services was here, and they can do all this stuff, and how much alumni services can do for us. So that’s one of the reasons I ran, because I feel like there are so many guys out there that just don’t have a clue and probably never going to have a clue. Even if I reach a couple of those people that would be huge for me.
Obviously the last one is reform the parking of the Rec. Right now from 9-5 you have to pay two dollars per hour just to park there, and the amount of money we pay, you could do something about it.
Do you have any idea how you will achieve your goals?
I’m only a senator-elect right now, but the way I understand it is it’s the Parking and Transportation Services. If you read my platform, the money is there. We pay $150 per semester to use the Rec. It’s not, in my opinion, about the money, it’s about how we make it so people don’t park there all day and get a free parking pass. I think that’s possible if we work with PTS. The biggest thing, and it might not fall under my category as a senator, but it falls under my category as a student leader, is rallying the student body. Not demanding this, but making it known that it’s kind of ridiculous. I think that’s possible. I don’t know if the school officials will go for that, but I think that if we can make some noise and get a bunch of people to rally, it could be kind of a cool thing.
How will you balance being president of your fraternity, being an ASUA senator and schoolwork?
I have one month left on my term. I believe I get inaugurated in two weeks from now. So there will be two weeks where I’m going to be president and senator. But other than that, I will be a full time senator. It shouldn’t be too bad. Those two weeks might be stressful but I think I can handle it.
