Introducing ASAP
Dettman and Guerrero running for student leadership positions
By Ryan Cardarella
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“*The students here are worth it, and I couldn’t imagine coming back next year and not being a part of the fight.*”
– ASAP presidential candidate Scott Dettman
In advance of the Student Association elections, which will take place on April 17 and 18, the UWM Post will be interviewing candidates from both student parties. The Achieving Student Action through Progress party (ASAP) will be running Scott Dettman and Julio Guerrero as their respective presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Post: What year are you and what is your current major?
Scott Dettman: I’m a double major in political science and comparative literature, on the pre-law track, I guess. I want to go to law school. I am a junior.
Julio Guerrero: I am an anthropology major and I’m also a junior.
Post: What kinds of groups or activities are you actively involved with on campus?
SD: I am the chair at WISPIRG; and I also play intramural basketball and flag football.
JG: I have been an intern for WISPIRG this semester. I’ve been more active with the College Dems as well. I was also a LINKS mentor in the fall of 2007 and am now an Upward Bound tutor.
Post: What are your post-graduation plans?
SD: If I could just encompass it in one sentence, just leave things better than I found them. Whether it’s engaging young people to vote, making college more affordable, or helping the environment, I want to devote my life to those kinds of causes. If I end up practicing law, I’d like to work for someone like the ACLU.
JG: I hope I’m finishing up my Ph.D. in something, maybe political science. Otherwise I’m just trying to take things one day at a time.
Post: What prompted you to run in the upcoming election?
SD: I was actually approached to run as early as last June. After talking to people that have run in the past, I just felt like I had to run. The students here are worth it, and I couldn’t imagine coming back next year and not being a part of the fight.
JG: I was going to run for one party or another for next year. I had no intention of running for VP and was just going to run as a senator until Scott approached me one day, and it seemed to work.
SD: He walked into the WISPIRG office about the internship and I interviewed and hired him on the spot. He is an impressive guy. We had been tossing around some names as a VP candidate, and he just kept giving it his all and was always there for us. He is a little more conservative than I am, but I think it helps balance us out.
Post: How has your previous experience helped prepare you for student government?
SD: I guess being at the helm of a group that does a lot on campus. We (at WISPIRG) are fighting for the interests of students. It seems like a natural transition for me.
JG: I used my time and experience with LINKS to kind of motivate myself to do more than just mentor. To be out of school for a few years and gain life experience, I went to Job Corps for a year and served in the student government there. I feel like I’m seasoned and with those experiences. I bring a different perspective to the table.
Post: If you can narrow it down, what is the most important issue facing the campus?
SD: It is saving students money, but not cutting their resources. One of my big things is, I’m going to tighten my belt before I ever ask students to tighten their own. There are a lot of ways to save students money. I looked at the executive branch’s budget this past December, and in five minutes I cut $53,000, just in salaries and office manager pay. If I become president, I can answer my own phone, and my door will always be open.
JG: Telling the truth, and greater transparency so that people know who is telling the truth.
Post: If there is one thing you could change on campus, what would that be?
JG: I would change the visibility of student government. People are apathetic to student government, and if we get the opportunity to show students we are going to work for their benefit, they will respond in kind.
SD: The other thing I would touch on is the lack of pride in the institution. People say this is a commuter school, but I’m not a fan of excuses. I want the excuses to stop and the pride to start. This is a great school. We have great teachers, great facilities and great students. I want people to be proud of where they go to school.
> Comments
UWM Student on Apr 07, 2008 at 02:41 PM:
Hey this came out two days before the ninth. Doesn't that make this a campaign violation?
:P
negate on Apr 07, 2008 at 04:15 PM:
SUFC has a spot also, so they negate each other.
Paul on Apr 07, 2008 at 04:49 PM:
These guys sound a whole lot better than SUFC.
Yes on Apr 07, 2008 at 05:27 PM:
They do sound much better than SUFC.
Students United For Corruption!
UWM Student on Apr 07, 2008 at 05:50 PM:
-negate Sarcasm, I'll lay it on thicker next time.
J. on Apr 07, 2008 at 06:49 PM:
Yeah, I agree Paul. They do seem a hella lot better than SUFC.
an actual UWM Student on Apr 07, 2008 at 09:21 PM:
Yeah, and they look well-fed
RS on Apr 07, 2008 at 11:23 PM:
They may sound better than SUFC, but they will NEVER get into office. Take it to the bank.
watchdog on Apr 08, 2008 at 12:37 AM:
hellz yeah for ASAP. I have good thoughts about them, and I hope once the ASAP party takes control they'll stay true.
ASAP will hurt students. on Apr 08, 2008 at 07:42 AM:
"in five minutes I cut $53,000, just in salaries and office manager pay"
sounds careless to me. Five minutes was all it took for you to take out of people's pay checks? I think our office managers and executives work hard enough for what they make, where are they going to make up the difference? By seeking a second job?
Scott Dettman is carelessly cutting funds from pay checks, how does that show concern for students?
Should the office managers work twice as much for less money? Are there going to positions cut and the salaries maintained?
I want to know how in five minutes you came up with that, because it sounds like layoffs, paycuts, and struggles directly proceeding from the dettman administration if he were elected.
Does not "negate" on Apr 08, 2008 at 07:46 AM:
"SUFC has a spot also, so they negate each other."
Yeah, go to the home page of the UWM Post. ASAP has the top spot with a photo and SUFC is down at the bottom, and very easy to miss.
Sounds like total balance to me.
If the camera broke, go up to SAO. SAC under SUFC candidate Ty Draheim as chair of the committee allocated funds for them to purchase cameras and video cameras.
Most people carry cameras anyways. I'm not buying the story that, "The camera broke."
how convenient, and how convenient that SUFC is not in any immediate relation to the ASAP story, but two articles underneath it on the home page.
Yes! on Apr 08, 2008 at 08:07 AM:
"Should the office managers work twice as much for less money?"
Yep.
New Slate on Apr 08, 2008 at 08:42 AM:
Each school year a new set of staff is put in place anyways. Also, this is student government, people should want to do this for the students, not for a monetary amount. Public Servants not Self Interest.
re: yes & new slate on Apr 08, 2008 at 12:30 PM:
"this is student government, people should want to do this for the students, not for a monetary amount. Public Servants not Self Interest."
Office managers do not hold voting capabilities. None of the office managers that I know of are seated on the senate. They are not public servants, they are employees. I see no reason why any student employee should have to worry about taking a pay cut just to work for the student government because of communists like yourself.
at least SUFC is working to address the growing rate of students who are being priced out of their education and help them, unlike ASAP, who would clearly contribute to that problem by not only taking more money out of students' pockets in seg fees, but also cutting their paychecks as well.
ASAP will hurt students, starting within their own organization if they take office, cannibalizing staff pay and taking money out of the paychecks of hard working students who are trying to support the SA.
Why would anyone want to put you in office when you're telling us you want to take student jobs away and diminish the ones that you keep?!?!
Yes! on Apr 08, 2008 at 12:41 PM:
re-
good point. i'm still ok with cutting the pay of elected members.
Voter on Apr 08, 2008 at 03:18 PM:
Vote for ASAP because they actually care about this school and its students. Keep up all the hard work you guys are doing. Karma will come to SUFC.
Managers on Apr 08, 2008 at 03:49 PM:
People who work in government are, Public servants whether they are elected or not. public servant n. A person who holds a government position by election or appointment. thefreedictionary.com
Common Sense on Apr 08, 2008 at 08:04 PM:
The problem is not that ASAP will cut student jobs. The problem is that the current SA refuses to implement a significant internship program.
The same day the Women's Resource Center funding was cut, the SA gave themselves a raise.
It is imperative that the SA, whoever is in office, is willing to cut their own pay before they cut necessary resources that benefit students.
Is the current SA in office for public service or self-interest? Just wondering...
senator on Apr 09, 2008 at 09:22 AM:
"public servant n. A person who holds a government position by election or appointment. thefreedictionary.com"
Office managers are not appointments.
Anonymous on Apr 09, 2008 at 11:32 AM:
think something that needs to be addressed is the fact that a certain email by the ASAP presidential candidate, Scott Dettman, for which he was assessed 100 of the points in question, was not reported by my fellow staffers.
I know for a fact that the news reporters, and even Chris Walker recieved a copy of the email, as I was BCC'd.
The contents of the email SHOULD indeed be reported, because it shows what kind of a person Mr. Dettman really is. He's a loose cannon.
The email is a matter of public record now, as it was involved in an official case where points were given to ASAP. If anyone wants to know the contents of the email, just send an email to either the IEC Dan Bahr, or any of the officers for either political party.
The email contains graphic and colorful language in the subject line about a member of SUFC. Again, I think it's outrageous that it wasn't reported, and I think the students should know about it.
re: common sense on Apr 09, 2008 at 02:51 PM:
"The same day the Women's Resource Center funding was cut."
And because the funding was cut, wrc looked for outside funding in the form of grants and found it. now wrc will keep their jobs that would have been cut.
Fair Election on Apr 10, 2008 at 12:46 PM:
We need to have a fair election by not having Dan Bahr, the key person counting ballots. Dan assisted SUFC in the last election. We need a change from the self-centered SUFC reign!
SUFC = corruption on Apr 11, 2008 at 07:45 PM:
"We need to have a fair election by not having Dan Bahr, the key person counting ballots. Dan assisted SUFC in the last election. We need a change from the self-centered SUFC reign!"
Agreed it is rather obvious that SUFC is corrupt.