The election results determining the new Associated Student Government (ASG) are in. Aleena Gomez and Robert Hammes are president and vice president for the 2023-24 school year.
After serving as the House Representative this past year, Gomez ran for President with Social and Behavioral Sciences Senator Hammes as her VP.
“It was a very close race, and I think that just proves how much the school cares about change, how much they want to see people push their real initiatives forward, and that they were actually to get involved. We had the highest percentage in ASG history of people that voted, so I think that was really exciting,” Gomez said.
Gomez and Hammes’ platform focused on three key goals to implement in the next year, including addressing the rise in mental health issues on campus and recruiting more diverse voices to join the ASG Senate.
According to Hammes, mental health is a hot topic on campus, specifically how Colorado Mesa University (CMU) administration has addressed the passing of two students within the last month.
“The most significant issue we’ve heard a lot from students about is mental health support, availability for counseling […] In the past semester, we’ve had two students pass away, and making sure that the support and services are available for students who need them is going to be a big focus and also just trying to change the culture and stigma around it,” Hammes said.
Recently, Hammes introduced a bill in the Senate to have the Student Wellness Center add five more appointment slots per a week. The bill was passed and will be implemented in the Fall semester.
“Most importantly, it is mostly just letting people know that you could build your community here, you could develop your identity, because without those things is where people really start to crumble in a way when they don’t have anything to grasp onto in hard times. We just want people to know there’s a safe space for you. Whether it’s in Student Life or it’s us helping you find an identity on campus or letting you know what’s available […] if its with the arts or athletics or even just outside getting your sunshine in for the day,” Gomez said.
Their third goal is to become recognizable faces to students on campus. Gomez emphasized that this is important for those who need help to recognize them or have a sense of who they are when asking for help.
“Being Speaker of the House last year, just seeing all the clubs that came in, getting to meet a lot of new people like organizations and their leaders and really just see how they work in depth together and to really see and learning people’s personalities, how it everyone worked together, and how to make things work for people with more equality has led me to this moment,” Gomez said.
In addition to being the speaker of the house, Gomez has been a University Center building manager, worked at an internship level with the Grand Junction Jackalopes baseball team and is a member of Gamma Phi Beta. She attributes all of this to preparing her for taking on the mantle of ASG President.
Hammes is grateful for his time in the senate as he learned many lessons they can apply to their own administration next year.
“Aleena oversaw a lot of the biennial process, which we won’t have going on next year, […] being able to understand how Student Life and all of the student organizations run and operate to create a balance between those kinds of things is a valuable experience that we look forward to applying next year,” Hammes said.
Their first order of business is to expand the aspects of campus represented within the House and the Senate. This will be the second time in two years that a change is implemented to its format.
“Historically, […] the Senate has been more focused on like academic majors selecting their senators for each department, as well as WCCC Montrose that kind of thing. Then next year, we’re starting something new where the house will be more like student groups. Having a representative for students with disabilities, student ideologies, minority students, and those kinds of groups because those always haven’t always been as well represented,” Hammes said.
These changes will help to achieve the pair’s goal of bringing more diverse voices to ASG.
The 2022-23 ASG administration had only implemented changes to the House of Representatives at the beginning of their term, changing the seats from Student Life organizational leaders to elected members.
Gomez and Hammes want to do the same thing but change the type of voice that sits in the seat to better represent the students of CMU, instead of members who are interested in just a student government title.
With plans and changes already in mind for the following year, Gomez and Hammes are ready to be appointed to the president and vice president roles at the last ASG meeting of the year on Wednesday, May 10.
“I’m getting very excited. I just want to thank everyone that supported us. I want to thank everyone that was cheering for us,” Gomez said.
