Now that we are deep into fall quarter, it is time to meet our new Undergraduate Student Government (USG) senators.
Samantha Barcelona is the new transfer student senator. She is a 3rd-year Political Science and Public Policy major with minors in Business Ethics and Legal Studies. She joined USG because she wanted to be more involved with the community. As a transfer student, business owner and mother, she feels she represents the less-traditional college student. Her experience gives her a new perspective to add to student government.
The main issue she would like to focus on during her term is mental health, saying, “It’s a big issue that [has] affected me personally. I see the dangers that can come of it, physically and mentally.” She hopes to put more focus on the mental issues and stresses of the Denver community to help students feel more comfortable and happy.
Demi Dumovich is a first-year Psychology and Spanish major. She has experience in politics from working with the governor of Illinois. She hopes to work in politics one day, where she can help eliminate corruption.
Her main issue at the University of Denver (DU) is the extra costs outside of tuition. The laundry system is one expenditure she is very passionate about. She feels that the cost adds up quickly, and it is too great for students. She spoke about situations at other universities where they “don’t have to pay for it at all.” With the amount we pay for tuition, Demi is wondering why we can’t have “free or discounted laundry.”
Campus safety is another crucial issue for her; she described in detail her disappointment with the inoperable blue light system. She spoke about how the university needs to fix the blue lights around campus. She mentioned how other colleges with cheaper tuition have working blue lights, so it is unacceptable that DU has not fixed them.
She’s also concerned with RA procedures. She spoke about staff entering her room when she wasn’t there, how “Things have been moved around [in my room], it’s been unlocked.” She spoke about how they failed to give her any prior notice or information afterward. She says that staff should not be able to do this without notifying her as it is an obvious violation of privacy and her own safety.
Lastly, she elaborated on her goals to reduce textbook costs for students. She spoke about how she couldn’t be in “2003 [Spanish] because [she] couldn’t afford the textbook.” If she had decided to join that class, she would have paid $375 for a textbook that she would only use for one quarter.
“For someone that is in that situation and doesn’t have a choice, they are going to fail a class, because they can’t afford a $375 dollar textbook for literally two and a half months,” Dumovich said. She described her want for a system where students could receive discounts based on how long they need the textbooks.
Methusella Rwabose is a Political Science major with a minor in Leadership Studies. He is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He moved to Colorado three years ago, and at the time he spoke no English. He chose to get involved with student government, because he enjoyed volunteering and working in student government in high school. He was one of the students in the OneDU Book, “Newcomers.” He enjoys talking about his story and is open to speaking about it with whoever would like to listen.
Methusella hopes to focus on increasing diversity at DU, saying, “We are all humans. We all have different beliefs and issues, but if we stick together, we can have a better community.”
He would like to see more diversity in our sports teams specifically. When asked if DU should focus on recruiting players in more marginalized areas, he responded, “I do think so, why wouldn’t they? There are communities with a lot of students who are talented and smart, but they don’t have opportunities or resources to get them to where they should be.”
When asked about safety on campus, he described it as his number one priority. He wants students to learn how to approach “emergency situations like sexual assault, and more subtle issues like depression and academic problems.”
Methusella also feels passionate about diversity on campus. He would like to help create “a more cohesive community that welcomes students from different backgrounds.” He believes “there’s a negative reputation” surrounding DU. He has heard people say, “DU is for white people. DU is for rich people.” He said, “This is not what should spread in our communities, and it is up to the university to reach out to those students in poor/low-income communities who are actually smart but feel like they can’t make it to DU because of their financial background or their race.”
Grace Wankelman is the new Korbel senator. She is a Political Science and International Studies major. She decided to run for USG because she saw issues on campus that she hoped to change.
One of those issues is the extra costs that come with an education at DU. She believes that “Educational costs that aren’t covered with tuition cause a divide between students who can and cannot afford those things.” She believes everyone deserves an equal shot at all learning opportunities including tutors, books and winter interterm. She plans on talking with the administration about reducing all these costs, because she believes that “if you are paying tuition, you shouldn’t have to be shelling out so many extra dollars.”
She also mentioned campus safety as a crucial reason behind her running. She wants DU to implement stronger safety protocols, and to prioritize student safety.
Overall, our new senators are excited and ready to begin changing DU for the better.
