We as your undergraduate student government could not be more excited for this upcoming year. The past year and a half has been hard not being on campus, but we look forward to getting back to what we do best: putting on some of UNM’s largest events and fighting to make our campus one of the very best in the country for you, the students. We know that many students still don’t know what Associated Students of the University of New Mexico is or how they can get involved, so allow us to give you an introduction.
ASUNM is comprised of three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. This structure is, of course, very similar to our national government but we promise, we have way more fun. We are comprised of 70+ undergraduate students. At the bottom of the Student Union Building is where you can find our offices where our students work and serve the student body. Let’s take a deeper dive into the work we do.
Executive Branch
The executive branch is comprised of the Office of the President and eight student service agencies. The president of ASUNM is elected, and their job involves two very important tasks: advising the governing bodies of UNM and directing the student service agencies. The
president also appoints their staff, comprised of the chief of staff, director of communications, director of diversity, equity and inclusion, attorney general and more. These staff members are vital to the office’s success.
Earlier we mentioned putting on some of UNM’s largest events; the student service agencies are where all of UNM’s favorite events begin. Our eight agencies are made up of the Arts and Crafts Studio, Community Experience, Elections Commission, Emerging Lobo Leaders, Governmental Affairs, Lobo Spirit, Southwest Film Center and Student Special Events. Each one serves its own unique purpose in building the student experience at UNM. These agencies are responsible for events such as Fiestas, Red Rally, Silent Lights, Cherry Reel Film Festival, Spring Storm, UNM Day and many more. It’s okay if these events aren’t familiar to you yet — a few months on our campus and they certainly will be.
The best part about these agencies? They’re looking for YOU to be involved. Each agency will be looking for volunteers and might even have an open position to join the team.
Legislative Branch
The legislative branch is comprised of the vice president and the three committees of the Senate: Steering and Rules, Finance and Outreach and Appointments. The elected vice president chairs the Senate and oversees this branch. Twenty senators are elected to represent the student body and fill these committees. Senators will hold office hours every week and also be assigned specific agencies, resource centers and student organizations to represent.
Judicial Branch
The judicial branch is comprised of the chief justice and four associate justices. Our student court has jurisdiction over cases involving the ASUNM constitution, lawbook, money allocations and much more. As our student court waits for a case to be brought to them, they spend their time organizing and executing a mock trial.
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This all may seem like a lot but luckily, we have a perfect way for you to get started. Our Emerging Lobo Leaders program is specifically designed to show you the ins and outs of ASUNM, pair you with a student currently holding a position in ASUNM and prepare you to be the future of our student government. While in this program, you’ll be with 40+ other students who have the same interest and intent as you. Applications for this program can be found at ell.unm.edu and the deadline to apply is currently Aug. 29. If this program doesn’t sound like the right place to start for you, that’s okay. There are so many more ways you can participate.
For any more information, check out our website at asunm.unm.edu, follow us on social media @asunmlobos or email us with any questions at asunm@unm.edu.
We look forward to seeing you back on campus and go Lobos!
Gregory Romero is the president of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico
