By Elizabeth Bunnell

On Mar. 8, the University of Arkansas announced the new leading members of the Associated Student Government (ASG) after an unusual election season with all positions running unopposed, except the president. 

Each year students are allotted three days to cast their ballot for the ASG student body election. There are usually senator candidates that are running to represent each college. The voting link is the same each year vote.uark.edu. 

“I would say ASG is a unified group of a variety of different students who get the student body’s voice and get it to the admin and the people who can make a change on campus,” vice president elect Aleesa Williams said. 

Typically candidates campaign as a part of a “ticket” where a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary all attempt to get nominated together. In the 2024 election only one ticket ran, Advance Arkansas.

“You’re running together based on the same platform and hoping to serve together as a group,” Williams said. 

The final votes resulted in Mason Berres for president, Aleesa Williams for vice president, Rhea Patel for treasurer, and Sydney Roulhac for secretary.

Williams explained that by running unopposed it gave her the opportunity to start thinking about her ideas now. 

“Throughout campaigning, I’ve been able to really connect with students and part of being secretary is engaging with students,” Roulhac said. “I’ve been able to engage with them and pick up on different things about our student body that I’ll be able to implement.”

The two candidates running for president included Malachi Massey and Drew Berres, member of the Advance Arkansas ticket. 

Massey explained people in ASG encouraged him to provide a second option to students voting in the election.

“There’s a lot of people in ASG who don’t necessarily agree with the policies he (Berres) has,” Massey said.

Massey’s campaign focused on expanding parking, improving RSO funding, and keeping housing affordable. 

 “I really believe that success should be the driving factor for every single student. If I can help you be successful, I’m dedicated to taking on the student body president to bring about the system’s success,” Massey said.

The Advance Arkansas ticket campaigned on the ideas of creating new opportunities for accessibility, fostering a cooperative relationship with transportation, and increasing student engagement.

“We pay a lot of money to go to school here, so you might as well enjoy your time here,” Williams said.

Included in each student’s tuition is a $2.92 fee that goes towards “student activities.” This fee helps sponsor ASG and Registered Student Organization (RSO) programs. In addition, there is a “student tax” applied to each credit hour a student takes to also support ASG. ASG helped create multiple programs on campus to better the lives of students, such as the Multicultural Center, Safe Ride, and Distinguished Lectures Committee. 

“I think the entire purpose is to be the students’ voice, as much as a college campus is a business, we are the customers,” junior ASG senator TJ Collins said. “When we have a voice, the whole thing gets better and the business gets better.” 

In Collin’s time as senator he focused on the campus parking situation. Recently, parking enforcement switched from paper citations to email citations which has led to a higher number of students not paying or realizing they had a parking citation.

“Read the (parking garage) signs very carefully, but the biggest part is understanding the rules. If you do park illegally, we all do it, just check your junk inbox,” Collins said. 

The University of Arkansas offers a “working off” program where a few volunteer hours can work off the cost of a parking ticket.

“It’s an amazing program where you can just do a few hours of volunteering to get your ticket erased at no financial cost to yourself and doing good to your community,” Collins said.

Although voting for the 2024 election closed on Mar. 6. ASG members continue to spread the importance of participating in elections and taking advantage of ASG programs.

“Attending debates, doing your research, and visiting tables for people running is very important,” Collins said.  

Each year ASG sends out a student poll to receive feedback from students about their experience. The poll covers multiple issues such as housing, parking, classes, and more. This feedback helps ASG members make improvements on campus.

During election season students share their love for the University of Arkansas and Razorback community. 

“The University of Arkansas is a spirit and we are here at the University of Arkansas to succeed.You don’t want to achieve all this for yourself,” Massey said. “You want to achieve this because of the community or because you love what you do.”