By: Jade Rayner
News Editor

ASWOU is beginning the process of electing new candidates, and with that, they are offering numerous chances for students to get to know who they will be voting for.

Students will need to vote using OrgSync. Voting will open May 1, and close on May 5 at 3 p.m., and can be accessed by going to wou.edu/aswou.

In order to provide a chance for every student to cast their vote, polling stations will be open in the Werner University Center and Valsetz during the election period.

Please note that The Western Journal does not endorse any candidates or their policies.

Events:
– May 1st, 11-1 in WUC 2nd Floor – Meet the Candidates
Stop by the WUC and get to know the candidates for ASWOU elected offices. This is a great chance to ask individual questions and become familiar with each candidate’s priorities. Be an informed voter and show your fellow students some support!

– May 2nd, 2pm in WUC, Columbia Room – Candidate Forum
This is a chance to hear from the candidates for ASWOU office and ask them questions in a formal setting. There will be a question and answer period for each candidate.

– May 3rd, 12-2pm on WUC Plaza – Poppin’ and Vote
Pop on in to get some popcorn, sno-cones, and vote in the ASWOU Election!

– May 4th, 6:30-10pm in RWEC 101 – Star Wars Celebration: May the 4th Be With You

Celebrate Star Wars Day and win some awesome prizes! We will be watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, having a group and individual costume contest, asking Star Wars trivia, and giving away many prizes! You can even vote in the ASWOU Elections to be entered to win prizes! Doors open at 6:30, and the movie will begin promptly at 7:00. Come have a great time, win free stuff, and, of course, May the 4th Be With You!

Candidate Platforms:

ASWOU President
Cynthia Olivares
Like anything, there is always room for improvement. One of the ways I intend to better ASWOU is making it more accessible to all students. There is a very minimum of students that know what ASWOU is, and I want to make sure that all students can access the benefits that ASWOU brings to campus. I also want to make sure that students know ASWOU is a safe space for students and that we work to go above and beyond to address any student concerns. Another important issue I will be working with is fighting against tuition increases. At this point tuition is getting outrageously expensive and it is something I will be working on at both a campus and a state level.
These changes are necessary because as students we all pay a fee to receive benefits that ASWOU brings but not any students are aware. I also think that these changes are necessary because it establishes community within our diverse campus.
It is also important to fight against tuition increases because tuition is already too expensive. This needs to change because it is making it more difficult for students to stay in school and pursue a higher education.
My priority is to inform students of what ASWOU is and what benefits it can offer. I also want to provide many students with leadership opportunities. There are many things for students to get involved but many folks are not aware of it.

Jessica Freeman
I have been involved with ASWOU since my first year at Western Oregon University. I started my journey through ASWOU as a Senator, where I was elected by the Senate Body to hold the position of Senate Parliamentarian, and the chair of two separate subcommittees. During my second year within ASWOU, I was elected as the Senate President, where I took the information gained as a Senator, and put it to better use. After two years in Senate, I wanted to challenge myself even more during my third year in ASWOU, so I ran and was elected the Judicial Administrator. I have been a branch head for two years now, which gives me invaluable experience and has prepared me to run for ASWOU President. Through my three years in ASWOU, I have seen three different administrations; I have seen firsthand what tactics work and what tactics do not work for this organization. I am extremely knowledgeable and passionate about ASWOU, and with my past experiences I am the most qualified candidate for ASWOU President.
ASWOU was cut 30% of their budget through the Incidental Fee Committee Process during Winter Term 2017. The next ASWOU President will have to work hard and creatively in order to allow ASWOU to function at its highest with such an extensive cut. Through my experience in both Senate and Judicial Board, I am ready to dedicate my last year at Western Oregon University to ensure ASWOU is properly overseen and assists the wide range of student populations WOU has to offer. Focusing within ASWOU, I intend to challenge the positions in cabinet whose primary functions are to produce outreach strategies. The ASWOU Executive Branch has severely suffered from a lack of outreach recently, and students need to know ASWOU exists to serve them. When looking at WOU, students for many years have voiced negative opinions about the Oregon Student Association (OSA). If elected ASWOU President, I will focus on improving the relationship ASWOU and WOU have with OSA based on student feedback and how students want their money to be spent.
I am a hardworking individual who is dedicated to the improvement of ASWOU as a whole. The next academic year will be an interesting challenge, and one that I have waited three years for. I am ready to take on the honored responsibility of being the ASWOU President for the 2017-2018 academic year.

ASWOU Vice President
Evelyn Guzman
Hello my name is Evelyn Guzman (she, her, hers). I am running for Vice President because I feel like I have knowledge, enthusiasm, and skills I can contribute to ASWOU. I have been very involved since my first year at WOU and I have been learning a lot about different aspects of our community. By getting this position I will be bringing more diversity into it as well as knowledge I have gained so far. I am the best candidate because I have been involved in a lot of student movements, I am bilingual and already have connections with different organizations, coalitions, and individuals because of my continuous involvement. I have held positions within MEChA both in our WOU chapter and regionally, I am an advocate for Abby’s House, and a Multicultural Representative. I am also active in our community outside of the WOU campus with activities such as pushing for Monmouth to be an Inclusive City and a campaign as part of the Oregon DACA Coalition. I have done several trainings in different issues such as the Ally trainings on campus and attended conferences at the local, regional and national level that have made me grow as a team member and leader. From each one of these I have learned different skills that I would be bringing with me to this position. I am the definition of a student voice and I intend to keep representing, advocating, and listening to what students have to say in order to make WOU the best possible place to be. I hope I can count on your vote. Thank you!

Felicia Dickinson
I am running for ASWOU Vice President because I believe the student body needs a leader who will fight to protect and expand their educational experience. I have worked in Student Government for four years as a Student Senator and as a member of various subcommittees focusing on affordability and sustainability. This year as a Student Senator, I have gone to the State Capital to speak to subcommittees about higher education funding, the continued funding of Open Educational Resources and lobbied legislators to invest in students and their futures. Affordability and sustainability are vital to our campus; we must be proactive in finding solutions to these issues on our campus. It is important to know who represents you as a student and will champion for causes that are detrimental to our educational survival. If I am elected, my year long goals are to spread the use of Open Educational Resources to allow students a flexible option as they learn, work with all of our allies to better serve the student body, and be as visible to my fellow students as much as possible so they too can get involved. Collaboration as students make our victories universal. If I am elected to be your Vice President, you can count on me to always represent the voice of the student body, whether it is speaking on campus or in front of legislators. With your help, I promise to make this campus a place where students are able to foster the academic environment they deserve.

Lily Odegaard
I am running for the position of Vice President because I feel I have a lot to offer to our community. I have been apart of many clubs and organization in high school, and am currently an Activities Director for the Landers/Barnum hall government, as well as a co-chair of activities and entertainment for the on-campus Relay For Life. All of those experiences have taught me how to be an effective leader, communicator, planner, and advocate. I have the drive to make our community even better than it already is, and I plan to do so through engaging with the student body, and being sure our needs and concerns are being met. As well as through active promotion of all our on-campus resources such as the Food Pantry. This is necessary for improving our community because ASWOU is funded through student fees, and the primary focus of the organization is after all, the students.My priorities in office would be listening our community, hearing their voices and doing my best to act as a representative for each of them. As well as supporting the President and the rest of the governing body, and making sure everything is running smoothly and effectively, with the ultimate goal of improving our campus and community.

Senate President
Lila Jones
I am running for Senate President because I have been the Senate Pro-Tempore (Vice Chair) for my two years in Senate, and I feel that I would be able to lead and aid the future Senators well in their positions because I know what it is like to be them and the importance of representing all of the students at Western Oregon University.
I plan on helping future Senators with their developing and enhancing their leadership skills by mediating good discussion during Senate meetings and provide excellent trainings to Senators so that they can properly represent students of WOU. I hope to incite a passion to lead, to advocate, and be someone that students of WOU feel comfortable having be their representative.
Students should vote for me because I have the experience from two years in Senate to know how things are run and dealt with as well as have ideas for change within the Senate President position.Things I would like to change would be to give more responsibilities to the other leaders within Senate- the Parlimentarian and Pro Tempore to help develop their own leadership skills, to have more legislation written that could change the campus and its policies that would benefit the student population, and help make ASWOU more cohesive as a branch head by getting Senators to work with cabinet members to write legislation for items cabinet members are facing or working towards.

Judicial Administrator
Logan Doerfler
At the age of 17 I enlisted in the Oregon Army National Guard (ORARNG) to protect the interests and rights of Oregon citizens. Six years later as an Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) my sense of duty has only grown as has my passion to serve my community. If I am elected I will maintain the integrity of our school’s systems and regulations. This will be done by building positive relationships and holding all parties accountable to the standards set in place. NCOs are the backbone of the Army, it is our duty to maintain the standards of the Army when others do not.
The ORARNG has put me in positions of oversight both stateside and overseas, my current role as a team leader can be an example. As team leader I must familiarize myself with the rules and policies of my commander and the Army so that I can educate and enforce my soldiers accordingly. I believe my distinctive record, ability to think of my feet, work ethic, capability to take information and make appropriate decisions make me an excellent candidate for this position.

Senator
Roger Deleon
I am running for ASWOU Senate. I am running for this position to better establish a voice amongst the student government of the typical college student. I am the best candidate for Senate because I know what it’s like to transfer from a Community College to a 4-year school. I have been a student at WOU on and off for the last 7 years, and though a lot has changed at WOU over that timeframe, there’s still a bit that can improved. During the years I was at WOU, I was involved with clubs and organizations on campus such as Safe Zone, Student Activities Board, Triangle Alliance, Conversation Partners and the Student Conduct Committee.
If elected, one of the things I hope to accomplish is to get a non-voting student representative onto the Faculty Senate, which oversees any changes or improvements to department courses, so that there’s a students voice on course curriculum changes. Having a students voice and opinion on changes for courses is one of the most beneficial and pertinent things I feel needs to be implemented. Though students might not know a particular departments information as well as a professor or instructor to make much of a decision, when it comes to changing how many credits a course should be, having the voice from a student’s perspective is necessary.
Western has been known to be very diverse, friendly and welcoming to everyone, especially with the International Student, Minority, and First-Generation Student populations. As a Student Senator, I want continue to have Western be that diverse college and community for years to and, and I want to be that person to represent them all and have a voice on the senate for those groups that needed to express their concerns or opinions.

IFC Member
Eric Frey
As a Retired US Army Master Sergeant that worked in Logistics & Supply Management I have worked with multi-million dollar operating budgets and dealt with managing budget shortfalls. I realize that most university students have a limited budget and I want to address the rising costs at WOU. As a member of the IFC I would work towards making sure that all IFC funded Clubs and Organizations are fairly represented and to limit expenses to necessary budget requirements to try to keep the Incidental Funds paid by every student to a reasonable level.