Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

First-year senator candidate bios

Josh Goodman September 16, 2009

Nathan Abrams Why I am running for ASWC Senator: The main reason I am running is that I want to contribute to the Whitman community and get involved; I feel like I have good ideas, but more importantly,...

First-year senate candidates field questions from classmates in Jewett Lounge, Tuesday, Sept. 15. Credit: Van Neste

Whitties go to the polls for first-year senate, amendment on senior voting

Josh Goodman September 16, 2009
First-years heading to the polls this Monday, Sept. 21 got an opportunity to meet their senator candidates for the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) in a forum that was as much about Disney princesses as it was about politics.

ASWC reviews senior voting

Alex Jeffers May 7, 2009
Graduating seniors may soon have the right to vote in Executive Council elections. In their meeting on Sunday, May 3, ASWC senate paved the way for an increase in future seniors' voting rights, passing an amendment to the ASWC constitution to allow all members of Whitman's student body to elect members of the Executive Council. Now the measure must pass a vote of the overall student body by a sixty percent majority to become an official ASWC law, and many senators speculate that this will be achieved. The issue of senior voting rights has remained ambiguous and somewhat unresolved as of late, with junior and senior senators providing varying recollections of how the issue was dealt with in previous years. “Institutional memory is not as strong in ASWC as it should be," said Senior ASWC Senator Aisha Fukushima.
Senior ASWC President Elliott Okantey leads last Sundays Senate meeting. Items on the agenda included next years ASWC budget and a new fund to suplent the stipends of ASWC officers. Credit: Wheeler

Budget, Stipends top ASWC agenda

Alex Jeffers April 23, 2009
Money was the hot topic on the ASWC Senate's agenda as they convened for their fifth meeting of the spring semester on Sunday, April 19. Foremost among the issues discussed were details concerning the '09-'10 ASWC budget and the creation of a fund to augment ASWC officers' stipends. ASWC's total budget for fiscal year 2010 is projected to be close to $485,000. The largest share of the budget will be distributed among ASWC clubs and the new ASWC Programming Board. ASWC's annual contribution to club sports was also increased from $22,000 to $30,000, in order to make up for cuts in the Whitman's Club Sports contribution.
Credit: Calkin.

ASWC Senate debates, denies seniors’ election vote

Alex Jeffers April 9, 2009

Many seniors, expecting to be able to vote in Monday's ASWC Executive Council (EC) election, were surprised to learn that they were ineligible to do so. Last year, large parts of the ASWC Constitution...

ASWC Senators listen to proposed changes to campus programming at the April 5 Senate meeting. Credit: Norman.

Campus programming restructured

Alex Jeffers April 9, 2009
Effective next fall, the various student bodies responsible for event programming on campus will undergo a large restructuring. Under the current system, the ASWC Programming Committee and the Campus Activities Board (CAB) work independently of each other to host events for students. A few other small organizations also plan campus events independently, including Coffeehouse, the Arts and Crafts Series and Stevens Gallery. The plan for next year is to merge and incorporate all of these organizations into one body, collectively called the Programming Board, which will centralize the planning and coordination of activities on campus. This new body will be headed by a Program Board Chair, along with a Marketing Manager, a Co-Sponsorship Manager and individual directors for: Cinema Arts, Special Events, Creative Arts, Musical Entertainment, Cultural Events and Lectures. The body will also include a General Board of Volunteers. There are multiple reasons for the changes. Among them are anticipated budget cuts and the departure of Andrea Ramirez, the current Director of Student Activities, a position that will not be filled next year. With less money and fewer staff members, the decision to combine various programming bodies was made in order to distribute responsibilities more efficiently and cut back on overall cost.

ASWC Candidate Platforms

April 3, 2009

Executive Council Candidate Platforms Spring 2009 Elections President: Will Canine: ASWC is for three things: Protecting your rights as a college student. Providing awesome programming...

ASWC executive council candidates hold an informal forum with students in Coffeehouse. Credit: Zipparo.

ASWC executive council to be elected

Rachel Hoar April 2, 2009
Over the course of the next two weeks, Whitman students' electoral decisions will determine the makeup of the student government for the 2009-2010 academic year. Elections for the Executive Council (EC) are scheduled for this upcoming Monday, April 6. Senate elections will follow on Wednesday, April 15. Comprised of both elected and appointed officers, the EC positions up for election include the President, Chair of Student Affairs, Finance Chair, Programming Chair and Nominations Chair. There are 12 students running for the five EC positions this year. According to current ASWC members, this is an increase from previous years. “Executive Council elections in the past have been pretty non-competitive… which isn't good if you don't have a strong candidate," said ASWC Communications Director senior Rand Biersdorff. Last year, three of the five EC positions were filled by candidates who ran unopposed. In comparison, the only position with a lone candidate this year is the Nominations Chair, after another candidate decided not to run. A candidate running unopposed is not guaranteed of a win, however. It is possible for write-in candidates to gain office. Last year, a senior senator was elected through this process. EC elections use an instant runoff voting (IRV) system. This preferential system of voting uses ranked ballots to stimulate a traditional runoff in a single round of voting.

Activities staff reduced after cuts

Kim Sommers March 5, 2009

During the month of February, Andrea Ramirez, Director of Student Activities and adviser to ASWC, worked every single day, including weekends.   "[I'm] here not just 8-5 but on the weekends and in...

Security Memorandum by Student Affairs Committee

February 26, 2009

Below is the memorandum presented by the Student Affairs Committee to the administration concerning campus security  recommendations. The memorandum was presented to Jed  Schwendiman and  Chuck Cleveland...

Roman Goerss, ‘09, leads Wednesdays Town Hall  on the Emergency Development Fund.

ASWC weighs emergency fund creation

Molly Smith February 19, 2009
Members of the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) and club representatives convened at Wednesday's Town Hall meeting to discuss ASWC's proposed Emergency Development Fund. Spearheaded by Finance Chair junior David Changa-Moon, ASWC proposes to reallocate $166,000 from its approximately $300,000 endowment in order to establish a fund for students who find themselves in emergency situations and are in need of financial assistance.

ASWC aims to aid students in downturn

J. Staten Hudson February 19, 2009

Boasting a surplus of over $40,000 in its savings fund, it seems like the only organization at Whitman not affected by the recession is the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC). The money in...

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