Meilin Quiroa Reyes and Bitanya Hailu are the new the University of Rhode Island student senate president and vice president, centering their campaign of student accessibility on resources, transportation and dining.
There are many resources students do not know about that could greatly benefit them, according to Reyes.
“We want to create a hub that puts them all together and gives easy access to students,” Reyes said.
Reyes hopes to work with the dining services to improve student experience in the Ram’s Den as well as Butterfield and Mainfare dining halls.
“We want to introduce discount days to Ram’s Den so prices will be cheaper on certain days,” Reyes said.
In addition, the candidates want to implement a system called “have a say on your plate” in dining halls, where students could submit what they would like to eat every two weeks.
“This way students can be enjoying meals that they have chosen themselves,” Reyes said.
Hailu and Reyes plan to speak with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to improve bus transportation on and off campus.
“[We will be] communicating with RIPTA so we can increase the different routes and stops that the RIPTA buses already have to have more accessible transportation off campus,” Reyes said.
Reyes and Hailu also plan to speak with URI Transportation and Parking Services to address safety concerns in roads and lots on campus, such as potholes.
Hailu is looking to get students and faculty engaged with the student senate by holding special events like dinners and a carnival.
Both Reyes and Hailu will be spending the summer at URI and will be working on these initiatives throughout the break.
Reyes is a third-year biological science and Chinese major on the pre-med track with a minor in leadership studies. She has served on the student senate since her first year, also serving as the cultural chairwoman for the past two years. She also works in the URI Student Organization Leadership Consultant organization and Rhody First, who work supporting first generation students.
Hailu is a third-year computer science major on also pre-med track who has been serving as a senator for the past year on the both the cultural affairs and student organizers committees. She is also a part of the URI Global Peer Ambassador program that works to advocate for international students, according to the candidates joint Instagram page.
