With the 2015-16 academic year underway, the Colorado State University-Pueblo Associated Students’ Government is gearing up to address campus initiatives most important to students.
ASG President Sarah Zarr, a senior mass communications major elected last April, said she primarily wants the ASG to promote a culture that not only represents CSU-Pueblo students, but also connects them with their elected representatives.
“We have a strong focus on our slogan, ‘stronger as a pack,’” Zarr said. “We want to foster that spirit on campus that we are a community and we are stronger if we stick together.”
“We want people to have pack pride. We want to help you have fun but also help you get the experience necessary to develop as a person,” she said.
Some of the ASG’s major plans for the year include increases in funding for campus technology, ensuring students feel safe to be themselves and furthering popular student programs already in place.
“We have an unstoppable team this year that’s dedicated to the students,” Zarr said. “There’s so much passion, so much pride. People should expect to see a lot more action this year than years past.”
“We’re going to provide a better structure for ASG and a more consistent base going forward so students can always know what to expect,” she said.
One of the top priorities for the ASG this year will be to strengthen successful student programs already in place, such as the Student Emergency Fund, which helps students in crisis to secure funds in order to stay in college, and the Student Discount Program, which encourages students to venture off campus and utilize discounts for students within the Pueblo community.
A large part of furthering these programs is ensuring students know about them.
Perhaps the ASG’s highest priority, however, will be to cultivate a collaborative and interactive campus community, unparalleled by administrations of years past.
“We’ll provide open forums where students can give their input as well as seek to collaborate more with students, I’m also beginning a president’s council to connect all of CSU-P’s student organizations,” Zarr said. “We have a vibrant campus atmosphere so we want to foster this culture and spirit at CSU-P.”
Zarr said other ASG initiatives for 2015 will include tackling sexual assault preventability on campus, addressing mental health in order to, “break the stigma of mental health issues,” and furthering the university’s successful relationship with the Colorado Student Government Coalition in order to secure better funding for higher education in the state of Colorado.
Students who wish to be more involved in the CSU-Pueblo campus community are encouraged to get involved and voice their opinions to ASG members, as well as to Zarr herself.
Zarr said students are encouraged to attend senate meeting on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Occhiato University Center ASG chambers or voice their opinions to staff any time between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in their office, which is located in OUC 217.
CORRECTION Sept. 3, 2015: A previous version of this report said the Associated Students’ Government meets for meetings on Thursdays. The ASG meets on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Occhiato University Center. Also, ASG President Sarah Zarr said the ASG will place an emphasis on ensuring that students feel safe to be themselves, not that the ASG is specifically prioritizing campus safety.
