One of the reasons I used to get very frustrated with ASI presidents’ administrations is that I never felt like they took the time to let the rest of us know what the heck they were doing! In order to give the students more bang for their buck, I decided to try this thing out where I would write a column for The State Hornet newspaper at the end of the semester to give a little bit of an update on what your representatives are doing. Ready? Sweet!

First, we have been hard at work developing college joint councils to improve communication and collaboration between ASI and the clubs on campus. Joint councils are committees that are composed of all of the various clubs and organizations of an academic college and include the relevant ASI director. These joint councils are ways for ASI to foster closer interaction with the campus community in order to spur student involvement. Just this semester we have started three new councils in the Colleges of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, Health and Human Services, Education, and Arts and Letters.

Second, we have increased ASI’s visibility on campus by visiting clubs, making classroom presentations and tabling in the Quad. We have also expanded outreach to the residence halls both through events such as the ASI Block Party and through meeting with residents and resident advisers to discuss campus issues.

Third, we have continued to reform our club funding process by making sport clubs eligible for the ASI Dollars for Organizations and Clubs program for the first time.

Fourth, we have effectively cut much of the bureaucracy and red tape out of running for ASI election. The newly passed 2011 ASI Election Code takes new steps to ensure that candidates can more easily navigate ASI elections without fearing frivolous election complaints.

Finally, we have filled nearly every available student position on university committees to ensure that we, the students, have a say in the way our campus is run.

So there you have it! This is a small list of what we’ve been up to over the last semester. Although the spatial constraints of this article prevent me from listing everything, I hope you come away with a better understanding of our student association so you can hold us, your representatives, accountable!

As we break for the holidays I would like to encourage you to get involved in ASI if your spring schedule permits it. Whether it is by influencing statewide legislation as a member of the ASI Strike Force, crafting campus policy by serving on a university committee, or running for student body office. We are always looking for students willing to get involved to make sure that the student voice is well represented. Your questions are our questions, so get involved in the conversation!

Terry Martin can be reached at [email protected].