Orsini wins seat on UOG Board of Regents

Vinni Orsini is shown campaigning for his election bid early this month. The 18-year-old student from Saipan is the youngest ever elected as Student Regent to the University of Guam Board of Regents. (Contributed Photo)

A student from the CNMI has earned a seat on the University of Guam’s Board of Regents, as a student regent with voting rights.
Vinni Orsini, 18, is the youngest elected president of the university’s student body and the first chosen by his peers from outside Guam. He garnered the highest number of votes in the 10-year record of the institution.

Orsini defeated the incumbent in a two-day election held on March 4 and 5.

This year’s poll had the highest voter turnout UOG has seen in a decade. There were a total of 738 votes cast and Orsini received 435 votes. The student regent serves a term of two years.

The 18-year-old is a public administration major at the university. He is the son of Andrew and Bertha Orsini, both from Saipan. The student attended primary school at Oleai Elementary School and went to Grace Christian Academy on Saipan for middle school. He graduated from Marianas High School in 2012.

“I was humbled with the news of winning. Being only 18, I appreciate the trust much older students have shown me,” he told Saipan Tribune Saturday.

When asked what motivated him to run for office, Orsini expressed his strong desire to help students achieve their educational goals.

“I believe students need a strong voice in the Board of Regents and a strong presence on campus. I wanted to be the voice of all who struggle to pay for a college education and for all who have difficulty in graduating in four years. These are issues that can be improved through policies,” he said.

Orsini shared his priorities for UOG students in the next two years of his leadership.

“My campaign slogan was ‘Putting the You back in UOG.’ Many students are not aware of the policies that affect their education and I believe that their concerns should be addressed, because we are not customers, we are students, and it is important that university policies are shaped with the students in mind,” he said.

Orsini specifically cited some policies he wants to bring to the board’s attention.

“I would like to implement policies to decrease the price of textbooks by requiring textbooks with PDF files to be used in the classroom. This is a great way to save money and lead the university into the 21st century. Many students take self-taught math courses multiple times. I would like to alter these courses to become more instructor-based because they are the same price as regular courses without the instructor present. I would also like to make sure that adequate infrastructure is present on campus. The university has not built adequate shelter from one building to the next, especially in times of rain,” he explained.

He is convinced he will be effective on the board. “I think I was voted by my peers because I am honest and hardworking. Many people are afraid to speak up about things and I am more than happy to speak for them. I am very long-term minded and above all, I believe that all issues should be voted based on the most good for the most number of people and I hope to apply these as student regent,” added Orsini.