Written by Mirella Barrera-Betancourt
The Associated Students of Western Oregon University 2022-2023 elections came to a halting conclusion during the final weeks of May.
Despite being extended to May 7 due to a lack of student votes, ASWOU elections closed to the student body nearly three weeks after its initial closing date of April 29. The long wait finally concluded with the certification of the ASWOU 2022-2023 Elections by the Elections Committee on May 21.
The final results elected Kodee Harwood as ASWOU President for the 2022-2023 academic year. With a total of 193 votes, Harwood surpassed ASWOU Presidential Candidate Gheraldy Bobadilla-Cruz by 25 votes.
Harwood is currently serving her last year at Western as a communication studies major. During her presidential candidate interview session, Harwood stated that it has been in her interests to join ASWOU since 2019 when she first began her enrollment at Western as a first-year.
In regards to her running, Harwood said in a statement, “I absolutely love this school but what I know is there’s always room for improvement. If I were elected as the 2022-2023 ASWOU President, I would help to ensure that all students have the resources to live and learn comfortably. I would first meet with campus dining to restructure what eating on campus looks like for our students. I believe there should be more vegan (or) gluten free and lactose free options within Valsetz and (at) Caffe Allegro.”
Among the plethora of changes Harwood promises in her career as ASWOU President, including the reopening of Western’s long since closed but beloved eatery, “The Grill,” she advocates for greater safety and accessibility on the Western campus, an objective she shares with newly appointed Vice President Hunter Hall.
“I also plan to meet with Campus Public Safety with Vice President Hunter Hall to discuss safety on campus and what we could do to make students feel safer on campus. We’d also like to add more blue light emergency towers around campus and make sure people know where to access the blue buttons and how to access (them) in the correct manner,” said Harwood.
Students have chosen Hunter Hall as their ASWOU Vice President. Hall outdistanced Vice Presidential Candidate Owen Hubers with a total of 256-99 votes.
Hall is a mathematics major in his senior year at Western, with four years of student government experience well under his wing.
“My primary goal is to not only ensure that every student’s voice is heard, but I also want to make sure I address their student needs in any way that I can and whatever capacity that takes,” said Hunter Hall during his interview session. “I would want to create an environment where every student feels connected, as well as every student understands that their voice is necessary and heard, no matter what their diverse background can be.”
Meanwhile, the positions of Chief of Staff, Senate President and Judicial Administrator were filled by Daizy Hernandez Soriano, Connor Goehring and Coral Davis. Samy Reyes and Dennis Long were elected as senator and incidental fee committee member, respectively.
As for newly elected ASWOU President Harwood, she has now begun assisting in ASWOU presidential duties for the start of the 2022-2023 academic year. Harwood said, “… My office will always be open to any student(s) that have concerns or questions and I will try my best to make change happen and try to support you as best I can.”
To learn more about ASWOU and their elected positions, visit their website at wou.edu/aswou/.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
