Nikki Miles

Nikki Miles is running for Senator because she said UNM needs an African American student who will represent the needs of minorities.

"I decided to run for senator because I felt that we needed a very strong-minded, competent, African-American individual representing African-American needs as well as the needs of women on this campus," Miles said.

Miles, originally from California, is a senior at UNM studying liberal arts. She said she believes she could add a fresh perspective to ASUNM.

"I feel that the governing body should reflect the student population and I feel that there are very competent individuals in the student body now but as the student body changes, needs change," she said. "Maybe I can lend a different light to the situation - I am wondering if the needs are being addressed."

Miles said the role of an ASUNM senator is to listen to the needs and concerns of students and act on their requests.

"I would like to meet with students regularly and have them grill me and have them ask me, `What are you doing?'" she said. "I believe this would make the office much more effective."

She said her experience as a student has taught her how to get information and to express her concerns to a variety of people.

"What I hope to achieve is to bring awareness to the student-body, awareness of what goes on in the Senate, what our processes are and how it includes them," Miles said. "I would like to be a leg of information for anyone who needs it. Up to this point I felt very disconnected with the Senate."

Miles said it is essential to have a student government that is diverse ethnically and ideologically.

"My main way of getting that done is through The Coalition," she said. "It's a student run organization and our job is to create more awareness for under-represented groups on campus."

When asked to name the UNM president, three members of the Board of Regents and three student groups, Miles identified Bill Gordon as president; Richard Tolvier, Eric Anaya and Judith Herrera as regents; and Campus Crusade, National Society of Black Engineers and Sigma Chi as student groups.