Meet the student government president of ASU Tempe: Jacqueline Palmer

Undergraduate Student Government has always been part of the ASU experience for Jacqueline Palmer.

Now a senior pursuing political science, business law and digital marketing with a certificate in international studies, Palmer joined USG as a first-year student at ASU and found her calling. 

“I didn’t even know college had student government,” said Palmer, who discovered USG through an old friend who had texted her about current open positions in the organization. 

ASU Tempe Undergraduate Student Government President Jacqueline Palmer

Intrigued, Palmer applied to join USG hours before the application deadline, and the rest is history.

After three years of involvement in USG, including serving as last year’s director of public relations, Palmer was inaugurated as president of the Tempe campus in June 2020.

This year, Palmer plans on building the relationship between USG and the student body. 

“My biggest goal is to just make sure the relationship between student government and students builds a lot more trust and communication this year,” she said.

Palmer said she will also work closely with her team to  improve student engagement and understanding of what USG does. 

“I think that most ASU students actually just don't know that student government exists,” Palmer said. 

She believes the main role of the president is to be an advocate for students, make impactful change and provide services that will be beneficial for all Sun Devils. 

“I think my job is not only advocating for students within administration and amplifying their voices but taking changes that students want to see on campus and making them a reality and starting new initiatives and events on campus that will better everybody’s ASU experience,” Palmer said.

USG has multiple roles on campus besides advocating for students, and Palmer wants to make sure that students know about all the services that USG coordinates.

“I hope that all students understand that we not only advocate for you, but we also provide services. We also do club funding and we put on some really awesome events and partnerships as well as fund the coalitions and the Programming and Activities Board and some other organizations,” Palmer said.

As a personal goal, Palmer wants to ensure that all students have representation.

“I just want to make sure students feel that their voices are being heard no matter where they lie on any sort of beliefs. USG is nonpartisan. We represent all students, and I want to make sure all students feel represented,” Palmer said.

Palmer’s experience in other ASU organizations allows her to see things from the organization perspective as well. In her time at ASU she has been a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, the Honors Marketing Association, the Business Fashion club and vice president of judicial affairs for the Panhellenic Council. 

Palmer’s biggest challenge for this year will be leading despite constant changes at ASU due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I would say that my biggest challenge right now being in office is that right now things are different then they have ever been,” Palmer said. 

But she views the challenge of change as an opportunity.

“While it is a challenge, I think it is really exciting because while things are different it shows that things don’t have to stay the same at ASU. It opens up a new door for an opportunity of change to fix these long-standing issues that are now being presented,” Palmer said.

More information can be found on the USG website, the Tempe USG website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.