SGA presidential candidate Edwin Mascorro said as a Greek life member, veteran and first generation student he can connect to a large demographic his counterparts cannot relate to. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
Chemistry sophomore and Student Government Association presidential candidate Edwin Mascorro’s campaign is focusing on increasing engagement among the student body.
He decided to name his party the Hype Party because of it.
“The intention of the name was to grab your attention so that we can start talking business,” Mascorro said. “My vice president and I believe SGA has a crucial role of engaging the students. That’s what the goal is.”
More literally, the Hype Party is symbolic of Mascorro and his running partner, Omar Coronado.
“We are excited about doing all of the events that the university provides,” Mascorro said. “We love this school, and we are excited about having the opportunity to serve the student body.”
Mascorro said as president he would work to make sure student organizations on campus receive the funds and support they need to recruit students and increase their involvement on campus.
He was disappointed by the Student Fees and Advisory Committee’s decision to cut funding for three large organizations, the Student Program Board, Homecoming and Frontier Fiesta and force them to share a concert pool of $100,000. Mascorro said campus traditions were being swept under the rug.
“You don’t budget cut the three largest organizations on campus…these (events) are traditions. It doesn’t sit right with me,” Mascorro said. “I know what (these organizations) go through to put on these events. I need to defend them because if no one else does, who will?”
Mascorro said many student organizations on campus feel restricted, and he wants to help loosen the red tape that keeps them from increasing in size and reach.
“(If) you support the student organizations, you will see a stronger student body,” Mascorro said. “I know some of these student organizations (feel) discouraged. There are too many restrictions, and we need to make sure that’s not happening.”
Mascorro said when he decided to run for president, he knew the only thing he really wanted was to be the voice of the students.
“I want somebody who actually engages with the students (and) goes to activities with the students to be that number one person,” Mascorro said. “As the only Greek life candidate, the only veteran (and) the only minority, I embody everything that the University of Houston represents.”
A member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and a Navy veteran, Mascorro said he would work to increase Greek life on campus and continue to support and provide benefits for veterans if elected. And even though he does identify as Mexican-American, Mascorro said he prefers to focus on the fact that he is a first-generation student and can relate to a larger demographic on campus than his counterparts.
“I know how it feels to come from families like that. The pressure is on you to succeed,” Mascorro said. “Most of our students are first generation (and) they are working students. I know where they are coming from… (and) I think that’s exactly what we need in a SGA president.”
While other candidates may focus on specific issues, like parking, Mascorro is more focused on fulfilling his platform goal of solidifying a strong and engaged student body. While Mascorro is hopeful he will win, he said he is optimistic that UH will continue to grow and that the student body becomes more engaged as a result no matter the result.
“It’s one thing to say ‘I’m a Houston Cougar, and I am proud of our football team,’” he said. “It’s another thing to say ‘I’m proud to be a student at the University of Houston.’ I hope whoever is the next SGA president can engage the student body in different ways and make them proud to wear red. The day I don’t see a Longhorn shirt on a Cougar Red Friday — if we can get to that level, I will be happy.”
Isn’t he the one who calls for gunmen to go shoot up gun-free areas? I’ll be voting for the other guy.
Yes. Mr. Mascarro is a firm believer that our entire campus is a mythical “gun free zone” and a magnet for gun-wielding villains, which has never been shown to be the case, empirically-speaking. He also believes faculty should be armed, according to his comments at the 1st Campus Carry Open Forum. Funny thing about mass shootings on college campuses: every one, since 1966, was committed by a student of that campus, not by some psycho outsider. Food for thought if we’re going to allow students to carry loaded weapons in classrooms and dorms — concealed.
Yes, GunFreeUH, we all know where you stand: https://www.facebook.com/ConcealedCampus/videos/10153912190397622/
Our research indicated otherwise. We just haven’t released the findings yet. But thanks for the vid. It pretty much confirms you modus operendi when it comes to dealing with those who oppose guns on campus, and the subversive methods and corruption of the process of governance which brought it about. Rather than gracefully accept rejection: you will try to bully your way onto campus, trying to intimidate those who reject you. This has been the pathological pattern we’ve seen over and over using lawsuits, harassment, and spy rings to name just a few tactics we’ve documented. Your link to the Tea Party is evident from the fact that along with the NRA you are “Silver” sponsors at this years Students for Liberty international Conference where, among others offering “activist” workshop is the Leadership Institute — another Koch Brothers front group. The Koch Institute is also a “presenting” sponsor of that event, for which they paid $100,000.00. There are pages and pages more where that came from. It may just become a book. We haven’t quite decided — there’s just so much material, of which this attempt to character assassinate us, will be included. Again, thanks for the vid, and the evidence. Cheers.
Seriously? You’re going with the ‘We have lots of evidence to back up our claims, but we can’t show it to anybody because it’s super secret!’ approach?
“Spy rings?”
“Arrogant camera down angle?”
You’re insane.
We’ll release the data when the research is complete on our time schedule, not yours. In the meantime, you and your devotees will just have to continue bashing away, as if that counts for anything, except ongoing evidence of your standard tactics, for which your group is habitually and irredeemably infamous, public records and published accounts show.
While I think that parking is a hyperinflated issue, it is an issue that a large majority of the student body holds dear, so discounting it probably won’t bode well.
This guy is funny, which that dap video but he doesn’t seem he has a lot of substance behind him besides party, party party,. How are you going to improve my education, my parking, my fees?
Here’s his opponents campaign slogan: “Don’t believe the Hype”. You’re welcome.
Unfortunately SAE is one of the worst Greek-letter college fraternities on record. They are currently the ONLY college frat in the nation with 7 deaths to their name — just since 2007 — due to hazing incidents involving alcohol, drugs, etc. This is unfortunate. They closed their UH chapter ten years ago due to another incident involving hazing and have only recently been rechartered here. And thanks to their hazing reputation back in 2009, numerous SAE chapters around the country were closed which gave rise to its general prohibition nationally. Yes, making a national impact is always a good thing. The Oklahoma chapter was particularly scandalous. They have the distinction of being the ONLY Greek-letter frat started in the antebellum south in the 1850s, by very southern college men. I would be very judicious, however, in bragging about being an SAE “brother”. Their reputation has a bad habit of being tainted. However, one imagines you enjoy being a senator in Mr. Theriot-Smith’s administration who is also an SAE brother. And I also imagine it’s of some comfort knowing that Richard Walker, Vice President of Student Affairs, is also, as is Mike Pede, Vice President of Alumni Affairs. Still, a man is known by the company he keeps, especially when that company has such an untoward reputation.
GunFreeUh i support what you stand for, but i can’t support this biases attacks on Mr Mascorro. I meet Mr Mascorro in a MVP volunteering event. He was out there socializing with many people and really making you feel pride for our university, He truly stands for what he says. For now i am not sure who i am voting for, but he has my respect as a sga individual and he has earn that distinction. I personally don’t care what candidates believe when it comes to guns on campus because sga is not about what one person says, its about what the students say. All i know is who ever becomes president will put the students interests first over their own.
Thank you for not being like GFUH.
Nothing I said about Muscarro is untrue, ergo, no bias. He is a member of SCC; SCC does IN FACT have libertarian ties, and more; No criminologists has EVER considered the myth of the “gun free zone” to carry any empirical validity whatsoever. John Lott’s debunked assessments (who is not a criminologist,) and the NRA’s — which is where that nonsense comes from, are not representative of the science of criminology. Ergo, Muscarro is spouting propaganda in the service of a campus carry bill which was forged by the NRA, and adopted by ALEC. This is well documented. It has nothing to do with liberty; it has to do with libertarian values and their agenda, which explains why group like the SCC, which is a libertarian group to its core, helps push it along by lobbying so much for it and by advancing those aims via students at schools like UH who are apparently too naive to realize the degree to which they’ve been caught up in a web of lies and subterfuge either willingly or by deceit.