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“We are three women from different backgrounds committed to serving students at the University of Utah. Through our experiences, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we know the importance of improving campus accessibility, affordability, safety, and solidarity. We are committed to empowering students to ignite the change that we need here at the U.”

PLATFORM

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ACCESSIBILITY

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Work with the Center for Disability and Access to create equal online and in person opportunity for all students- this includes making closed captioning and transcripts more available for online classes and supporting ASUU boards in creating accessible events.

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Action Items:

  • Create an ASUU Director of Accessibility to oversee accessibility initiatives at the U

  • Advocate for the University to modify their contract with Zoom to include automatic closed captioning

  • Advocate for all classes, meetings, and other university events to be required to have closed captioning

  • Support ASUU boards in creating accessible events and marketing by creating a list of guidelines recommended by students and the Center for Disability and Access

  • Educate and spread awareness of the importance of accessibility on campus in events, marketing, etc.

Mental Healthcare Accessibility:

  • Decrease wait times on calls and counseling services

  • Include ASL interpretation for counseling intakes and other meetings

  • Information and resources given to first-year students during orientation

  • Advocate for an online portal and case management system for students to apply for services and easily access mental health services and academic accommodations.

  • Improve the student health insurance to include a prescription benefit

AFFORDABILITY

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Focus on supporting students through COVID-19 by examining all student fees and abolishing what is not being used, being transparent about the usage of student fees, and advocating for affordable parking.

 

Action Items:

  • We will not raise student fees.

  • We will redistribute excess budget to other areas that are needing funding

  • We are going to examine student fees and our budget to ensure that they are being put toward things that are accessible to students and focused around supporting students through COVID-19.

  • We will help alleviate the stress of extra costs for students (this includes improved health insurance with a prescription benefit, and improved access to affordable childcare for student parents).

  • We will work with the Director of Finance to create full transparency of student fees

  • Advocate for more affordable parking

SAFETY

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Support the Lauren McCluskey Foundation and students who are victims of domestic violence by advocating for funding toward an IPV legal clinic and promoting student health by advocating for access to mental health care, PPE, testing, and vaccines.

 

IPV & Sexual Assault:

  • Text-based support lines for students, if they can’t talk in their surroundings

  • Advocate for funding to the IPV legal clinic and support its beginning operations

  • Support the Lauren McCluskey foundation and take Lauren’s Promise

  • Sexual assault training and mandatory reporting training for faculty

  • Contact information for IPV and sexual assault resources plastered across campus (websites, social media handles, numbers--and smaller wait times)

  • Required bystander, sexual assault, etc training for all RSO’s (including Greek Life)

COVID-19:

  • We will advocate for continued access to testing, more PPE, and vaccinations for high-risk and disabled students and staff.

  • We will focus on improving the quality of online college by focusing on accessibility

  • We will not support in-person events and classes that can be online

 

We cannot have students return to campus until it is safe to do so. We believe science and will only support in-person classes and the reopening of campus if scientists and doctors say that it is safe. We don’t believe that it is safe to have anyone that is non-essential on campus right now, and know that the shift back to in person is going to be very gradual. Currently, we do not support an increase in in-person classes.

 

Environment:

  • Install lighting in dark spots and parking lots on campus that is sustainable

    • Another focus on lighting near labs, recreation/activity areas, and other populated areas at night.

  • Support fossil fuel divestment

  • Support environmental studies major/degree research and programming

  • Advocate for more sustainable packaging in all dining halls

  • Publicizing and supporting pollution prevention programs

  • Supporting the ASUU sustainability board and creating guidelines to ensure all events are sustainable.

  • Green buildings and practices: implementation of gray water systems, solar panels and faculty-led initiatives to cut down on water or electricity usage.

  • Cutting funds and ties from companies that dispute or deny climate change

  • Food:

    • Organic farming for food on campus

    • Recycling and composting programs

    • More water bottle refill stations

  • Environmentally-friendly campus shuttles

  • Pay electric scooters

SOLIDARITY

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Elevate marginalized student voices to manifest structural change within student organizations and create coalitions for change on the University level.

 

BIPOC Students:

  • Support the JR 2 Resolution in Support of Black Students at the University of Utah and adopt its recommendations

  • Have faculty do diversity trainings

  • University standard diversity training in addition to racial bias, harassment, microaggressions, etc.

  • Have each department create a Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Plan and faculty and student committees to review the plan (advisory councils)

  • More immersive experience for incoming BIPOC students to find connections, resources, and financial aid sources during orientation, that includes focus groups of student’s choosing and a summer bridge program

  • Conduct a BIPOC campus climate survey every semester

  • Support paid work-based learning opportunities geared towards professional development

  • Allow diversity organizations and offices to have academic accommodation privileges, especially for low-income students

  • Work closely with Vice President Mary Ann Villareal and the centers that work closely with the BIPOC communities to ensure accountability across all campus networks.

  • Connecting students to the Office of Inclusive Excellence

LGBTQIA+ Students:

  • We will ensure that ASUU members are trained on inclusive language and events

  • We will work with other campus entities to ensure that they are seeking to support LGBTQIA+ students and ensure that all trainings are inclusive of all identities

  • We will listen to LGBTQIA+ voices on campus and stand in support with them and condemn any and all homophobia and transphobia

  • Advocate for student health insurance to cover hormone treatments for transitioning students.

  • We will give LGBTQIA+ students a seat at the table to share their experiences and work to create change, we want to ensure that these students are being heard in student government and holding positions.

  • We will to lift their voices to the University Administration regarding all issues- everywhere from gender-nuetral bathrooms to allowing transgender women to play sports.

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Support for Student Parents:

  • We will increase funding to the School Life Fund to ensure that student parents are getting the financial support that they need.

  • We will collaborate with other campus entities to establish more sustainable childcare access on campus

  • We will work with childcare options to increase available hours of service based on need.

  • We will recruit and hire student parents to ASUU positions to ensure that they are included in decisions made regarding childcare funding and actively have a voice in the executive branch

  • Communicate with faculty and professors to implement flexibility to student caregivers

  • Establish academic accommodation services for student caregivers

  • Extension of drop/withdraw deadlines for classes

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Support for Graduate Students:

  • Demand a more liberal accommodations policy for in-person classes and duties (including teaching and/or being a TA)

  • Support the creation of a graduate student governing body and a grad student bill of rights which would include various labor rights such as allowing for external work outside of departments, protections for hours, and workload assignments, etc.

  • Advocate for a prescription benefit to be added to the university health insurance plan

  • Appoint a graduate student to the ASUU Student Immersion and Outreach Board

  • Appoint a graduate student to be over equity, diversity, and inclusion and recruitment in the graduate school

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