By
Maya Schechter
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Newly-named organization not just aimed at freshman
A newly-named program through the Associated Students will aim to reach all UA students in hopes of getting them involved in different aspects of campus life.
Student Involvement Association, formerly known as Freshmen Active in Campus Events and Services (FACES), will help students become familiar with campus organizations such as student government, greek life or residence life, said Ray Quintero, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.
"If they're interested in learning different aspects of campus, not just ASUA, we really encourage them to get involved," said Sarah Glauser, the program's director.
"The name changed during the summer because I want to take the program in a different direction," she added. "I don't want to only aim the freshmen - there are many sophomores and juniors who want to be involved but haven't had the time yet."
Glauser, a classical civilization and English sophomore, and Quintero, a political science senior, have been recruiting students for the program through summer orientations and will distribute flyers during the first week of school to get as many interested students as possible.
Glauser, who said more than 100 students have already signed up for the program during the summer, plans on emailing and sending them packets before school starts.
"Things are really starting to roll," she said.
Students can expect to come into the program and be provided with first-hand experience, Glauser said. They can find their "niche" and if it appeals to them, they can pursue it further and develop a background in it.
"Even if the students are not interested in ASUA, we can get them going into other organizations," Quintero said.
"It gets their foot in the door - they can decide what appeals to them on their own," Glauser added.
Glauser joined FACES when she was a freshman, coincidentally when there was an open position for director of events. She was quickly appointed to the position.
Having experience with the program, Glauser said she knows there are a few things that need to be changed. Last year's program, for example, assigned people to different parts of ASUA, based on what they had expressed interest in. However, this system didn't always work because people would fall through cracks and not always get enough attention, she explained.
This year, Glauser said she would like to make the program more general so all students - not just incoming freshmen - can learn different aspects of not only ASUA but campus in general.
Another change she has already implemented was to decrease the number of students on the Student Involvement Association's executive board.
The FACES board was too large, making it difficult to keep track of everyone's duties, Glauser said. This year, there will only be three positions - executive director, director of events, and director of design and finance. Glauser will accept applications from interested students and select the officers within the first month of school.
Glauser and Quintero would like to hold monthly workshops, focusing on different aspects of ASUA and the university.
Student Involvement Association will also hold its own events and programs, Glauser said.
"We don't want to rely solely on ASUA events. We want to be able to create our own too, especially in (late) Fall, which can sometimes be slow and we don't want the students to lose interest," she said.
"I'm really excited about this program," Quintero added. "It will really help ASUA as far as our visibility on campus."
