New ASUSU officers plan to resolve rec center, tuition payment issue
Utah State University’s new student government wants more than just a mission – members are looking for a vision.
Part of that vision, as the newly elected student body president would like to see it, would include resolving such long-standing issues as a student recreation center, a tuition payment plan and the student code of ethics.
In the first meeting of the new Associated Students of USU Executive Council Tuesday, President Steve Palmer asked council members to use the concept of compact planning – an idea being pushed across campus by USU President Kermit L. Hall – in carrying out next year’s ASUSU business.
Compact planning, as described by Academic Vice President Andy Haws, involves leaders of groups making concrete agreements, or compacts, with the rest of the group, such as a department head and the faculty in the department.
The meeting, which ASUSU adviser Tiffany Evans praised as “the best first meeting I have seen a council have,” focused on learning the basics of compact planning and discussing how the concept can be related to student government.
Palmer said he wanted the three subgroups of the council – legislators, programmers and senators – to meet and discuss compacts they see as working for the council. He said he wants those three compacts to lead to at least a rough draft of a compact for the council by the end of the school year.
He also said he wants all council members to feel strongly about the issues in the compact and feel good about carrying them out.
“If it’s just something we give to [the administration, as Hall has requested] … then it’s probably a waste of our time,” Palmer said.
After discussing the concept of compact planning with the council, Palmer presented his vision. However, he emphasized that if the council had a different version, there would be compromise.
“If this is a way different than the group wants to be heading, then this is a good time to point that out,” he said.
Palmer said a primary part of his vision would be to “bridge the ‘third-flood gap,'” the perception that those involved with ASUSU aren’t accessible to the student body, in reference to the fact that most ASUSU offices are on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center.
One idea Palmer has to bridge the gap would be to create an ASUSU advisory council, made up of representatives from several clubs, that would meet monthly to discuss proposed ASUSU legislation.
Palmer pointed to groups such as the International Student Council, the multicultural clubs, Peer Leadership Council and the ROTC as some possible sources for advisory council members.
Palmer also said the gap could be closed by expanding the fall leadership seminar to the entire university and student body officers of Cache Valley high schools and creating an ad hoc committee on student relations.
Public Relations Vice President Nollie Haws, who would chair that committee, said the idea would be to “put our money where our mouth is” – going out and getting student input rather than just talking about it.
The committee would do monthly service projects and set up tables on the first floor of the TSC to get advice and input from students.
“We’re bringing ourselves to them,” she said.
Other goals Palmer said he sees as being part of the ASUSU vision involve resolving several previous ASUSU issues, including a tuition payment plan, revising the code of ethics, investigating the status of previous ASUSU resolutions sent to Stater’s Council, putting an “A” on the hill and the proposed student recreation center.
Palmer said having those issues listed as goals doesn’t mean he necessarily hopes to see the council institute these things, but instead the goal would be to resolve the issues one way or another.
“This is the baton that’s been handed to us by last year’s council,” he said. “Should we drop it or not?”