Union of Students (USUAA)

Dear Seawolves, 

Whether you are wrapping up your summer classes, traveling around the world, or just taking a step back and enjoying life- we hope that you are having a great summer! As we begin the transition into the 2022-2023 academic year we wanted to introduce ourselves. My name is Katie Scoggin and I am the UAA Student Body President. The Vice President, Shanone Tejada, and I will be serving as the USUAA leadership this coming academic year. USUAA or the Union of Students at the University of Alaska Anchorage, is your student government and our goal is to serve and represent you to the best of our abilities. 

In the past years USUAA has successfully advocated on behalf of students for initiatives such as an adequate university budget and protection for our scholarships such as the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS), the Alaska Education Grant (AEG), and the Washington-Wyoming-Alaska-Montana-Idaho Program (WWAMI). This summer we have been busy meeting with members of the administration, faculty, and community leaders to discuss our main goals for the upcoming school year. 

Specifically, in the 2022-2023 academic year, we will focus on: 

(1) Affordability for Students 

As we all know college education comes at a price, every opportunity this USUAA administration gets, we will find ways to reduce the cost for students. Whether that be advocating for more zero-cost textbooks classes, reassessing the student fees, or raising student salaries, rest assured that we always have the student experience in our minds. 

(2) Activities on Campus 

It is safe to say that after two years of Covid that we all miss the liveliness of our campus. This year, with the reinstatement of our Hockey Team and our Gymnastics Team along with our other amazing athletic teams, we want to see our student body engaged with

their university. We will work with various departments and organizations throughout the year to host events for students where we can all connect and show off our Seawolf Pride. 

(3) Advancing the Academic Experience 

When it comes to being a student, aside from the financial struggles come the challenges of being an actual student and juggling all of the course work. We want to ensure that Academic Advising is receiving the proper feedback from students to enhance the department in ways that a lack thereof might actually be hurting us. We want professors and faculty to receive this kind of feedback as well so that we may all benefit from such improvements within departments, colleges and programs. 

We are so excited to welcome all Seawolves back to campus this coming fall! If you are interested in joining USUAA there are currently opportunities available to serve as a senator, delegate, ombuds, as well as positions on boards and committees on campus. Feel free to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. More information can be found on our website at usuaa.org. We hope to see you all at Campus Kick-Off on Saturday, August 27, 1-4 pm in the Cuddy Quad! 

Sincerely, 

Katie Scoggin
Student Body President 
usuaa.president@alaska.edu

Shanone Tejada
Student Body Vice President
usuaa.vicepresident@alaska.edu