 "Photo: Thien Sok")
Student Body President Tayler Clough revisited his old campaign promise to run student government honestly and transparently at the State of ASUU address Tuesday.
Promising an honest, balanced assessment of his administration’s progress thus far, Clough highlighted his administration’s successes, including posting the Associated Students of the University of Utah’s budget online for the first time, creating websites for student groups on campus, lowering the cap on future campaign spending and creating a student fee committee, but also discussed several policies that remain “mired down” and will require more work to complete.
Chief among the delayed projects was Clough’s peer mentoring program, which proposes to pay U students to assist middle school students who are less likely to attend college. The program would develope basic academic skills that will improve their chances of advancing to the level of college education.
The program, which was originally designed for high school students, has undergone several key changes in recent months because of concerns about its $15,000 per-year price tag and Clough’s plan to make it permanent. At the address in the Union Ballroom on Tuesday, Clough said that a vote on the initiative is still a month away, and he
invited any questions or concerns that people have about the program.
Clough said he also expects the creation of a new diversity committee originally planned for the beginning of 2010 to be delayed until late spring. However, his administration has already completed the step of creating a diversity director.
“While we have fulfilled many of our platforms and issues, we admit to having things to work on which we will do in the Spring Semester,” Clough said.
In addition to Clough’s updates, representatives from each of ASUU’s divisions presented assessments of their respective goals and achievements. Katie Ericson, an assembly representative for the College of Social and Behavioral Science, reported that more than $50,000 of a total budget of $96,475 has been distributed to student groups on campus, and the government is encouraging more to apply for the remaining funds.
ASUU Senior Class President Erica Andersen gave an update on the recently approved $20,000 senior class gift, which has been named “Re-Imagining the Plaza.” Student-led teams will form to develop plans for a project to be built in library square that Andersen said she hopes will maximize its use as a social space. The winning team will take home $5,000 in prize money, Andersen said.
Other members of Clough’s administration also touted success this semester in several annual U initiatives.
ASUU Chief of Staff Ameena Khan reported that this year’s Bleed Red blood drive yielded 852 units of blood and the Trick-or-Can food drive took in more than 2,000 pounds of food.
Anderson also reported that some 1,200 tickets were sold for this year’s Homecoming Dance, which she said she believes is the highest total ever.
Cameron Hansen, who heads the Presenter’s Office, said this year’s Redfest sold 8,000 tickets and that he would like to continue to make events free for students for the rest of the year.
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