ASUI retreat bonds leaders

In an effort to heighten team connectivity and strategize the best way to serve students, executive and senate members of ASUI held their annual retreat for several hours Sept. 14.

By participating in personality tests, team-building activities and goal-setting discussions, ASUI leaders spent the day working to improve their effectiveness as a team.

“The retreat allows us to gain a community within ASUI leadership,” ASUI Sen. Carlie Beasley said. “We were able to really make a team and get to know each other. It felt cohesive, and got us all on the same page.”The ASUI executive board and senate serve as leaders of the UI student body, providing a voice on issues in the

Idaho Legislature, student activities and the overall college experience.

Sarah Vetsmany, ASUI vice president, said working together as a group outside of official business allows ASUI to more successfully serve students in their leadership capacities.

“The ASUI retreat benefits students because we are able to share our ideas and make them better than they were,” Vetsmany said. “A variety of minds is much better than one, and our ultimate purpose is improving the overall student experience at UI.”

ASUI spent a significant portion of its retreat becoming more familiar with everyone’s policy positions and sharing individual and collective goals. “We were able to hear what everyone wants to accomplish,” Vetsmany said. “It’s productive and beneficial because some of the goals overlap, so the people who are focused on similar goals will be able to work together.”

Many of the goals presented by senators and the ASUI executive board address a wide range of issues and improvements that impact UI students.

As a whole, ASUI showed a vested interest in promoting the prevention of sexual assault and creating a safer campus environment. There is also high hope that ASUI will develop a Vandal scanning system, which would feature a rewards card for student involvement.

“ASUI is a big proponent of the mental and physical health of students, so the sexual assault prevention is something that we are fully supportive of,” Vetsmany said. “The rewards system is still being planned and refined, but it’s a good idea and we’ll see where it goes.”

Additional ASUI goals included advocating for sustainability through putting hand dryers in all the restrooms in the Commons, developing a Vandal Heartbeat project that recognizes students across campus and working to increase attendance at Vandal sporting events.

“The most valuable thing that our ASUI retreat does is to give us a chance to get to know each other and open up our resources to one another,” Vetsmany said. “We will be able to work together and make our goals happen.”

Cara Pantone can be reached at [email protected]