Dear Student Body,

It is an honor and a privilege to have been elected as an ASUA Senator for the 2015-16 school year, and it is my duty to represent us to the best of my abilities.

As a senator, I am focused on progressing the following specific items: (1) increase hands-on learning opportunities, (2) improve tech resources on campus, and (3) encourage more student involvement within ASUA. In general, my goal is to make the UofA more self-sufficient and interconnected by the time I graduate then it was when I first stepped foot on campus as a transfer student last Fall.

I have already made great progress on each of the specific areas: I have been working to learn more about and expand the 100% engagement initiative, and to create an ASUA program to partner with InnovateUA to further promote startup acceleration at the UofA; I have created a programming team within ASUA to accomplish tech-related ideas from senators and am currently serving as director of this team (they created this website and are also working on a new Arizona mobile app), and I serve as the Vice Chair of the Information Technology Student Advisory Board and a member of the Learning Management Systems Request For Proposals Working Group; and I have been working with ASUA cabinet members on expanding their internship program.

I have had a productive start to my Senate term, and I am excited to continue to serve the student body through my graduation and hopefully beyond. There are few better feelings than giving back to this great university that has given so much to us.

Thank you for reading, and bear down!

Alec Kretch

Dear University of Arizona Students,

My name is Maddy Bynes, and I was elected to be your student body Senator in March 2015. I am a double major in Political Science with an emphasis in American Politics and History with a minor in Turkish Language. I work in many different areas of the UA including Residence Life, the Office of Sustainability, and ASUA.

I ran because I believe in the student body and everything it has to offer the Tucson community, the state of Arizona, the United States, and the World. The potential we have for change is great, and it's time for that change to expand past Beardown gym. This is why I ran on the platform: Build. Sustain. Retain.

During my tenure in office, I would like to build partnerships and develop collaborative relationships between clubs, programs, services, Greek Life, and the Tucson community. Building partnerships allows for more collaborative solutions to large problems the Wildcat community faces. Secondly, I want to make the UA more sustainable. I have worked tirelessly in my four years as a Wildcat to make the UA more sustainable. Climate change is the biggest issue we will face in our life times. It will affect the entire world's population and it's time we, as an institution, take it seriously. Finally, I want to create a campus where we retain our students. Though retention at a research one University can be difficult because of the enhanced rigors of classes, I believe that we can retain more students by getting Freshmen and Sophomores involved in clubs, programs, services, and Greek Life, so they will have incentive to stay outside of their course work.

As your Senator, I currently sit on two standing committees, the UA Green Fund and the President's Advisory Council on the Environment and Sustainability (PACES). I am the Chair of the UA Green Fund and I work closely with the Office of Sustainability and the Dean of Students to make PACES the most efficient advisory body that it can be. In addition, I sit on the Elections Code Revision committee. With the help of President Felix, Commissioner Alvarez, and two other Senators, we are working to make your 2016 Student Body elections run as fairly as possible.

As a community, we are at a turning point. Do we sit by, idol, when we have the chance to make a change in our world or do we stand up together to push for 21st century solutions to 21st century problems? I hope to work with all of you to improve our UA community and leave a sustainable legacy.

Best,

Senator Maddy Bynes

Dear Student Body,

I'm excited to serve my second term as a senator and even more excited to work with such a motivated senate class.  Senators are working both independently and collaboratively on projects to make sure that our platforms are accomplished and sustainable.  Apart from our group initiatives, I've been working on several platforms that aim to create more engagement opportunities through the insourcing of on-campus internships and jobs.

My three main platforms include: creating ASUA web development internships for CS students, job opportunities for student note-takers and a freshmen guerilla marketing team to advertise these positions as well as hundreds of other engagement opportunities in the office.  Senator Kretch and I recently hired six CS students that will provide free web development for student clubs and organizations.  Senator Bynes, Senator Scibilia, Senator Kretch and I are working to create an updated and transparent Senate site.  I'm also working with Senator Scibilia and Senator Lubisich on ASUA Ambassadors, the freshmen marketing team.

This is going to be a productive year for ASUA Senate, and we're all excited to serve the student body for the 15-16 school year!

Senator Cox

Dear U of A Students,

I'm Alexa Jenkins and I'm currently a Junior at the U of A majoring in Criminal Justice Studies and Psychology. I am one of your ten ASUA senators for the 2015-2016 school year. I am originally from Phoenix and graduated from Xavier College Prep. Now at the U of A, I currently enjoy volunteering at organizations around central Tucson and I love being involved on campus. Last year I worked closely with senators as a member of the senate staff and presently I'm continuing to work in ASUA by serving the student body with my own platforms this year. My overall goal as a senator is to help raise student's awareness about current social justice issues, along with strengthening involvement on campus. I plan to accomplish this by increasing knowledge about the student government within the student body in order to have more informed and proactive students as a whole. My project, Don't Cancel that Class aims to put on educational programs to inform students in current social justice issues of the day. I also intend to provide free textbooks for certain classes through a program called OpenStax. As a senator for the 2015-2016 school year I hope to advocate accessibility and openness by serving as a voice of the student body.

Your Senator,
Alexa Jenkins

Hello,

My name is Matt Lubisich and I am currently a Sophomore in the Honors College here at the UofA and am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Political Science. Aside from ASUA Senate, I am involved with the SOPHOS Sophomore Honorary, Arizona Ambassadors, and I work for the Eller School of Management.  It was always a dream of mine to be a Senator, being that my mom was a Senator when she was enrolled here. Last spring, I ran on three platforms: increasing awareness for sexual assault on campus, providing free parking during finals, and working with Residence life to instill a subsidized laundry system on campus. All of these issues are extremely important to me and  it is my personal goal to represent the students here at this great University, and to strive to make the student voice stronger throughout campus.

Hey Wildcats!

My Names Hailey Schwartz, I'm a senior studying Public Health. I am honored to represent the student body as a Senator this year and cannot wait to further the welfare of the University. I am and will remain grateful to consider myself a Wildcat for Life. Since the beginning my time at the University of Arizona, I have come to love this school and everything it stands for. I am fiercely passionate about serving the University of Arizona and it's ability to help individuals grow and provide them with an unforgettable college experience. Past Wildcats have already paved a legacy to make the UA the incredible institution it is. I am committed to seeing this legacy continue and grow. I am grateful for every step I've taken on this campus and hope to help others obtain an exceptional college experience!

I've had a wonderful journey here at the U of A, I first got involved with ASUA by joining Freshman Class Council. I pursued my involvement outside of ASUA through Greek Life and Honoraries. I joyfully spent time as a member of SOPHOS Sophomore Honorary, Chain Gang Junior Honorary, and the New Member Educator of Chi Omega. I am now thrilled to spend my senior year as a member of Bobcats Senior Honorary while interning for Campus Health's Health Promotion and Preventative Services.

As a Senator I made a few promises to the University of Arizona pending my May departure. I am committed to working hard to bettering the health outcomes of our campus. I plan to make influenza vaccinations more readily available and easily attainable to the students, add spray on disinfectant coating to common areas around campus, and increase the number of hand sanitation stands.

I value giving back to the community and serving a cause I am devoted to. I am passionate about making a difference and positively affecting those around me, especially for the greater good of this institution. On behalf of myself, and so many others I love dedicating myself to giving back to the University of Arizona that is a home to us all.

Bear Down,

Hailey Schwartz

Fellow Students,

It is a daunting challenge for Ten Senators to fully represent all 32,987 undergraduate students, and 7,744 graduate students. As a Senator I have worked incessantly to fix this major representation problem. First, I have re-instated UA Listens, which serves as a direct avenue for students to petition its leaders. The Facebook page not only allows students voices to be heard, but truly advocated for. If a student's petition receives 100 likes, it is then addressed at the next senate meeting. In a second term I will continue to grow UA Listens in order for every student to be reached. In addition to creating a platform for students to petition their leaders, I have also worked closely with my fellow Senators to ensure the Senate structure is reformed. I have supported the move from the current Senate structure, to a new one comprised of twenty-two senators representing various colleges and three at large senators. The new structure will bring more students to the decision-making table, and reach far more students. Throughout the year I will be initiating various outreach events to recruit future campus leaders.

Senator Zanoni

Hello Students of the University of Arizona,

My name is David McGarey and I have the honor of being one of your ASUA Senators for the 2015-2016 academic school year! It is my goal to help make this campus a place that you are proud to call your home away from home. In order to do this I have 3 platforms in the works. The first is to create a system that allows the platforms of senators to be documented, this would allow them to be passed down from Senator to Senator, making ever senator capable of creating real change and making Senate as a whole more successful. Also I plan to make it so Senate, or your student government as a whole, can be held accountable for keeping the impact we have on campus alive. So what happens this year to benefit you only continues to make your life easier for the remainder of your time here on campus, and even beyond that. Lastly as a direct impact to students I want to create a Bike share program, wittily named Cat-bikes, that has bikes that students can check out on key locations on campus. Of course if you ever have any questions about the platforms listed above or have any great ideas for positive change on campus I would love to hear them!

Sincerely,

Senator McGarey

davidtmcgarey@email.arizona.edu

Hi fellow Wildcats!

My name is Natalie Scibilia, one of your 2015-2016 ASUA Senators. I am so thankful to have been elected and am excited for all that Senate has in store this year. During campaign season I promised to engage more students in student government, so far I have worked with other senators to create this very website and have spent time at various fairs to speak with students. As Senators, we present your insights and convey student opinion on a wide range of University functions. I sit on the Student Services Fee Advisory Board, which allocates money to services on campus like Scholarship Universe, and Think Tank. I aim to ensure that your fees are being spent in your best interest, so come to me with input and questions. With Senate expanding next year to over twice its current size, I hope to familiarize even more students with what ASUA and Senators do; stop by our office any time.

Bear Down,

Senator Natalie Scibilia

nataliescibilia@email.arizona.edu

Dear University of Arizona Student,

My name is Andreas Zai, and I am one of your ten newly elected Student-Body Senators for the '15-'16 school year. First of all, I want to thank you for electing me to this position. I cannot truly express my gratitude towards you for this honor; it simply cannot be put into words. I am endlessly enthusiastic to be representing you on a University level and I believe I can have a positive impact on the University and its students. I plan to do everything in my power to be a servant-leader to you and your fellow constituents. Let me tell you a little more about myself and my plans while I hold office.

I was born and raised in Colorado, and I spent 17 years of my life there enjoying the four seasons that the state has to offer through some of my favorite activities - hiking, skiing, boating, and cheering on my football team with my closest friends. After enrolling in the University of Arizona, I declared a pre-business major and a computer science minor (two of my passions) so that hopefully I could make a name for myself. I quickly joined student government when I joined Freshman Class Council, an organization that provided a stepping-stone into my eventual election.

I ran on the basic principle of improving Senate, an area of ASUA that I noticed had entered a lull a number of years ago. I plan to aid my fellow officers and future officers in their understanding of what they can achieve while in office, as well as develop teamwork within the Senate office and beyond our office into the reach of the other programs of ASUA. Overall I hope to make our student government more effective and efficient. To do so, I am currently in the process of developing a set of materials that improve the turnover process from Senate class to Senate class. This includes both physical documents such as letters or lists as well as training sessions during orientation. This will provide a long-lasting solution to the problems that Senate currently faces.

This is, of course, a very brief description of myself and my platforms. If you ever have any questions about what I am doing or what I could be doing, please feel free to email me. I am always willing to support you and the University of Arizona in whatever pursuits I can.

Bear Down,

Andreas Zai

Student Body Senator '15-'16