ASNMU has a lot of potential. Recognized as the voice of Northern students, the Associated Students of NMU has the ability to change the way the university operates in favor of students’ desires.
There’s no doubt that ASNMU has that ability. The people on ASNMU are driven individuals, most of whom I know personally, and they are spending their time on the board not because they have nothing better to do but because they actually feel like they can make a difference. The only problem is there’s a clear lack of initiative and leadership in this year’s student government. To have a strong general assembly, there really has to be a motivated president and vice president.
Unfortunately, students made that harder last semester when they voted against paying an extra $1.98 a semester with the student activity fee to pay the executive board. With an overwhelming vote 1,756 no to 444 yes, students said they wouldn’t foot the bill. While this is understandable, especially with money as tight as it is, we can’t expect our student government to be as attentive and aggressive when the people we expect the most out of aren’t getting paid and literally can’t afford to spend their time in the office.
For a long time, up until last semester, every member of the executive board was paid. Last semester, they were told that the university would no longer provide that money and were encouraged to put it up to referendum, or students’ vote. ASNMU gambled when they asked students to fund the pay for every member of the executive board. When students voted no, ASNMU was left with nothing.
The consequences of this are already clear. Lucia Lopez, president of ASNMU, has to have another job in order to pay her rent, which takes away from time she could be spending in the office. I spoke to Lopez about the change in the beginning of the semester, and she acknowledged that she wouldn’t be able to be as thorough as other presidents have been.
“Mostly I’m scared for the student body,” she said. “When we’re not paid, it kind of limits what we can do. And I think that affects the student body more than it affects me personally just because it’s less time that we can put in.”
Lopez said then, and I’m sure she would say now, that doesn’t change how important she knows her job is and she wants to spend as much time as she can in that office. But without being paid, she logically can’t. Carissa Waters, now a nurse in Lombard, Ill., was ASNMU president from 2002-2003 and was paid in that position.
“It would have been difficult to be an effective ASNMU president without financial compensation,” Waters said. “It is a very time-consuming position, and it would have been impossible to do the position justice if I also had to have a job on the side.”
For the benefit of Northern students, at least the president of ASNMU should be paid. It would make it so that students would see him or her in the office more, around campus more, and it would increase the likelihood that ASNMU would be more effective.
Where that money would come from is the problem. Lopez and ASNMU treasurer Andrew Foster worked this summer with administration to find some compensation for the president, but supposedly nothing was there. Lopez was told that it was either ASNMU executive board pay or a full-time university position, and of course students were cut.
With a special referendum already called for this semester, I hope to see ASNMU ask students to increase the student activity fee in order to pay the president.
If we want a capable student government, and not just a president as effective as one voted by a bunch of first graders, ASNMU needs to take advantage of the referendum opportunity they have this semester and try again, maybe with a more reasonable request, and ask for students to pay a bit more each semester.
Rebecca Thompson, Former ASNMU President 2004-2005 • Oct 28, 2010 at 10:02 pm
As a former ASNMU President and current Alumni Association board member, its disheartening to hear that NMU students have voted to make the president’s position unpaid. As someone who also had to work three jobs to put myself through school, I know Lucia’s struggles all too well.
Between the countless hours spent in the ASNMU office to the travel representing NMU (and not to mention the toll the work took on my grades) there is almost no amount of money that would adequately compensate for the work of an ASNMU President. But the reality was that
it became impossible for me to work any other job on campus or off, so the money I received from ASNMU was desperately needed.
Now, by making this an unpaid position, students have almost made it impossible for a student from a low income or working class family to take on the position. These are the kinds of voices that you need fighting for Northern in Lansing and here in Washington, DC.
There are legislators who have never even been to the UP and who could care less about increasing state funding for students in the region. This only reinforces the need for students to become engaged on campus. Looking forward to seeing the results of the special referendum.
Rebecca Thompson
ASNMU President 2004-2005
Kimberly Stobb, BS' 07 • Oct 28, 2010 at 11:18 am
The 1,756 students who voted against paying ASNMU’s executive board are only hurting themselves.
As an alum who spent three years with ASNMU (one on e-board as vice president) our executive board and general assembly worked with government officials in Lansing to help keep Northern’s tuition costs down and prevent those working downstate from forgetting about the U.P. Our goal was to keep schools in the U.P. and higher education as a whole top of mind for those in office. Ever heard of the Upper Hand campaign? That was ASNMU.
Outside of its work with Lansing, ASNMU creates programs to benefit the ENTIRE student body, like Dozing Discounts and Wildcat Wallet — programs where NMU students show their student ID to receive discounts at hotel rooms while making long trips home (or while traveling in inclement weather) and receive discounts at local business, respectively. We even had a scholarship program that any non-traditional student could apply for.
Our executive board worked long hours and was paid a stipend — so when (not if) we worked more than 20 hours a week, we still were paid the same amount. During my tenure with student government, I saw ASNMU e-board members that had sleeping bags in their offices… I never heard the student body complaining or wondering about that.
My freshman year I worked as a student secretary in one of the departments on campus, I was paid to answer phone calls, greet guests and help with office tasks. But when it was slow, I could study. If NMU is willing to pay student secretaries to study, the student body should see the importance of paying its student government as well. If the student body feels that ASNMU “doesn’t do anything” it should get out and VOTE and elect someone into office that they feel has the best agenda and dedication for the position — not take away compensation. We don’t take away paychecks from senators or house members when they aren’t fulfilling their mission. We vote them out of office.
I commend the 444 students who voted in favor of paying for ASNMU’s executive board and I encourage the other 8,000+ students at NMU to get out and vote… The future of your school is in ASNMU’s voice. (Did you know the ASNMU president meets with the NMU President and Board of Trustees regularly? Did you know that group controsl tuition prices?) ASNMU needs support to do their job, don’t take away the dollars that gets someone in office who can commit the time and energy into the position.
Think before you vote, Northern.
With NMU pride,
Kimberly Stobb
BS ’07