At the second meeting of the semester, new faces predominated the University of Arizona’s undergraduate student body government, the Associated Student of The University of Arizona.

New Faces Fill Senate Seats 

Julie Vivaldo, the newly elected senator for the College of Fine Arts, campaigned on a platform to increase awareness of mental health resources available to students on campus and build a more unified community between the diverse fine arts programs at the UA.

“Throughout my time at the School of Music, I have met amazing people and had access to a lot of resources. Now, I want to give back to my college,” Vivaldo said. “Being a voice for my college is a huge honor.” 

Vivaldo, who ran unopposed, is settling into the role by meeting with the leaders of the College of Fine Arts and outlining future events to spread mental health awareness.

RELATED: ASUA election results are in: Meet your new student body government

Joseph Sturm, the new senator for the College of Education, promised to spotlight the achievement and needs of students within his college with his newfound voice in campus politics. 

“Many undergraduate students in our teacher preparation programs face difficulties in traveling to their off campus shadowing locations,” Sturm said. “I want to ensure the College of Education is well represented on campus.”

Sturm, who also ran unopposed, is meeting with leaders of his college and is working to better connect students and the resources they need on campus. 

Old Challenges Remain 

ASUA will spend September 7th at 9 a.m. to the 10th at 1 p.m. at their annual retreat, a time for new senators to learn the ropes and for the student leaders to draw up a game plan to achieve their goals for the year.

After the spring 2019 semester ASUA election, where the three executives ran uncontested, ASUA’s incoming student leaders promised to increase student engagement and outreach. 

In the 2018 fall semester, ASUA leaders were faced with a similar position: Many college-specific senate seats remained empty, forcing the body to appoint a number of members. This year, ASUA will only need to appoint one senator.

Check back to the Daily Wildcat every week to read more about ASUA as it introduces campus resolutions and begins to implement its plans to better engage the UA community.

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