Introducing the newly elected UVUSA

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Chad Workman, Jared Roberts, Erin Haskell, Clara LeFevre and Elizabeth Miller will repr esent UVUSA for 2012-13. Photo: Connor Allen/UVU Reveiw

“Let’s impact together.”

 

Embracing his team’s name, Chad Workman, the new UVUSA President summed up the goal and vision of UVUSA with one statement.

 

Though these past elections have proved to be controversial and frustrating for all parties involved, a new team has risen and with them and so has the hope for change.

 

Because of the surprising results with the split elections, the newly elected team has to get more acquainted and become one team.

 

“We are no longer team IMPACT and team EXELerate,” Workman said. “We are UVUSA.”

 

Jared Roberts, a former member of team EXELerate and newly elected executive vice president, reiterated Workman’s sentiments and feels he can add a new perspective to the team.

 

“It’s not just team Impact plus Jared Roberts,” Roberts said. “This is our new team and we all bring something to the table.”

 

Upon entering office, the team plans to reach out and become more acquainted with the campus and its organizations.

 

“They have a voice with us, and we’re willing to do whatever we have to for these organizations to thrive,” said Erin Haskell, the new executive vice president of academics.

 

They want to work with the campus as much as possible to take the school to new heights.

 

“I think it’s important that we’re all on the same page and looking towards the same goal,” said Clara LeFevre, the new vice president of student activities. “Even though there are all these different entities on campus, I think we should be striving for UVU’s best success.”

 

Making history with two women on the executive board and a female vice president of clubs, the new UVUSA feels they can set forth an example to women on campus.

 

UVU currently graduates the lowest percentage of women in public universities in Utah. With such low numbers, LeFevre, Haskell and Elizabeth Miller, clubs vp, think they can be a “beacon of hope,” showing women on our campus they can be successful.

 

“Having three women here really shouts a statement,” LeFeve said. “A really strong one too.”

 

With an increase from last year’s voting turnout with 8.92 percent total votes, Workman has ideas to continue to raise that percentage.

 

One of them includes a direct website or link for students to login and vote, making it easier for people to know exactly where to vote.

 

The new team is also open to exploring the option of an independent elections committee, having seen the controversy surrounding the current methods. That being said, they realize that the current committee put in many hours and is most knowledgeable about the elections process and procedures.

 

Workman feels that it’s definitely something worth looking at and likes the idea “as long as there was a UVUSA representative, like an advisor or two involved.”

 

Along with that, they also want to address the issue of transparency within UVUSA, which brought up some major concerns for some students this past election.

 

“We have nothing to hide,” Roberts said. “Something we really need to do is research a way to communicate to students where things like their students fees are going.”

 

The team plans on increasing the marketing of events and UVUSA in general to make them more accessible and inform students of what is happening on campus.

 

They look forward to reach out and involve the Wasatch campus, which they feel essentially, won them the election.

 

The overall theme of this new team is collaboration. They plan on collaborating with each other, with students, with organizations and with the different schools on campus.

 

“Students need to know that we have their best interest in mind and in heart,” Workman said.

 

Along with that, the new council wants students to know that they are accessible and if they want something, they can and should go to them.

 

“Thank you for the votes,” LeFevre said. “Now help us to help you. We need to hear [from you].”

 

By Vanessa Fraga Perkins
UVU Correspondent