ASUSU VIEW: Meets the Academic VP

Have you ever been to TSC 325A? Have you ever called 797-1726? Have you ever e-mailed senate@aggiemail.usu.edu? Chances are, many of you reading this have not and, therefore, may not know much about the Academic Senate of the Associated Students of Utah State University. More specifically, the role of the Academic Senate president within this governing student body.
    My name is Ben Croshaw, and I have been serving as the ASUSU Academic Senate president for the 2009-2010 academic year. As president, I serve the students, representing the student vote on more than 20 committees, majority of which I sit as a sole student representative among faculty, department heads and USU central administration. My direct involvement with students occurs during my weekly meetings with the ASUSU Academic Senate, consisting of all college student senators, the administrative assistant and myself serving as the chair.
    I feel that my biggest influence this year has been felt among the student officers of the Academic Senate. During fall semester, we enacted legislation that was initiated as a student concern. Several students approached me throughout the semester with concerns about the library operating hours during dead week and Finals Week. Working with several senators, including Todd Redmon, the current science senator and the Library Advisory Committee, this student-led initiative became a resolution to extend the operating hours of the library during dead week and Finals Week. The dean of the libraries is in full support of such an initiative, and with equal support from President Albrecht and Provost Coward, the library is now open to students extended hours during this crucial study time. I bring up this example to show how important student support is for the student officer. The student officer literally represents those that voted for him or her in daily interactions with various faculty members. Because of this, students should feel empowered to voice their concerns to student officers, and create change. Currently, the Academic Senate is in review of other student concerns, such as allowing more textbooks to be on reserve from the library, creating more consistent standards for language testing across campus and languages, and working toward redefining the Computer Information Literacy General Education Requirement. I remind you that each of these came from student-led initiatives. The most recent, that dealing with the Computer Information Literacy requirement, was a student officer tie-breaking vote represented from the Academic Senate.
    Aside from enacting legislation, the Academic Senate was also responsible for allocating $20,000 this year to fund undergraduate research through the ASUSU Academic Opportunity Fund. Nearly every applicant who filed paperwork was able to receive funding that aided in their travel or conference expenses. For the first time in its history, The Academic Opportunity Fund aided in international research, offering assistance to one student as she presented work in London, England, early fall semester. Overall, 65 students were awarded money to present at conferences throughout the United States.
    Most recently, the ASUSU Academic Senate awarded 10 freshmen the ASUSU Sophomore Scholarship. This scholarship serves to help students who have demonstrated excellence in academics as well as extracurricular involvement during their freshman year who hadn’t previously received financial assistance through the university. As president, I oversaw the application process, including defining a purpose of the scholarship, scholarship requirements and qualifications, and awarding procedures. 
    This year has afforded many opportunities for student concerns to be voiced and responded to. Unlike the college senators, who are voted upon by students within their respective college, the Academic Senate president is voted into office by a campuswide student vote. This year has allowed me to interact with students from every college at Utah State University, and represent a student vote through countless pieces of legislation. On Friday, April 16, the ASUSU Inauguration will take place, in which my replacement, Tanner Wright, will be sworn into office. It has been a pleasure for me to serve as the Academic Senate resident, and I encourage each of you to pursue opportunities for student involvement and leadership. Feel free to contact the Academic Senate for more information regarding college councils and other opportunities.

E-mail senate@aggiemail.usu.edu or stop by TSC 325A.