The application period for ASNMU elections is now open.

According to ASNMU President Cody Mayer, multiple positions are up for election including president, vice president and representative positions within the general assembly.

“ASNMU is a great opportunity to network, make friends, learn valuable skills in teamwork, communication and university/government processes,” Mayer said in a campus-wide email. “The time commitment is flexible and ASNMU provides a way for you to make sure you and your fellow student voices are heard on campus.”

ASNMU is NMU’s student government organization. The organization’s homepage states, “We represent and advocate for all Northern students to administration and across the state of Michigan, as well as provide programs for the student body.”

A variety of projects to benefit the student body have been sponsored by ASNMU this semester, including a Rape Aggression Defense Course (RAD). The course took place Wednesday and was also sponsored by the NMU Police Department (NMUPD).

“The hour long RAD course focus[ed] on women’s basic self-defense techniques in rape aggression defense,” Mayer said in another campus-wide email. “The RAD program has separate courses for Men and Women. As of right now the instructor through NMUPD is only certified to teach RAD for Women. We have been talking with NMUPD about seeing if NMU can get an officer to be certified as an instructor for the RAD for Men for future courses.”

In addition to the self-defense class, there are a number of other things ASNMU is working on, Mayer said in an interview.

“Providing feminine hygiene products in rest rooms, revamping and continuing to build the bike share program and career closet, and connecting more with students to make them aware of the services we provide by completely overhauling our PR committee are all some of things we have been focusing on this semester,” Mayer said.

Among other projects, ASNMU proposed to amend graduation requirements after a proposal was made to require students to take one semester of World Language.

“ASNMU unanimously was opposed to this and the [academic] senate proposal was defeated 17-18,” Mayer said.

ASNMU proposed a compromise to merge the proposed requirement with a previously existing one, offering students a choice between World Language or World Cultures as they are pursuing their degrees, according to Mayer.

The application period for ASNMU elections will close March 22 at 5 p.m. More information can be found at: nmu.edu/asnmu.