USCU Unraveled
When talking about student government with most students, the first thing that comes to mind is a boring, pointless high school popularity contests. But at CU, student government is a serious business and has a profound impact on student life.
The student government at CU is the University of Colorado Student Union, or UCSU. UCSU was established in 1974, “In order to improve the administration of student affairs and to encourage the greatest level of cooperation and communication, and to ensure the optimum of students’ rights, and to provide the best possible excellence in education,” according the Preamble of the UCSU Constitution.
UCSU primarily consists of the Legislative Council, the Executive Staff, and the 13 student -run joint boards. Together they manage a budget of close to $35 million, which funds a wide range of components of student life at CU.
“UCSU is the reason is the reason the things like the UMC, the rec center and the health center are funded and maintained,” said Dustin Farivar, a junior political science major who has served on UCSU for three years and is one of the three current Tri-Eexecutives. “Without those, we’d lose a crucial part of student life.”
The Legislative Council consists of representatives from each of the schools and colleges on campus as well as several rrepresentatives-at-large from the student body. Representatives-at-large serve one year-long term; five elected in the fall and four in the spring.
The Executive Staff is headed up by three Tri-Eexecutives elected each spring and serving for one year. The Executive Staff also includes other important offices related to carrying out UCSU’s different functions. These include improving campus diversity, funding student groups and cost centers like the Rec Center and maintaining an environmentally friendly and sustainable campus.
The 13 joint boards are in charge of a diverse array of programs on campus. Some, like the UMC board, are responsible for the upkeep of specific buildings. Others, like the Cultural Events Board or the Distinguished Speakers Board, aim to enhance campus life in a different way by planning and coordinating events and presentations.
Former Tri-Eexecutive Charles Gilford, a junior management major who will be serving on UCSU for his fourth year this fall, said UCSU’s impact on a large area of campus life is part of what separates it from other student governments nationwide.
“We’re different in the sense that our voice affects the campus significantly,” Gilford said. “That’s contrary to a lot of student governments.”
Gilford added that members of UCSU put in a lot of extra hours behind the scenes to make sure the parts of campus it oversees run smoothly.
“We’re not trying to do this as a popularity contest,” Gilford said. “UCSU embodies a lot more than just a stamp of coolness.”
UCSU attracts a wide range of students to get involved in all levels of its organization for a wide variety of reasons. Both Gilford and Farivar started out on UCSU’s Freshman Council, and both said they gained a lot from the experience.
“Freshman Council is a great opportunity for students to be a part of their university education,” Farivar said. “They can act on behalf of their own campus.”
Chance Heath, a senior international affairs major, went straight for a Rrepresentative-at-large spot in the fall of his sophomore year. Heath said the idea of running for a UCSU office occurred to him after he complained to a friend about the lack of a 24 -hour study area on campus. His friend asked him why he didn’t do something about it himself, and Heath decided he would.
“I decided to take the initiative to change things I could improve,” Heath said.
Though Heath is no longer part of UCSU after two terms as a Rrepresentative-at-large, he said he valued his time on the Legislative Council and enjoyed the opportunity to give something back to the school.
“For me, it was a symbiotic relationship,” Heath said. “I learned so much and got involved.at the same time I got to give back to the campus. It was mutually beneficial.”
Heath added what UCSU does affects many students even if they don’t realize it. As one example, he cited the recent renovation of Farrand Field, which was done through a budget enhancement for the UMC. Furthermore, Heath pointed out UCSU gets it money from student fees.
“(Students) should care about UCSU because it’s their money that UCSU is spending,” he said.
Gilford echoed Heath’s comments, saying students needed to be aware of and involved in UCSU in order for it to do its’ job function.
“UCSU is made up first and foremost of students. It’s supposed to be representational,” he said. “Students need to be active and participating, bringing issues to UCSU that they may not know about. It’s very hard to represent a bunch of ideas that aren’t being submitted to you.”
Daniel Oxenhandler, a sophomore international affairs major who served on Freshman Council last year and is currently UCSU’s Director of Public Relations, said UCSU also benefited students by speaking for them at the administrative and state level.
“UCSU provides students with an incredible avenue for their voice to be heard. very few student governments have the level of autonomy that UCSU has,” Oxenhandler said. “UCSU brings students together to work constructively with other students, as well as Boulder community members, university administration and state legislators, to make CU the best possible university it can be.”
Contact Campus Press News Editor Rob Ryan at rryan@colorado.edu.
