Who are you?
Before I talk about my role as an ASUP senator I should probably introduce myself. Hello, I am Rosana Gutierrez and I am a second year business major. I am interested in declaring a marketing major but who knows maybe I’ll be struck by lightning and decide OTM is my jam.
I am the oldest of six and am originally from Eastern Washington. I lived in a very small town called Burbank all my life before I decided to move to Portland for college. Burbank is on the outskirts of the Tri-Cities so I usually tell people that’s where I’m from. Since starting at the University of Portland in the fall semester of 2022, I have been a part of The Mock Trial team, Mehling Hall Council President, and now I am The Associative Students of The University of Portland’s (ASUP) Pamplin School of Business Senator.
What do you do as an ASUP senator representing the business school?
This is a great question because not even a lot of students know what ASUP is or what we do. The role of being an ASUP senator can really be a lot of things and everyone thinks of their role in a different way. This is my first semester ever being a senator so admittingly I am still figuring it all out. The way that I think of what I do is I am an elected representative. As a senator there are a few required things for me to do. I must attend our weekly meetings, host office hours, and attend my assigned committee meetings.
I go to weekly meetings with the rest of the senate and I appear on behalf of all of the students that are a part of the Pamplin School of Business. In those weekly sessions we listen to guest speakers, vote on legislation, delegate funds to clubs, and share feedback from our constituents. A sizable portion of our meetings are filled with reports. We hear from the executive board like ASUP President Olson and Director Vondenkanp of The Campus Programing Board, chairs of ASUP committees like Chair Ruyle of the Diversity and Social Responsibility Committee, and we have an open forum for any students that would like to come and address the senate.
Another required duty of a senator is to hold office hours. I think these are one of the most important things we have to do as senators. Hosting office hours really forced me to get out of my shell and talk to my fellow peers. We are required to have two office hours a week in a public place. I chose to have mine be at revolving locations. So far I have had my office hours be in Pilot House, the lobby of Franz Hall and the library. I try to update my senator Instagram (@senator_gutierrez) with where and when you can find me each week.
Senators are also required to be a part of a committee inside of the senate. I am on the Diversity and Social Responsibility committee. We meet once a week to discuss issues regarding DEIJ happening around campus. I am really passionate and proud of the work that my committee has done this semester. We wrote, proposed, and passed two pieces of legislation so far this school year. My fellow committee members also planned and hosted a conversation night in the diversity center to discuss concerns and topics of DEIJ around the campus. I am excited for what we will work on next semester.
These are the three required tasks I have as a senator but I also have other works I do that are not required. This semester I have met with Dean Devaughn to discuss his goals and ideas for the business school and my role. I hosted a business town hall that had speakers and free pizza. I also have met with business and non business affiliated clubs to discuss ways I can help them as a senator. To put it simply I have a lot of meetings. I meet with clubs, faculty administrators, students, and classes. So in short I represent the business school in many ways around campus as a senator. I have gotten really good at running around campus.
Why did you choose UP?…the Pamplin School of Business?
There are a lot of reasons I chose to attend UP. One of the biggest factors was the community. I attended a private catholic school for high school and I knew I did not want to go to a huge state school. I knew that I needed somewhere that I wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. I wanted to know my professors and have resources readily available. I knew that I needed a strong support system. UP does an excellent job of that. I knew that if I fell behind I wanted to know that my professors would know my name and my face.
Another big reason why I chose UP was the beauty of the bluff. I came here in the summer and I was blown away with the campus. I loved the brick buildings, the well kept grounds, the views of downtown. I really was love struck. Still walking around campus I am just amazed by the beauty of campus. It also helps a lot that I love the rain. My home town was a dessert. I love walking around and seeing trees and people.
Now why did I choose the PSOB at UP? Coming to tour up I knew I wanted to look at all the schools. For some context I knew what my end goal was. I want to attend law school after UP. So I knew that I could major in whatever I wanted. Like my role model Elle Woods I could be a fashion major and get into a law school. So I tour the bluff and I check out CAS and I just wasn’t feeling it. No offense to CAS at all but I wanted something that I could fall back on. If law school doesn’t pan out I need a plan B. So I toured the PSOB and I loved it from the start.
The PSOB really is special. It was so amazing that we as a school were focused on real world experience. The P4 program was the cherry on top for me. I knew that I didn’t want to go to a school that only taught me hypotheticals. I wanted to do real work and that is what the PSOB is all about. Now I am only in my second year but I already feel well prepared to enter the job market.
In the PSOB I have never felt like I would never use information from my classes in the future. I am excited to continue my education and learn even more from the professors and faculty in the school of business. GO PILOTS!
