Martha Smith, a third-year political science and economics major, is one of three candidates running for ASUI president this term. Mr. Smith has held positions at ASUI including deputy, member pro tempore, legislative director, and senator. She is running alongside vice presidential candidate Emma Johnston.
Smith is from Koosukia, Idaho, a small town in Idaho County. Smith said she has always been drawn to politics and finding solutions that work for larger groups that are ideologically dissimilar.
“My hometown is really small and has traditionally been very underfunded, which often results in people not going to college or pursuing anything other than Kooschia,” Smith said. Ta.
Smith credits attending McCall Outdoor Science School as an elementary school student for making her realize that higher education was valuable and achievable.
“I'm a first-generation college student, but both my parents are circus clowns, so I technically have a BFA, a bachelor's degree in funny arts,” Smith said. “They went to a clown college instead of a regular college, so I got exposed to different identities and people and cultures and everything. But it didn't make it any easier to go to college. UI helped me imagine that higher education was achievable for me.”
A big part of why Smith wants to be president of ASUI is to bring people together. Smith served as president of the sorority Gamma Phi Beta, president of the Pre-Law Society, served as manager of the University Avenue She Agency, served on the Student Conduct Committee with the Dean of Student Affairs, and more. He also held the position of
“I've put myself in a position where it's not just my life group that I'm involved with, and it's not just ASUI that I'm involved with,” Smith said. “I've put myself in a position where I can understand many parts of campus that I think a student body president should have. So it's kind of like a bird's eye view of different parts.”
Martha and Emma's campaign has three campaign pillars, including amplification, transmission, and reinforcement.
Smith hopes to amplify student voices by providing resources for automatic residency paperwork for students living on campus to vote in local elections, while also providing resources for students living in off-campus student housing areas. They also want to support voting on campus. Smith also hopes to leverage the ASUI website to better receive feedback from students and promote events that students want to see.
Mr. Smith said Vandals would be able to quickly post ASUI meeting minutes and establish a new ASUI Academic Council to hear from representatives from all universities to engage in academically focused dialogue. I want to communicate with my family.
Ms. Smith wants to improve the student experience by improving daily student life. To accomplish this, Mr. Smith will use his Vandal Card to attend his sports events at the P1 FCU Kibby Dome and his ICCU Arena, rather than using his QR code like current students do. I would like to introduce using it. She also wants to work with campus security to implement better active shooter protocols on campus, including guides for specific buildings and classrooms.
Smith believes her role as sorority president helped her develop leadership skills on an interpersonal level.
“I'm a strong believer that no matter what leadership position you take, it's not about you. It's about the people around you, and empowering the people around you.” “That's true,” Smith said.
Smith said her background as a first-generation college student and a first-generation sorority puts her in a position to engage with many students from a variety of economic backgrounds.
“I truly believe that I am truly qualified for this field, and I believe that the tools I have gained over the past three years and my understanding of how this university works will help me be truly successful as ASUI President. I think you are.”
For more information on Martha Smith and Emma Johnston's campaign, visit their Instagram @marthaemmaforasui.
Georgia Swanson can be contacted at: [email protected]
