Outreach

For many students on campus, the only time they hear about ASUN is during election season. Elevate plans to change this. We want ASUN to be accessible and transparent to the student body throughout the year, and want there to be open lines of communication.

To enhance this communication, we hope to facilitate meetings between senators of each college with their respective deans and advisors to discuss what needs to be done to accommodate the needs of their specific college. Giving the colleges a direct contact with student government will be key in implementing positive change. We also plan to have senators give their contact info to advisors so they can refer people who have questions/comments for ASUN.

Moreover, we want to facilitate open and respectful dialogue on hot issues on campus. So, we plan to hold ASUN townhall meetings regarding topics like rape culture on campus, student fees, and other issues affecting students. Only by working together and listening to one another can we enact positive reform.

Next, we want to increase digital communications. We hope to work with Communications Committee to create a series of periodic newsletters for students to subscribe to by ASUN, covering a multitude of topics. People can subscribe to receive a newsletter that talks about everything ASUN is doing that’s related to diversity, or agriculture, academics, or other important issues. We want you to be in-the-know about topics you care about, and how campus legislation could affect them.

We also want to do a better job of inviting the student body to come sit in on senate meetings. We understand that attending a meeting can be intimidating, and that the environment is not always the most welcoming to outside guests. So, we plan to have a meeting at the beginning of the year where students and student leaders can mingle with senators and discuss topics they care about, avenues they’d like to explore, and what ideas they have for bettering campus.

Lastly, we know that ASUN is largely comprised of Greek students. While we are very grateful for the time and effort of these leaders, we at Elevate recognize that diverse opinions lead to critical thinking and stimulating discussions, thus leading to more thoughtful decisions. One of the reasons that non-Greeks have struggled in finding a way to get involved is because there are a lot of hoops to jump through, and people usually don’t have the time to dedicate to what will probably be an overhaul of a process. We have a slate that is committed to improving ASUN’s outreach and is willing to meet with anyone and everyone and put in all the necessary time and energy to figure out and create a way to reach students in a way that isn’t just house announcements. It shouldn’t be this hard to create a governing body representative of campus. Together, let’s elevate UNL to new levels of success.

 

Expansion and Diversification

A short-term goal of the university is to increase enrollment to 30,000 students. In order to do this, we need to make University of Nebraska-Lincoln a place that is attractive to all types of people. One way to achieve this is to improve diversity programming. We plan to work with administration on understanding how student fees can be used to ensure we increase the curb appeal of UNL. We also want to improve our graduate studies program by working with the graduate student association. By helping them transition into their new structure as outlined in the newly revised ASUN bylaws, we can bridge the gap between undergraduate and graduate students, and work together to elevate campus to new heights. Together, let’s make campus a better environment for all.

 

Mental Health

Mental health is a large issue plaguing campuses nationwide. We want to help every student on campus live a healthy and positive lifestyle. So, we are exploring options of creating a reserve fund that would go to cover the costs of appointments and treatment for students who cannot afford to pay for CAPS after they use their three free visits. We also want to work with UNMC (who now controls CAPS) to ensure we are doing our very best work in the areas of mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and other issues affecting students. Moreover, we plan to look at programming efforts that discuss the intersectionality of mental health with other demographics (e.g. people of color, veterans, etc.). Lastly, with the new transition of CAPS, we want all information and protocol to be easily accessible and understandable for students. Together, we can all get the help we need, when we need it.

 

Veterans

We at Elevate are so grateful for the veterans on our campus, and are continually making strides in helping these students on campus. We want to explore how their successes can be used as a template for other non-traditional groups on campus that need specific resources, such as international students and first generation students. By understanding the needs of these student groups, we can help allocate resources and staff available for them. Together, we can learn from one another.

 

B1G Conference

Being a part of the B1G Conference is a wonderful opportunity, and we plan to continue working with representatives of other Big Ten Schools to see what ideas we can take from them, what ideas we can give them. For example, Northwestern does an incredible job of accommodating the specific needs of groups like first-generation students, low-income students, students of color, etc. in order to guarantee everyone has a fair shot at a positive student experience. We hope to communicate with them and understand how we can implement similar positive change at UNL. We also want to communicate with the Big Ten as a whole to see what resources we could be using but aren’t, like inter-conference book lending and other academic resources. Together, we can elevate UNL to the top of the Big Ten Conference.

 

Academics

In our time as students, we have seen numerous people trying to revamp course and instructor evaluations. But, they often get stuck because they start working before communicating with the administration and the people who organize the process. To better this process, we plan to sit down with the people who orchestrate these evaluations and discuss what people like and don’t like about the process, and then understand what change can be enacted at this time. Together, we can make academics a top priority.

 

Cross-Collegiate Interaction

The colleges at this university are each wonderful academic departments that are accomplishing incredible things. To better unite campus as a whole, we hope to increase opportunities for people in different colleges to learn from each other. For example, GMOs are a hot topic right now, and we have plenty of people on our campus who are learning about them. Why not help put together a forum where people who don’t know a ton about the issue, but are curious about it, can come and listen to people present different sides of the debate? Programming such as this can also let students see what other colleges are up to. Together, we can foster meaningful inter-campus relationships.

 

Resources Through ASUN

Sometimes ASUN gets a little caught up and forgets that there are so many organizations and people on campus that are doing incredible things outside of student government. ASUN has a lot of resources that other RSOs and students would love to have. By increasing communication with RSOs, it gives us an opportunity to elevate the voices and messages of causes we as an organization believe in. At the end of the day, sometimes ASUN can best serve the students by allowing outside organizations to keep doing what they’re doing and simply support and promote them. We, as ASUN, don’t have all the answers, and we aren’t the only people working to make lasting changes on campus. Together, we can elevate student and organizational success.

 

Continue to Improve Current Successful Programming

Programming like Friends Beyond Borders, It’s On Us and Voter Registration Drives are all accomplishing huge strides for campus life, and we plan to continue bettering these programs. Together, we can elevate UNL for all.

 

Our Slate’s Platforms

Elevate candidates also have huge plans for bettering this university, from sustainability Infrastructure, transparency with fee dollars, and implementing a wage negotiation program to UNL for women after college, to identifying and supporting needs of students with disabilities, we plan to make campus better for all students. Together, we can elevate student success for every person.