MaryAnn Barker is the Executive of Communications of ASC.
This next week the Associated Student Council will be looking for student and faculty input on our bylaws via an online form. These are the rules and job descriptions in which the Student Council executives must abide by. I think that it is very important for students and faculty to know the rules that we are expected to abide by as well as give insight on how we can better it in order to better represent students. The adjustments of bylaws and our job descriptions are crucial in making the student council more accountable when representing the students at large. I am the Executive of Communication and below are some examples of where our bylaws can be adjusted to better our positions and increase our effectiveness and activity on campus.
As an ASC member I have seen first-hand how inequities in job descriptions affect our interworking relationships as well as how others view the work that is done. As an egalitarian system our six executives should have equal responsibilities as well as equal representation and support. With this in mind along with the fact that our school and student needs are ever changing it’s important that positions change over time in order to increase work equity and Student Council success each year.
Secondly, we need to find ways to ensure that the Student Council is being transparent as well as receptive to student input. Overall, I believe that our Executives displayed a diverse population but without hearing from students we aren’t fully able to represent their views. As the executive of communication I am focusing on how we share our information including our Agendas for the five committees we run as well as the Minutes and Agenda for our weekly ASC meetings (on Tuesdays at 3-4).
Lastly, I will be bring up discussion around our current selection process. Without as much transparency as we would like, the current system might not show proper representation of students. We currently have applicants gather 100 signatures from current students as a form of sponsorship and those who do will be independently interviewed and reviewed by students then picked for a position.
Above are a few examples of how our bylaws could become more concise and adjusted so that we can better do our jobs and help students. We hope that we can hear ideas on how to better the bylaws before Tuesday in order for changes to be made for the 2018-2019 school year. The bylaws can only be changed once a year so here is your chance to actively engage in bettering the Associated Student Council for students’ good.
We will discuss suggestions at our meeting on Tuesday, May 22. For copies of the Bylaw please visit the Student Leadership building, visit out social media outlets, or email asc-comm.central@seattlecentral for a digital copy.
Update: the survey will remain active until May 29th.
Please give your thoughts in the form we have created at: https://goo.gl/forms/9ze9OTK84g1nONZt2
