The ASNMU elections are approaching, so now is the time to start familiarizing yourself with the candidates and the funds in question regarding the referendum to be able to cast your vote online April 2 through 4, according to current ASNMU president Tristan Ruiz, a junior and biochemistry major.
“If you want to make sure you are well represented to the NMU administration, it is important to take a couple of minutes to open your laptop and click the button next to the name of the person you want to represent you,” Ruiz said.
On April 2, students will receive an email from Ruiz, with a login page that will produce a customized ballot based on the student’s local address and major, Ruiz said. There are candidates running for both president and vice-president, as well as representatives for groups around campus such as residence halls and departments within the university.
Each semester, students pay a Student Activity Fee, which was $35.22 this semester. This election will have two referendum questions regarding those funds and their distribution, Ruiz said. The first will be about funding toward The North Wind publication, posing a 50-cent increase per semester, which would increase the amount of this fee for students. The second will be a survey question to gain student feedback about adding a “green fund;” meaning an additional five dollars to go towards sustainability at NMU, Ruiz said.
“It is important to vote because these referenda questions will affect every student on campus,” he added.
The candidates running for president are Cody Mayer and Anthony Rospierski.
Mayer is a sophomore from Sault St. Marie, Michigan majoring in economics and public administration.
“I want to continue serving the student body, which is something I have been doing since I arrived at NMU,” Mayer said.
He is currently the ASNMU College of Arts and Sciences representative and a member of the Michigan National Guard. Some of his interests include politics, government, military and the outdoors.
Rospierski is a junior from Midland, Michigan majoring in special education.
“ASNMU is another avenue for our students to reach the administration and make a positive change that matters,” Rospierski said. “Being able to facilitate that is something amazing.”
He is currently the ASNMU up-campus representative. His interests include education and traveling the world.
The candidates running for vice-president are Connor Loftus and James Pridemore.
Loftus is a senior from Plainwell, Michigan majoring in fisheries and wildlife management. He is rerunning for the position of vice-president.
“I hope to continue my work of representing the student voice at all levels of the school administration,” Loftus said. “Over the last two years I have forged relationships with administrators that can help to continue pushing for the student voices to be heard.”
His interests include hiking, camping, politics and Tigers baseball.
Pridemore is a junior from Gwinn, Michigan majoring in social studies education.
“I feel that the role of student government in any student body is not a light one,” Pridemore said. “These positions require that service and duty come before personal preference and it will be for the students as a whole that I speak.”
His interests include politics, philosophy, history, fencing and teaching.
In addition to president and vice-president, there are candidates running for department representatives.
Students are running for College of Arts and Sciences representative, Woods Complex representative, On-campus Apartment representative, Off-campus representative and College of Health and Sciences and Professional Studies representative. A full list of candidate names and positions can be found at: https://www.nmu.edu/asnmu/elections-and-referenda.
“In this day and age, it’s more important than ever to get involved in civic engagement, and it all starts here with ASNMU, your student government,” Ruiz said.
