By Kaila Wyman
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday Feb. 19, 2002
Zipp wants to focus on feasibility
Setting feasible goals that benefit the students is the key to Samantha Zipp's campaign for ASUA administrative vice president.
The psychology and business management junior hopes to increase students' awareness of programs and services offered by student government, promote school unity and spirit and strengthen the relationship between the administration and students.
Actively involved on campus, Zipp holds leadership positions as secretary of the Wildcat Habitat for Humanity, advertising chair for Points for Pints blood drive, co-chair for the Omega Delta Kappa state leadership conference and is a teacher's assistant for statistics and organizational behavior.
Zipp has already met with 11 of the 15 directors from programs and services overseen by the administrative vice president and has arranged meetings with the remaining four to learn more about each group.
The feeling of unity and school spirit needs to be bigger on campus, she said. She wants to focus on decreasing segregation by offering more events that include everyone.
The level of communication between the administration and the students has been a problem Zipp would like to look into, she said.
"Jim Van Arsdel (director of housing and Residence Life) said he has been letting students know for the last year about the housing cap," Zipp said. "It wasn't until Dec. 6 that students received letters. That just doesn't seem like enough time."
Zipp said the three biggest issues students will face next year are the growth of the housing crisis, a tuition increase and the possibility of more teachers leaving the university.
"There are limitations to what can be done," Zipp said. "I want things to get done. I want the students to be able to benefit from what I can do."
If elected, she hopes to hold an event twice a year on the Mall where students will get the chance to meet the directors of the programs and services.
She also would like directors to speak to clubs, residence halls and other organizations to increase the effectiveness and involvement of programs and services.
"Even though I don't really have any ASUA experience, most things I have done on campus have been in a leadership position," Zipp said. "I do feel that I have the leadership experience, and I think I show it."
