The Associated Students of the University of Portland — we might be a name that you’ve heard in passing or an organization that you may have not had a meaningful relationship with during your time on The Bluff.
But if you’ve ever enjoyed an Italian soda at Espresso UP, watched Crazy Rich Asians and other popular movies on campus through ASUP Films, had the time of your life at Rock the Bluff, or participated in any recognized club on campus, you may be surprised to find out that ASUP has actually played a bigger role than you imagined in your life at UP.
Over the past few years, ASUP has had a tumultuous relationship with the student body. When we ran for ASUP President and Vice President, we ran with the hope of sparking changes for other leaders to continue for years to come.
We hope that this year has been one of growing trust, healing bonds and community — after all, we in ASUP are in a unique position to advocate for the student body. To some extent, we have made great strides this year. This year, ASUP has taken tremendous steps to ensure that we advocate for all students to the fullest extent possible. But some of the progress we hoped to make takes more time than the short year that we are in office — which is why it is on future ASUP leaders to carry the torch and continue to advocate for the University of Portland student body.
Because of this, we are so excited to announce that the application for both senators and executive board positions is open!
Being a Senator isn’t easy. But like many student leadership roles at UP, it is immensely rewarding. Senators this year have collaborated with club leaders on diversity roundtables, worked with Residence Life to make dorm policies more inclusive and partnered with sustainability advocates to create concrete changes at UP.
Being on the Executive Board offers even more opportunities to take your voices and concerns to the next level. The 6 positions that comprise the Executive Board — president, vice president, director of communications, director of finance, campus programs board director and speaker of the senate — all provide platforms to work directly with administrators, create memorable community events, operate student-based services and use financial resources to meet student needs.
ASUP is surrounded by myths and stereotypes that we once believed, too. We, too, once bought into the myth that running for student government was a popularity contest. But in our short time in office, ASUP has given us so much more. It has given us a place where our identities and voices as students have been used to shape the community, policies, and the future of UP.
Working in ASUP will provide you with outstanding experiences in community engagement, project planning and completion, negotiation, teamwork, conflict management and intense critical-thinking. You will experience incredibly challenging obstacles but ASUP will always provide you with a place to learn and lead.
So, take advantage of this opportunity. Everything you bring to UP as a student and stakeholder matters.
And remember, submitting this application is not binding. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to us at nath19@up.edu or gallaghm19@up.edu, or contact your senator through our ASUP website!
Apply for a Senate or Executive Board position here: https://up.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/250150
Senator Eligibility & Position Requirements:
• Must be a full-time undergraduate
• Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5
• Must not be on either academic or university probation
• Must be a member of the constituency you seek to represent
• Must serve at least 1 hour on a Senate committee and 2 office hours
• Must be Available on Monday afternoons, from 4:30 to 7 for Senate meetings.
See ASUP Constitution for Executive Board Position Details.
As always, ASUP advocates for YOU. We hope ASUP is a part of your future!
Sitara Nath and Michael Gallagher are the ASUP President and Vice President, they can be reached at nath19@up.edu and gallaghm19@up.edu.
