This year there are three teams running to be the representative of the student body in the form of Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) Student Government President (P) and Vice President (VP).
Brooke Culp (P) and Cole Schliebe (VP) (hereafter C&C), Gabe Saint (P) and JW Rzeszut (VP) (hereafter S&JW), and Kameron Murfitt (P) and Paden Knull (VP) (hereafter M&K).
The debate, on Wednesday, March 27, consisted of eight questions drafted by the ASUW Professional Staff Patrick Hamilton and was orchestrated by Dean of Students Ryan O’Neil.
Here’s what each team had to say in response to the respective questions.
*Editor’s Note: The following questions and answers are paraphrased to form each team’s collective answer and simplify the hour and a half long debate. The debate was live streamed, and a link to the recording will be attached as soon as it is available to us.
- How would you explain what ASUW is and does to someone who doesn’t know about it?
C&C: ASUW’s job is to be a direct advocate for students that can make change with the [state] Legislature as well as maintain and support programs of interest to students, and also serves as a format and function for students and administration to connect.
M&K: ASUW is a forward-facing representative with the administration and the state, the “youth voice of Wyoming” and does its best to effectively work with the Board of Trustees as well as state stakeholders.
S&JW: ASUW is an underutilized tool for the voice of the students and how their student fees are spent.
- What is the number one issue facing students right now?
C&C: Accessibility for both the physically and emotionally challenged on this campus, such as mental health programs.
M&K: There is a huge discussion over the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (hereafter, DEI), and I (Murfitt) am going to use my position in the President’s working group next fall to make sure student programs are still provided for those in marginalized communities. As someone who is personally impacted (Knull) as an international student, it’s important to find ways to maintain support for these programs and their students as it encompasses a lot more than people realize.
S&JW: Our team disagrees on an answer to this question. I (Rzeszut) believe that the cost of living is the most important issue facing our students as we are at the end of a recession, with high inflation rates, increased rent, food insecurity, and fees and tuition. If we want students to continue to come to and stay at this university, we need to make living in Laramie sustainable. I (Saint) believe that ideological division on this campus is our biggest issue. We need to come together, sit down, and have a conversation, and compromise.
- For issues ASUW doesn’t have control over, what will you do to represent student voices?
C&C: The idea is to work with the state and the federal government, and more importantly for students to utilize their positions as students to create change and recognize that the administration of this university is not the enemy [as they can help perpetuate change on the behalf of the student body].
M&K: The idea is to try to adhere to some of these issues while also making sure that the student need is still attainable, such as lowering the cost of parking tickets and increasing the amount of buses we have if parking is to remain an issue.
S&JW: It’s all about political finesse, using the right words to have the conversations with people who do have authority over these situations and recognizing the bigger picture, broader vision, and nevertheless try to have an impact. We have no tools for the short term but we do have tools for the long term.
- How do you want to increase transparency (both internally and externally)?
C&C: We really want to focus on leadership, but not just pro staff for ASUW, but leadership in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the fact that we are humans first, students second, and ASUW third. Everything about our campaign is ethics; being sound, reasonable, and just.
M&K: We are focussed on “Cowboy Diplomacy” and want to focus on [ASUW] rebuilding our relationships. We understand that we were under the microscope for our internal audit this last fall, and we intend to be more transparent about our student fee spending.
S&JW: One of our focusses is external relationships, and we are endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. There is a disconnect between the university and the state and we need to amend that. As for internally, we need to be held accountable and be responsible with our spending.
- What do you think the status of Freedom of Expression is on this campus, and what will you do in your role to promote it?
C&C: ASUW is a neutral entity but nevertheless should continue to increase support for programs that directly help students. Additionally, it is our job to make sure that no agenda is pushed by professors that would make students uncomfortable. We also endorse programs like BRIDGE, a new campus organization that promotes civil discourse and discussion.
M&K: Freedom of Expression exists on this campus and it’s healthy, but there could be improvements to it and a decrease in marginalization. We should go to RSOs and directly engage students, promoting ethics and discussions through programs like orientation.
S&JW: Freedom of Expression is one of our passions, as I (Saint) have previously worked with the President’s Freedom of Expression working group to make sure our university remains neutral and have proposed a Bill to ASUW Senate next week so that speech on this campus is limited the same way it is in the U.S. Constitutionally. According to JW, the university should not be for or against progress.
- How do you want to better engage students?
C&C: Our idea is to promote what we call “passion projects” or to encourage students and ASUW senators to bring in their concerns and ideas so we can come together to make a change. Take for example the bill we just passed on promoting safety on Highway 287. That was someone’s passion project, and we got it done in two weeks.
M&K: We are the vessels of outreach. By doing town halls, reworking the programs we already have, and doing President and Vice President talks [with students], we will become one entity that is for all students.
S&JW: Our idea is to make the world a better place. We can do that through better orientation, increased messaging and facilitation of healthy dialogue, and hosting discussion panels for civil discourse. For example, we [the Young American Libertarians] hosted an abortion discussion panel and invited both sides [the Students for Life and the Students for Reproductive Rights] and we had a really good turn out. No one won or lost, we simply had a conversation.
- What are you going to do in your leadership role in regards to DEI and how do you think the university should move forward?
C&C: We have one of the largest international student populations on campus in the nation, and 40% of our students are first generation. ASUW needs to host programs and find external programs for these and many other organizations and programs on campus.
M&K: We are keeping our Director of DEI. Unity means finding your place on this campus, and no one should be uncomfortable here. We need to make sure that these groups can co-exist peacefully, because there is one Wyoming no matter what.
S&JW: Humans are created equal, and diversity on this campus means it is healthy. We need to take our vision of DEI to the WY Legislature and explain what it is; surely then when there is understanding, they will support it.
- In our last minute round, is there anything else you would like to address or discuss?
C&C: A last note on the Legislature and the funding they did pass for us. It will increase our accessibility fund as well as graduate assistantships, and help us work to decrease violence on this campus.
M&K: From previous experience in ASUW, our goal is to help every single student. One of initiatives in doing that is promoting safety, and diverting about $260,000 to increasing lighting on North Willette. We also hope to use innovation to expand scholarships, work with the UWPD to make student constables and patrols on campus, and maybe even take a dollar out of the beers purchased at the games and spread out that funding for other student needs.
S&JW: ASUW’s goal is unity, or the common good. We need to shift the public perspective on our team. We are not just two conservative students, we fundamentally differ on a lot of things but nonetheless we are for all our people.
