A new chapter in the Andrews University student leadership began this month with the Andrews University Student Association (AUSA) Elections ending on Friday, March 1, 2024. The election period occurred virtually through emailed ballots from February 22-29. The process had an air of pomp and circumstance, with the public spotlight being on the candidates and their potential positions. Last year’s election, although featuring a diverse cast of candidates, was not nearly as much of a topic of interest as this year’s electoral process.
This year’s election featured several changes created through the inner workings of AUSA and its sponsors and partnership with the Student Involvement, Leadership and Activities (SILA) office. AUSA is governed by its Constitution, Bylaws, and Voting Code and operates independently, although under the Office of Campus and Student Life. According to the current AUSA president, Loren Manrique (senior, animal science), AUSA’s constitution received some new adjustments. With these changes, the 2023-24 Cabinet developed a multi-year plan for “what AUSA could look like for the next 10 years.”
Student elections were one thing that Manrique shared that the Cabinet worked to improve. Last year, all students had to do was apply for a position, be approved, and do a short speech without much additional campaigning. Manrique stated, “Prior to this year, elections were not a big deal at Andrews; our main goal was to encourage the students to play a more active role in student government and show the power of using their voice. We wanted to make election season something exciting that people wanted to participate in.” Some of the ways they did this were by making the application process more accessible with fewer barriers for students, heavy usage of social media posts regarding the elections and candidates, and providing information to the student body about the candidates via shared media like videos, pictures, and short essays.
This endeavor has proven somewhat of a success “with almost a total of 500 votes,” according to an email by the AUSA Cabinet. Another issue AUSA hopes to prepare for is the incoming Cabinet. Manrique admitted, “I did not fully understand the importance of my responsibility as president until I stepped into the role, and it has been nothing but a learning curve of leadership and growth.” To combat potential learning curves like what Manrique mentioned, the current AUSA officers will be providing the incoming officers with training during the last two months of the semester. The hope is that AUSA will “transition smoothly from one cabinet to the other,” according to the AUSA email announcing the 2024-25 Cabinet. The same email provided a list with each position and who was elected to fill the role next year: Vice President of Public Relations: Katie Davis, Vice President of Religion: Angelica Torres, Vice President of Interior: Petala Santos, Vice President of Social Affairs: Samantha Flores, Executive Secretary: Anna Williams, Executive Vice President: Alyssa Caruthers, President: Jakob Kwon. The diverse group brings unique experiences and various skills to the table for the coming school year.
The 2024-25 AUSA Cabinet hopes to use their various skills and backgrounds to help the students of Andrews, who are also comprised of various backgrounds. Through the tireless efforts of the past positions, innovative ideas, desire for collaboration and communication, and their desire for ministry. Davis, Torres, Santos, Flores, Caruthers, and Kwon, with their individual capabilities and collective efforts, should hopefully make a great team to build upon the work of Manrique’s administration.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.