Executive Council discusses semester preparations, goals
To kick off the new year, the ASUSU Executive Council met officially for the first time since the winter break to address a handful of housekeeping items and prepare for an eventful semester.
“For everyone serving on the council, reality hits and priorities change; however, I would hope a fresh start to the semester helps us maintain the enthusiasm that our council has felt since we were first inaugurated,” Kirsten Frank, ASUSU executive vice president said.
A few legislative items tabled over the break will soon resurface. The council will also soon address the upcoming Student Fee Board decision.
“There will likely be a lot of possible fee increases that will be proposed,” Erik Mikkelsen, ASUSU president, said.
Potential student fees present a dilemma, Mikkelsen said, and he wants to be able to maintain a certain level of quality with student programming and at the same time keep events affordable for students.
Both Mikkelsen and Frank expressed enthusiasm to review student feedback regarding the fee board decisions. Some students have contacted ASUSU Executive Council personally.
“We really have some tough challenges to address and decisions to make regarding these fees,” Frank said. “I really do not know any members of the Executive Council that would not be happy to explain their responsibilities and answer any student’s questions who took the time to come visit us up here on the third floor of the TSC.”
Upcoming ASUSU elections also are another major annual event for the Executive Council, as new candidates will begin to develop platforms and set out on campaigns.
“I would love to see our council show real commitment to the new ASUSU officers who will soon be elected in February and really prepare our replacements to be successful,” Mikkelsen said. “I think it shows the real leadership to mentor whoever will take their place and help them to perform better than their predecessors.”
The council also took the opportunity to recognize the achievements of the Residence Hall Association (RHA). The student organization placed first nationally in competition for the Student Award for Leadership Training (SALT) award from the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH).
“We found out on Friday, Jan. 7 that we had been selected from the 16 finalists in the running to receive the SALT award,” Bryce Sprosty, RHA Public Relations and Advocacy chair, said.
“It really is exciting and satisfying for us to receive the award,” Sprosty said. “One of the RHA executive council’s goals for this school year was to become a leader of college and university RHA’s across the nation, and we’ve done that by first placing first in regionals this past November and now this,” Sprosty said.
Sprosty said the organization’s bid for the award described the leadership programs the RHA implemented this school year. The bid was more than 20 pages long and took a month to complete. Ten students from the RHA participated in the presentation of the bid for the regional competition.
“The RHA is all about continuous improvement and we look forward into implementing the feedback from the NACURH to make our programs even better and plan on how we can compete nationally for other awards within the organization,” Sprosty said.
The ASUSU Executive Council will meet again next Tuesday at 6 p.m. on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center.
“My goal is to help the council really stick it all the way throughout the rest of the semester, push through lots of legislation and initiatives, and avoid any kind of burnout,” Mikkelsen said. “And I feel like we have got the council that can do it.”
— timothyjbarber@gmail.com