Though the semester has just started, ASWC senate and committee meetings are already in full swing, hoping to build on last year’s successes.
Much of the effort thus far has been devoted to implementing new policies. ASWC passed a series of amendments to the ASWC constitution and its by-laws last semester that detailed several structural changes.
The secretary office, which was held by Stephen Carter last year, was split into two positions: a communications director, who is to act as a liaison between the ASWC senate and the student body, and a secretary, who will handle paperwork related to club registration and record keeping.
The communications director, myself, will be responsible for writing a weekly article in the Pioneer informing students of senate activities and upcoming events.
The communications director will also be responsible for maintaining the Web site. The executive council has been trained to update the Web site, which should augment communication between the senators and their constituents.
“There will be calendars people can subscribe to that will have ASWC or club events listed on them,” said President Jeff Wilson. “You can download these and your Google calendar or iCal will update.”
This will not only help ASWC get information out to the students, but might also help Senators connect with their constituents more directly. “If [senators] want to write a blog, or pursue a side-project, or conduct a survey, [they] can do it,” said Wilson.
ASWC also opened up the unprecedented opportunity to have students sitting on the committees of the Board of Trustees. The executive council is currently working with their advisors to determine the best way of selecting these student representatives.
Meanwhile, ASWC has already arranged many of the annual beginning of the year festivities. The programming committee helped fund and run Whitstock last weekend. Also, the programming committee sponsored the back-to-back screenings of Michael Moore’s political documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Fahrenhype 9/11,” the conservative reaction to Moore’s picture, on Sep. 10 and 11.
The Programming Committee will also help run the Interest House Community Block Party, which runs from noon to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sep. 15. While this event has in years past been held in the spring, committee members hope holding the event fall semester will encourage more first-years to attend.
“We discussed our goals as a committee and we agreed that we really want diversity across the board,” said Programming Chair Nadim Damluji. “We want to provide a full spectrum of different events that can reach all students.”
Finance Chair Elliot Okantey has been working on finalizing the budget for the upcoming term. Among the more urgent business for the finance committee is the Outdoor Program. The shop manager has recently quit and the school is going to work with Okantey to find a replacement.
“Our relationship with them might change,” said Okantey, who indicated that the shop might break away from ASWC and begin to operate as a private business in the near future.
The oversight committee has been focused in the early weeks on getting out the word to first-years on their upcoming elections, which will be held on Sep. 19. Once the first-year senators are sworn in, ASWC can start meeting and passing resolutions in its full capacity.
An article announcing recent and upcoming ASWC events and activities will run every week in the Pioneer’s news section.
