UCCS Radio started a new segment: the senator weekly podcast.
On March 9, UCCS radio host Justin Harris started the new weekly podcast, with first guest, Senator of Innovation Isabella Polombo.
Polombo is a junior communication major and has been a part of SGA for three years. She served as senator-at-large and student-at-large before becoming senator of innovation in Fall 2024. On March 14, preliminary election results published by SGA indicated she will serve as vice president next year with President Aidan Burke, barring any campaign infractions.
“When I joined SGA, I was a freshman and a commuter student. I wasn’t involved at all on campus. In fact, I only came here to study, and then I left,” said Polombo. “I remember feeling like I was left out of a community and like there wasn’t much for me to contribute to. I remember how helpless I felt in a situation where I didn’t have access to basic needs.”
Goals accomplished
During her time on SGA, Polombo said she has catered to student needs through committees and long-term projects.
Polombo worked with Senator-at-Large Aiyanna Quinones and SGA Resource Manager Madeline Metzger to create a basic needs closet to provide more resources for students to have access to clothing.
“We were able to work with the dean of students and create clothing vouchers to Goodwill and arc,” Polombo said. “We have also held ClydeCon every year for the past three years, almost four, and it’s been my favorite out of all [the projects].”
ClydeCon is a clothing swap organized by Clyde’s Closet that encourages students to bring their used clothing and trade with other student’s donations. The fourth annual ClydeCon will be April 25, according to Mountain Lion Connect.
Polombo said her involvement with the period product dispensers is another project that she is proud of.
“It is still a work in progress, but there’s been so much progress in seeing the free period product dispensers show up on campus. I have found community and solace in being united with such strong people who are so invested in bringing access to period products.”
Polombo was the chair of the period product committee that began in Oct. 2024. The committee was temporarily disbanded at the beginning of this semester.
The future of UCCS
Polombo says UCCS has three realms that are needing improvement and support to better student life: interdepartmental collaboration, D.E.I. and the budget.
According to Polombo, one of her and Burke’s biggest goals is to connect students more, interdepartmentally. They plan to bring majors and minors together by collaborating with the dean of each college and plan events like study nights.
She said another one of her and Burke’s goals is to support students through this politically uncertain atmosphere of D.E.I.
“Students are feeling scared of not only losing funding, but losing access to community,” Polombo said. “This is a turning point for UCCS in how the school will handle balancing the fact that we are a federally funded campus and need to comply with orders to not lose funding but also acknowledging the impact that this will have on our students.”
Polombo said that UCCS is facing a budget crisis, and that the current political threats to funding are important and pertinent to the university because UCCS is a federally funded school. She said this crisis makes upper administration frown upon unionization from student employees and it restricts benefits for high turn-around positions like academic advisors.
The future of SGA
Polombo said that SGA is still transitioning out of COVID-19-era regulations, so there are changes that need to happen to ease the stress of senators.
“I think a lot of senators will agree with me when I say that most of us get burnt out halfway through the semester, and it is because some things are a bit disorganized. Trainings need to be more formalized when it comes to committees and rules and organizations,” Polombo said.
To prevent burnout in SGA members, Polombo said the association needs more limitations and boundaries on involvement with the intention of lessening the load of her peers.
Polombo encourages students to come into the SGA office, located behind Clyde’s Cupboard in the Student Life Lounge, and says that more student engagement is how SGA members understand the needs around campus.
Students can listen to the full podcast by tuning into UCCS radio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Senator of Innovation Isabella Polombo at the SGA Debate on March 6. Archive photo by Lillian Davis.