Erin Corcoran (ercorcoran@ursinus.edu)
The start of the school year ushers in fresh changes, one of those being a new Student Government President.
At the end of last semester, Arthur Artene ’23 decided to run for the presidential position because he wanted to help the campus community and college as a whole. The student body responded positively to his campaign efforts, electing Artene as the newest Student Government President. Between meetings, jobs, activities, and other commitments, he continually works to bridge the gap between students and administration.
His main purpose in his new role is to “provide a more transparent portal from administration to students.” Since he has forged connections with many staff and administration members throughout his time at Ursinus by participating in various on-campus occupations and activities, it allows him to have more open conversations with these important campus members. These conversations allow Artene to translate and provide honest information to students regarding issues they care about. He is hoping to serve as a bridge between the administration and student body to place more trust between the two. In his candidacy declaration, Artene emphasized, “I think [Ursinus administration] showing their current enrolled students that they care about them too is very important. I know that they care from previous conversations with the administration and from my experience as an RA, we just need to show that more and appreciate what we have along with what we will have. If we work together, we can achieve great things.”
The Student Government (USGA) has wasted no time in their first month in achieving great things for the campus community. The organization has begun working with Student Engagement to improve the club funding application process, AFAC, to make it easier for clubs to receive necessary funding in an efficient manner. Arthur and the other members of UCSG are busy planning their next event, the Inauguration Celebration for Students, taking place on October 13th from 4-7 on the Berman Museum Lawn. This event – specifically targeted towards students – will include a variety of exciting activities including lawn games, a hot chocolate bar, and the U-Imagine Center’s Bear Bazaar.
Outside of Student Government, Arthur is a Computer Science major and Physics minor. He also participates in many efforts to help the Ursinus community as an Event Technician, RA, Tutor, Academic Coach, and ISS Student Associate. Artene’s previous Student Government experience included being a technician for the County of Student Association in his hometown of Romania, a role with similar responsibilities and skills.
Above all, his favorite part about Ursinus is the community aspect. As he states, “Everyone here is super friendly – staff, faculty and, of course, students. Every office or space feels super welcoming, and it always feels great to talk to people.”
Artene stressed how he always wants to hear feedback or input of any kind from students, joking, “If you ever see me around on campus, you can always stop me and say hi, of course, if I’m not running late for class.”