USU legislative process put in simpler terms
Last spring, 17 students were voted into office at Utah State University.
Since then, they’ve taken their place on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center, home to the Associated Students of Utah State University. Many students are unfamiliar with what ASUSU actually does, though they have an idea.
“I’ve always thought of them as an activities committee,” said Justin Potter, a senior majoring in English.
“They’re the ones that represent the students. The students elect them,” said Alyssa Walker, a sophomore majoring in psychology. “Most of what I know, they’re in charge of student activities and parking. Anything that involves students.”
ASUSU is a group elected by the student body to represent them to USU administration. They originate legislation and also listen to students’ complaints and concerns to see what changes need to be made. The goal of ASUSU, according to their Web site, is to improve student life at USU. However, some students are in the dark as to how they do this.
ASUSU consists of three groups: programmers, senators and legislators. Programmers are in charge of planning student activities. Senators and legislators participate in legislation.
Senators represent the seven colleges on campus and are elected only by the students within their college, similar to how senators in the national government are elected by only those within their state.
Legislators are elected by the entire student body, the same way a president is elected by all the citizens of the country.
This is the first year the groups have been separate. Up until last year, they were one body, which made discussing and passing legislation too complicated, said Quinn Millet, ASUSU president.
Since the groups were split, a new job has been created to assist in collaboration – Senate pro-temp.
This position is filled by a senator who attends Executive Council meetings and represents the Senate there. This year the Senate pro-temp is Cody Bingham, Agriculture senator.
The senators deal mostly with academic issues, said Spencer Watts, vice president of the Academic Senate, though this year they have spent a lot of time figuring out their role in the new set-up.
“A lot of what the Senate has dealt with has to do with themselves this year,” he said. “They’ve done a lot to define rules and their role or job descriptions.”
Senators not only represent their college or department, they represent the students within their college to the dean.
“Senators also mediate between the students and the colleges,” Watts said.
“They’re encouraged to think about how to improve the university and what issues face it.”
The Executive Council, which consists of the legislators and the Senate, work to pass legislation. Sometimes legislation must be approved by other groups before implementation, such as the Faculty Senate, Millet said.
According to the ASUSU Web site, there are two types of legislation: Bills and resolutions. Anything that falls under the jurisdiction of ASUSU is called a bill.
Anything that goes on to the university president, Board of Trustees or Board of Regents – a group of people appointed by the governor to support higher education – is called a resolution.
Unlike the legislative branch of the national government, both groups don’t need to pass legislation before it moves on to the president of the university, Millet said.
If the Senate passes a bill, it must then go through the Executive Council, but if the Executive Council passes a bill, it does not have to be passed by the senators, he said.
Bills start out when someone comes up with an idea or a need is assessed, said Tiffany Evans, director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. Any officer can originate legislation. Millet said though the senate focuses mostly on academic issues, they can also spearhead major projects.
For example, Stacy Brown, Education senator, originated the legislation that led to the implementation of a fall break. If a general student has a concern or request, he or she can get an officer on the Executive Council to sponsor their bill.
After identifying a goal, student officers have to read up on the issue.
“What we encourage student officers to do is their homework, their research,” Evans said. “They talk to department heads and review the history about the issue. They have to gather as much information and become as knowledgeable as they can.”
After they have all the information they need, ASUSU officers write a resolution to present to the Executive Council.
“It should be clear, concise and get right to the point of what they want to accomplish. Is there a specific, tangible thing they want to accomplish?” Evans said.
After the resolution is written, the next step is a policy paper. A policy paper outlines the history of the issue the bill is addressing, the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal and any recommendations, Evans said.
The policy paper is submitted to the ASUSU administrative assistant and it is read before the Executive Council, where comments and clarifications can be made.
In the next week’s meeting, the council votes on it. If the council votes it down, it’s dead, Watts said.
Bills also have to be approved by other groups occasionally, Millet said.
“Bills must be passed by the people they affect,” he said. One example of a group that may have to pass legislation is the Faculty Senate.
After ASUSU votes in favor of a bill, it is presented before the Stater’s Council, which is made of the university president and central administration.
Some of the people on the Stater’s Council are Evans, Noelle Cockett, Extension and Agriculture vice president and Juan Franco, vice president for Student Services.
“Once legislation goes to Stater’s and there is discussion at Stater’s Council, it is implemented, unless it needs to go through the Board of Trustees or Regents, for example,” Evans said.
What ASUSU passes does not necessarily get implemented. ASUSU can only make recommendations to the president.
“The students are aware that everything on campus is advisory to the president,” Evans said.
However, Millet said President Albrecht is unusually supportive of the students’ initiatives.
“We at USU have exceptional authority,” he said. “President Albrecht loves student initiative, students doing things for students.”
Evans said though she’s optimistic, the new organization still needs some tinkering.
“It’s a very collaborative relationship [between the two bodies] that we’re still working out in all reality,” she said. “We’re working on a model where the three branches interact more effectively.”
-ella@cc.usu.edu