Rachel Jackson / Nevada Sagebrush
Dionne Stanfill (Right) and Bayla Fitzpatrick (Left) stand in the DeLaMare Library on Feb. 10. The two are campaigning together under the name “Stronger with Nevada.”

Election season is here for the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, and students will be submitting ballots on March 8. Their campaign “Stronger with Nevada” is aimed at helping students find their place and being vocal about their needs.

The pair both currently serve as elected members of ASUN. Stanfill, a junior criminal justice major, is in her third year at ASUN and started in the eighty-seventh session. She started as a senate intern, then senator for the College of Liberal Arts where she won “senator of the year” and now serves as the chief justice as elected by Austin Brown, current ASUN president. 

Fitzpatrick, a sophomore biochemistry major, is serving her first term at ASUN as a senator for the College of Biotechnology, Agriculture and Natural Resources. She has passed two substantial pieces of legislation: A Resolution in Support of Pronoun Inclusion and A Resolution in Support of Mandatory Vaccination for In-Person Attendance.

The campaign is based around four pillars: community, advocacy, organization and association. Their main goal is to get students excited to be at the university and build a strong campus community.

“So we want to advocate for all students to make sure that they feel comfortable on campus, they have safe places to go to, and they feel a part of our community,” said Fitzpatrick, vice presidential candidate. “Which leads us to like the community, part of our campaign, just like building a community, building the spirit at games, building the spirit on campus, making people want to come to campus.”

According to Stanfill, presidential candidate, the pillars are ever-growing and changing with the campus community.

“… Something that we want the students to know is that there is no end goal with all of our pillars that are ever-changing and ever-growing,” said Stanfill. “Every day when we meet with students, and we talk to them what their concerns, what their needs are, they are ever-growing to truly make a stronger Nevada.”

Rachel Jackson / Nevada Sagebrush
Stanfill and Fitzpatrick sit during an interview in the DeLaMare Library. The pairs campaign is based around four pillars: community, advocacy, organization and association.

The pair said they plan to take advantage of the president’s cabinet within ASUN and fully utilize each department to its fullest potential. Stanfill, as chief justice, already serves as an ex-officio member of the president’s cabinet.

“There’s different departments within the cabinet such as diversity, equity, inclusion, wellness, sustainability,” said Stanfill. “Hiring the perfect cabinet so that they can use their experiences in implementing some of those campaigns that we planned out, especially within the pillars of community opportunity, advocacy and association.”

With Fitzpatrick being in pre-dental and Stanfill being in pre-law, there is an emphasis on pre-professional programs for students in their campaign. Additionally, they want to make an emphasis on clubs and organizations to help students find their place on campus.

“So working with clubs and orgs, just expanding Club Fair, and just getting people to find their home on campus,” said Fitzpatrick. “… Because I think once you find your home, and once you find that niche of people, and like groups that you want to work with, then you’re just excited to go to everything because you have people to go with.” 

“Nevada Wow” is an event the two have planned in enabling students to get excited about being on campus and to fully utilize the president’s cabinet.

“… Every department within the president’s cabinet is going to have a week that’s devoted when we come back for the first week of the semester,” said Stanfill. “… Having like Wellness Week, sustainability week, and keeping the welcome weeks rolling in order to make students feel welcome.”

Additionally, they would like to bring Greek Life back onto campus.

Multiple Greek life associations at the university are not recognized. Fitzpatrick is an active member of her sorority, Sigma Kappa, and said she thinks it is a great opportunity for students.

“We want them to be excited to be on campus, not just off-campus. So that is definitely one of my goals,” said Fitzpatrick. “But in terms of on-campus Greek life, fraternities, sororities, I think that just improving their general association with campus and like their general well-being whether it’s funding or just support from the association is really important.”

As for advocacy, they have both emphasized hearing student voices through means of town halls and other programs.

“So a lot of our direct programs that we have to practice is town halls and associations and committees,” said Stanfill. “… With clubs, with diversity clubs, with Greek life, with athletics, with RHA ResLife. In order to like hear their feedback, and put that into place.”

Stanfill and Fitzpatrick are confident in their campaign and believe they are fit to fulfill the duties of president and vice president. 

“I am 100 percent the best person to fill this role. I 100 percent think that I could fulfill this to my best capacities, that I could do everything in my power, that I could be the best vice president this university has seen,” said Fitzpatrick. “That’s why I’m running because I think that we are the best fit for this role, and I’m 100 percent confident in us.”

Both noted they are actively involved in the campus community through different clubs and organizations, and show up to all the sporting events they can.

“I know that personally, Bayla and I are willing to show up, we go to all events in every department, and we’re involved in different clubs on campus,” said Stanfill. “We’re willing to show up for the students and listen to their perspectives, regardless of what it is.”

For more information on their campaign, they can be found on Instagram @StrongerwithNV and they encourage students to reach out via DM or email to voice their concerns. 

Emerson Drewes can be reached via email at edrewes@unr.edu or via Twitter @EmersonDrewes.