Third-year students Jacob Lockhart and Faustine Moulton have been a part of ASUI since they first stepped foot on campus — so running for president and vice president seemed like the natural next step for the pair.
Lockhart, who is studying political science, said he walked into Director of Student Involvement Shawn O’Neal’s office his freshmen year and asked how to get involved.
“I wanted to find a place on campus that cared about doing good things and making life a little bit better,” Lockhart said.
Moulton, a transfer student studying political science and international relations, said she became aware of ASUI immediately through Delta Gamma Sorority housemate Audrey Lodge, a senator at the time.
“It seemed like they were doing projects I was really interested in,” Moulton said. “I thought it was really cool that students could have such a big voice and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Lockhart and Moulton have several projects they plan to work on but want to address mental health on campus right off the bat.
Their plans include creating a Vandal Resource application for students.
Lockhart said the governance of the Idaho Commons building changing hands is a monumental task, but the change offers an opportunity to improve campus life. He also views affordability as a big issue facing UI students.
“Affordability compounds so many things,” Lockhart said. “Just overall finance for folks can be the difference between choosing if you go out tonight or if you go to the doctor the next day of if you get to go grocery shopping. A lot of students sometimes find themselves challenged with finances, so that’s a big issue that plays in to mental health too.”
Lockhart and Moulton said they are excited to work with UI’s incoming president Scott Green.
“To me it feels refreshed, like there’s now boundless opportunity to really get in there with some of those top issues right from the start,” Lockhart said. “We have a lot of momentum going into next year, and I think that if we can funnel that into advocacy for students.”
Moulton said that from what she remembers from the hiring process, Green seemed very student focused and an advocate for students.
Lockhart met with Green two weeks ago, along with current ASUI President Nicole Skinner. Lockhart said said Green seemed very open to what they had to say.“He was excited to meet students and said that was the thing he was looking most forward to,” Lockhart said. “And I think that if that mindset remains and that mindset goes forward, we’re going to have a real advocate for students.
Moulton said both she and Lockhart are very approachable and open minded, and she hopes that if students have concerns that they feel comfortable coming up the DSI office, stopping them on campus and just speaking up in general.
“I think that one of the biggest issues is that sometimes students suffer in silence,” Moulton said. “Never be afraid of reaching out and finding those who can help you, don’t be afraid to ask for help. And that’s what we’re here for—to be those advocates for students.”
Ellamae Burnell can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @EllamaeBurnell