Steve Aguilar

Sen. Steve Aguilar said he wants to be vice president of ASUNM because the position allows for a lot of communication with students and senators, which is something he wants to improve.

Aguilar, who is running on the Connection slate, said one of his greatest accomplishments has been working for students and organizations on campus. He said he has helped the ASUNM craft studio get space, the Daily Lobotomy get funding and New Mexico Public Information Research Group with their Earth Day efforts.

Aguilar said it is frustrating when senators do not do their jobs. He said he wants to make sure that all senators work for their student organizations and attend their office hours if he becomes the Senate's president. He said it was disappointing to see a lot of student organizations lose funding because they were not informed by their senators about budget workshops.

Aguilar attends UNM Campus Safety meetings, is involved with the UNMPD Crime Stoppers program and is the chairman of the ASUNM Campus Safety Ad Hoc Committee. He said he wants to create safe routes for students to use when they are walking at night. The routes would have markings, would be well lit and, hopefully, the student patrol could keep an eye on the areas, he said.

Aguilar said he has learned as much or more as an ASUNM senator than he has in his classes. He said college isn't just about books, it's about learning how to interact and be successful. He said he has learned the importance of working and compromising with people who have different opinions.

"That's why you have a lot of violence in the world," he said. "Because people don't know how to work with each other on a professional basis."

Aguilar said campaigning during this election has been hard and that his opposition has turned the race into a racial issue. He said the candidate forum was a set up because members of The Coalition associated with The People slate asked racially biased questions to members of his slate. He said The People slate candidates claimed to be above ASUNM during the forum.

"They said throughout the whole thing that the coalition is what we answer to, The Coalition is better than ASUNM, we're higher than ASUNM, and that's what the candidates from The Coalition were saying and for them to be saying that, that they accomplish more than ASUNM, that they affect more people, it's just ludicrous," he said.

He said his slate is not racist because they fight for all students - not just one group that feels oppressed.

"Our diversity lies not in our ethnicity," he said. "Our diversity lies in that we have taken leaders from all walks of life on campus," he said.

Aguilar said he likes working, is excited about meeting more people and has no fears about becoming ASUNM vice president.

"This position is something I want with all of my being," he said. "I know what I'm getting myself into, and it's nothing but good."

He said he likes singing karaoke at Coaches Bar and Grill Restaurant, likes to hang out with his friends, play golf and watch baseball.

"It's like a sickness I have," he said. "I love watching baseball."

Aguilar is in his fifth year of school studying broadcast journalism and pre-law English. He is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, an executive officer Intrafraternal Council and the ASUNM representative on the Student Publications Board.

Aguilar encourages all students to vote.