The Union Activities Board and Student Centers play an integral part of a student’s life, or at least it’s supposed to. Students pay a fee for activities conducted by the UAB and the Student Centers — so an emphasis should be placed on electing the leaders of the UAB and Students Centers. With elections not too far away, students have an important decision to make about leaders that they want to represent them in the UAB and Student Centers.
Kyle Fox, a graduate student in parks, recreation and tourism management and current UAB and Student Centers president, will be the last common president for both the UAB and Student Centers.
“Following the elections, the two organizations will be completely separate and have separate leaders,” Fox said.
Fox’s duties include overseeing seven committees under the UAB and dealing more with policy making and review with the Board of Directors.
“We [the Board of Directors] meet every month to discuss what’s going on with students,” Fox said. “Our discussions are not just limited to facilities. We discuss programs, as well as current renovations on campus.”
According to Fox, the candidates for Student Centers president, Josh Parker and Sara Yasin, are both well qualified and can get the job done.
“Both Josh and Sara are well spoken, show incentive and have the students’ best interest at heart,” Fox said. “It will be a really close race.”
Fox said David Ashmore, currently running unopposed for UAB president, would do a wonderful job as UAB president.
“I know David really well,” Fox said. “He’s one of the few committee members that have actually made money and he has the UAB’s best interest at heart.”
Jennifer Crutchfield, a senior in biochemistry and former UAB and Student Centers president, said both leadership positions overlapped to an extent but is curious to see how the two will be working side by side next year.
Crutchfield said the UAB president should be someone whose aim is to engage the entire campus.
“The UAB can sometimes focus on one private audience and the president should make sure that everyone is getting involved and getting their fees worth,” Crutchfield said.
Crutchfield denied to comment on any of the candidates running since she has not worked closely with any one of them.
David “Dokey” Ashmore, a senior in industrial engineering, has worked with UAB for the past three years.
Ashmore is currently the leisure and entertainment chair for the UAB.
“This year, as chair, I planned the 27th annual All Night Bash and made it a part of Homecoming,” Ashmore said.
Ashmore most recently planned the Dimitri Martin event which took place March 14.
As UAB President, Ashmore said he hopes to take the UAB to “where we need to go.”
Ashmore is going to propose a fee increase for UAB.
“We have not gotten a fee increase for 30 years,” he said. “It’s impossible to bring big names to campus because we don’t have the money to put forward to it, even if we know that we could make the money back through the event.”
Ashmore also plans to have more diverse events and make sure that all events conducted through the UAB are well publicized.
“Making sure that the students benefit is extremely important,” Ashmore said.
According to Ashmore, the president of UAB should be “someone with experience and someone who has shown good leadership through other activities and organizations that they have been in.”
Josh Parker, a senior in arts application, is running for Student Centers president. He has served with the Board of Directors since the beginning of the academic year and prides himself on his experience with the Board of Directors.
“What differentiates Sara and me the most is our level of experience,” Parker said.
“Although Sara has served on Student Senate, she hasn’t served on Board of Directors until recently,” he said. “She would be coming in with less experience dealing with the Student Centers board.”
Parker also said he gets along well with the administrators that the elected president of the Student Centers would work with.
“I have a very good relationship with Alex Miller and Evelyn Reiman,” Parker said. “That will really help.”
Parker said when students are electing the Student Centers president they should keep in mind that the Student Centers is there for them.
“The Student Centers is supposed to serve every student’s needs,” Parker said. “The students concerns are our top priority and it goes beyond just facilities; it goes to programming as well.”
Sara Yasin, a sophomore in textile apparel and management, has only been involved with the Board of Directors for the past couple of months.
“I know I am not the traditional candidate,” Yasin said.
Yasin said the biggest thing working for her is the split between UAB and Student Centers.
“It’s a completely new thing, which needs new leadership,” Yasin said. “It needs revamping, and I can bring what it takes to maximize the ability and resources of the Board of Directors.”
According to Yasin, students are going to want someone elected who can speak to them under any circumstances.
“I communicate with a lot of different groups and I am involved with a lot of different groups on campus,” Yasin said.
She emphasized the importance of communication and prides herself on being “good at networking and communicating the students needs.”
Yasin believes before the Board of Directors can do something for the students, it needs to be publicized to the students.
Yasin said the biggest difference between her and Parker is their “leadership styles.” And while she agrees that experience is important, Yasin believes it works to her advantage that she hasn’t been on the Board of Directors before.
“There is a change that needs to be made,” Yasin said. “I will bring it.”