For ASSU Senate: Matthew Sach

Name two goals that you will have accomplished by the end of your Senate term. Please be specific with your policy recommendations.

As a Senator, I will focus my attentions on students’ health and communication. My first goal will be to work with Vaden Health Center to improve students’ access to necessary health resources and increase students’ health independence. I will accomplish this by providing specialized health advocates to help students learn how to effectively manage their health options and get the best and most efficient healthcare possible. My second goal will be to increase communication between the ASSU and the student body by continuing the efforts of the current administration in providing varied resources for dissemination. I would also create a Senate Advocacy program, wherein leaders of on-campus housing, or especially interested students, would be involved in disseminating information regarding vital Senate proposals and initiatives.

Which two current ASSU initiatives or programs would you push to eliminate? Why?
I would eliminate the new Helmet Safety Initiative and Mid-Year Convocation. I believe that both of these initiatives have good intentions, but fall far short of their intended impact. By eliminating the programs wholesale and starting again, involving more student, rather than committee, input into these and similar programs, we can increase their effectiveness.

In what ways would you seek to work on the following policy areas within the Senate?

1. Free speech
   I am a great supporter of free speech, and feel that truthful, honest communication is of vital importance to any functioning government. To this end, I will support any measure that increase the dissemination of information and promotes thoughtful, intellectual discussion of key issues related to the student body.

2. Wellness
   Improving health and wellness on campus is one of my main policy goals. However, I do believe that in certain situations, we can try to do too much in this area. Therefore, I will seek to streamline health and wellness initiatives on campus in order to impact the greatest number of students with effective, efficient programs.

3. Appropriations policy
   I would look to consolidate appropriations into student initiatives and groups that can create the largest impact on campus. In my view, providing a few organizations with enough money to properly implement their visions is much preferably to providing many organizations with insufficient funds.

4. Academic life
   I would seek to improve current required academic courses such as IHUM and PWR by promoting discussion among the student body, support increased collaboration and community among the academic lives of students, and improve access to mentorship and advising programs to help students get the best out of what is on offer.

5. Diversity
   I fully support a diverse campus with students of many different cultural, economic, racial, and other backgrounds. However, I fear that a segregated community may result in feelings of xenophobia between cultural communities. Therefore, as a senator, I would support programs that encourage an atmosphere of overall community among these different social initiatives, such as providing cross-cultural events and supporting widely disseminated community outreach programs that seek to educate the wider student body.