Vol. 30 #21 4.27.15
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Don’t forget to vote in the 2015 AS Elections from April 27-May 1. Cover design by Keghouhi Bedoyan // AS Review
MAKING YOUR LIFE BETTER, ONE PAGE AT A TIME Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu as.wwu.edu/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview © 2015. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. The AS Review is an alternative weekly that provides coverage of student interests such as the AS government, activities and student life. The Review seeks to enhance the student experience by shedding light on underrepresented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue. We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions to as.review@wwu.edu. We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school, if you’re a student. Send them to as.review@wwu.edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.
Abigail Ramos Kelly Mason Trevor Grimm Ian Sanquist Nontawat Thammawan Marina Price Alex Bartick Spencer Newsad Designer Keghouhi Bedoyan Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
WELCOME TO THE 2015 ELECTION ISSUE You are now holding the 2015 Election Issue of the AS Review. Each year the AS Review publishes this special installment to serve as a voter’s guide during the Associated Students Spring Elections. Within these pages you’ll find interviews and campaign platforms of those campaigning for positions on the AS Board of Directors as well as information on referendums and initiatives on this year’s ballot. There are seven positions that serve on the board: the AS President, Vice President for Business and Operations, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Life, Vice President for Diversity, Vice President for Activities and the Vice President for Governmental Affairs. Each position serves as a delegate for specified student interests and is responsible for representing these interests to the university administration. Some positions also represent the students to local and state governments. The AS Review team has been scrupulous in ensuring that each candidate and referendum or initiative sponsor received the same opportunity in this paper. We reached out to all sponsors and candidates at a required meeting. Candidates and sponsors were ex-
pected to contact a designated member of our team within 48 hours after the meeting to schedule an interview. Each candidate or sponsor was asked the same three questions and given a limit of 200 words for each. Verbal fillers have been omitted from these responses for clarity and some responses have been shortened to fit the assigned word count. The context of these statements haven’t been altered in any way. The full statements can be viewed at as.wwu.edu/asreview. Voting begins on Monday, April 27 and closes at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 1. Students can vote by heading to wwu. edu/vote or at one of the polling stations on campus. The AS Review would like to thank all of the candidates and initiative and referendum sponsors for their time, as well as AS Elections Coordinator Mayra Guizar. We hope you enjoy this issue! -- Candidate and sponsor interviews were conducted by AS Review Staff Writers. -- All official candidate photos in this issue and on the ballot were taken by AS Photographer Trevor Grimm.
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EVENTS
Know Your Rights April 28 // 7 p.m. // Academic West 204// Free The Legal Information Center will be hosting a panel of lawyers and police officers to help inform you of your rights and responsibilities with the law. Topics will include DUIs, MIPs, marijuana law and more. The event is open to the public and there will be free refreshments!
Pandemonium April 30 // 7 p.m. // UGCH // Free A performance showcasing poetry, oral histories, raps and other performances that relate to social justice, identity, oppression, culture, marginalization, resistance and resilience. The evening will be capped with a performance by Militant Child!
Not Yr Ethical Slut May 1 // 5 p.m. // Miller Hall 231 // Free Previously taboo, polyamorous and non-monogamous relationships are becoming increasingly popular in queer communities. Stepping away from The Ethical Slut, this workshop examines the toxicity of romance culture and how we can build relationships and communities that radically transform our understanding of love.
Holi Hai! A Celebration of Spr ing May 2 // 1 p.m. // Communications Lawn // $3 presale & $5 regular SASA presents an event that happens in the spring and is called the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love. We celebrate it by having some fun in the sun and throwing colored powder at the ones we love.
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I Love You, Honeybear Father John Misty
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Gracetown San Cisco
Intimacy & Safety in Queer Relationships
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Another Eternity Purity Ring
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American Fantasy Jesus Specters
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Black Messiah D’Angelo and the Vanguard
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Glass Riffer Dan Deacon
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The Firewatcher’s Daughter Brandi Carlile
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Little Neon Limelight Houndmouth
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Uptown Special Mark Ronson
May 5 // 6 p.m.// Bond Hall 217 // Free We will talk about queer relationships in every form, their strengths and their consequences, tactics for building and maintaining intimacy and safety within them, as well as provide handy queerspecific legal resources to remind us of our rights but also for when we encounter difficult situations that may require outside intervention.
Confronting Islamophobia May 6 // 5 p.m. // Academic West 210 // Free The SIRC and the Muslim Student Association are working to create a space to begin to confront Islamophobia. It has created stigma, stereotypes and prejudice towards people who are Muslim.
Top Ten: April 6 - 12
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Vestiges and Claws Jose Gonzales KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.
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Belina Seare Candidate for AS President Why are you seeking this position?
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT If elected, I’d first like to address that there is a dire need for any representative of students on this campus to have their thoughts and beliefs shaped by those students who are most affected. In my time at WWU, I’ve learned that students with marginalized identities on the basis of race, gender, class, sex and disAbility are often silenced and I believe that these perspectives need to be understood the most. I want to ensure that the Board of Directors are held accountable to those they are meant to represent. I will continue to pressure administration about how we will not only recruit students of color, but support and retain them. I will also work with faculty and students who are currently challenging and working to change our campus climate by having critical conversations about how one’s identity affects their experiences at Western
I have immense privilege by being a student on this campus. I am a first generation, Cis, Black, Afrikan, Able-bodied, Womxn that is still becoming conscious of my intersecting identities. After a few weeks of attending Western, it was clear to me that the obstacles I faced were a result of the identities I hold. Being confronted with discrimination, microaggressions and lack of academic support are a few ways in which I’ve been excluded on this campus. As president, there is an opportunity to be in spaces and gain knowledge that is inaccessible to most students. I am here to support students at large, but I am committed to do the extra hours and work necessary to support students of color. Many students have been disillusioned by this institution and need a bigger platform to address these issues. What do you think is the role of the AS President? I think the role of the AS president is to ensure that students aren’t taken advantage of. Simply put, the president must ensure that students are at the center of every decision that is being made. I believe that in order to be an effective president, one must recognize the responsibility they have to effectively connect with students, and reimagine ways to do this when they aren’t. While it may be challenging for the Associated Students to provide a space for every single persxn to thrive in, we need to constantly work to increase the means of access, so that students know how to seek out the
resources they pay to have. We need to grow as an organization and critically evaluate the ways in which we are not serving students. I think the role of the president is to properly assess who is not being represented in these spaces. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? Students are not engaged with student government, they don’t feel that this organization represents them, and rightfully so. I think it begs for three different issues to be brought up. First, how have students who hold marginalized identities been silenced on this campus? Second, what power do students actually have-is there truly student autonomy? Third, where are the limitations of transparency within the Associated Students and spaces of Western’s administration? We need to redefine what transparency is, because what may seem accessible to one student is silencing and exclusive towards another student. We need to be held accountable for how we engage students in this conversation and cater to each student how they need us too. Most importantly, I have become increasingly aware of the efforts of many students [who have left this institution and/or been pushed out] in calling into question the integrity of this idea to “increase diversity” that the AS and Western’s administration seem to have seemed to adopt with great pride. Echoing the sentiments of many students who have been silenced by this institution, I ask,“who does your diversity serve?”
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Israel Rios Candidate for AS VP for Activities Why are you seeking this position? Since I came to Western, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to get involved. It’s kind of been a problem of where do I want to spend my time, not a problem of looking where to spend my time, and I think that’s a good problem to have. I think that’s something that all students should be able to have, really. And in this position I just want to make sure that that’s still something that’s available for people that come after me. I want to protect the different avenues available to students. This position directly oversees KUGS and KVIK, which are good areas for people to be creative. It also oversees clubs, which is where most people get involved here at Western. I am very grateful of the opportunities I’ve had and am seeking this position to make sure there are still plenty of chances for people in the future to get involved on out campus. What do you think is the role of the VP for Activities? I think all the positions on the board are student advocacy. What do students want? What do students need? But this position specifically creates opportunities for students to be able to decide what they want to do, and that’s what I envision doing if elected to this position, is just creating opportunities for students to do what they want to out of the classroom. At the moment the processes students have to go through to do things they want can be confusing and complicated. The AS VP of
Activities needs to make it simple for student to get involved. Like I said, this position needs to create opportunities for students The AS should be supporting students, not standing as a bureaucratic barrier to accomplishing that goals they have. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? There’s a lot of issues I’d like to focus on. I think one of them would be the allocation of student funds. I think every student has seen the rising tuition and fees over the last couple years and probably wondered to themselves why it’s rising and I think we need to look at the money. We already have and see how we’re spending it and if that’s the best way to spend it. I want to make sure that the money we already collect from students is being used in areas that most benefit them. This position oversees a lot of student dollars and I would like to take a look at how all of it is being allocated and if there are ways we can make the money benefit students more. I think first you let students know what opportunities are there, and if the students aren’t taking advantage of those opportunities, maybe we need to reallocate or at least adjust the budgets for those things. This is a year long process that I hope to be able to do if elected.
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT College is about more than just the education received in classrooms, it is about meeting and connecting with people. For many this occurs at student-led and student-organized events. In this position I hope to make sure the AS continues to put on events that cover many different interests and are as inclusive as can be. Also, I, like many other students at Western, have found a home at one or more of our many clubs. I would like to make sure that each club knows the AS is doing the most it can to support them. In this position I look to not only give back to a system that helped me during my time at Western but to build on it so even more people may take part in the future. Let’s make sure everyone has a space at Western. I’m Israel Rios, and I would appreciate your vote.
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Zachary Dove Candidate for AS VP for Academic Affiars Why are you seeking this position?
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT I’m running for VP for Academic Affairs because Western students need representatives that can advocate for student interests without shying away from a confrontation with the administration if it is necessary to do so. I will significantly expand academic advising services and increase funding for Western’s counseling services, which students have been turned away from. Additionally, I want to make sure that students receive debt counseling from the financial aid department as soon as they accumulate debt. I hope to ensure that students are better informed about decisions that are made on their behalf, and I will provide opportunities for students to have influence over these decisions. I hope to work with students, staff and faculty to restructure Western into a more democratic institution so that all students can fully develop their capabilities and capacities in a safe and supportive environment. To see my full platform please visit facebook.com/zachdove4asvp
I’m running for the AS Board of Directors because the AS needs representatives aware of the crisis in higher education concerning affordability, accessibility, retainment, curricula, support services, etc. and who are aware of the limitations of student governments generally. And perhaps most importantly who are prepared to build real student power. I’m running for Vice President for Academic Affairs because I know that students need a representative with integrity to ensure that students are receiving the highest quality education and that they have the support they need to achieve success. I think I have the knowledge and experience necessary to do so. I was this year’s chair of Western’s Student Labor Action Project and I have been heavily involved in other student groups, including Autonomous Students United to Reduce Tuition. It is in this aspect that I have an advantage. I know what issues are affecting students. I know much of what it will take to solve these issues and I know what is standing in the way of change in the university. I’m a big believer in democratic governance, and I think this needs to be applied more thoroughly to Western. What do you think is the role of the VP Academic Affiars? Basically, the VP for Academic Affairs represents student interests in the academic affairs division of the administration on issues relating to academics, academic support and the university decision-making process
broadly. I’ll act as the only student with voting powers on various committees and boards, so it is vital that I’m able to connect with a large population of students to ensure that their voices are heard or more importantly that they can influence administrative policy. This is a large part of my role, as it is up to me to ensure that students are aware of the decisions that are being made on their behalf and how these decisions will affect students. In addition, I’m in charge of appointing students to serve on additional committees and boards. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? The issue affecting students I’m most eager to focus on is the lack of access to support services. There is one adviser here for every 750 students. While the ratio of the national average is 1 to 300. Access to academic advising is often necessary for success. Especially for transfer and non-traditional students, so advising needs to be expanded to ensure that the students are able to take the classes they want to take and graduate when they want to graduate. It’s not right that students are left alone to navigate the oftentimes confusing process of completing GURs or fulfilling your requirements for graduation. Similarly, Western’s counseling services have recently had to turn students away, leaving students to seek help on their own. Those students need an accessible service on campus that they can rely on. I see this as an academic affair. So I hope to significantly expand access to academic advising and counseling services as part of my position.
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Gabriel Alejandro Ibaùez Candidate for AS VP for Academic Affiars Why are you seeking this position? I believe that the AS plays an important role in students’ lives as well as shares very similar goals to myself. I have always helped my fellow peers and always wanted to do more. I have been apart of many organizations in the past that have worked with the college environment such as CSF, Hero, Trio, Gear Up and 21st Century. I not only helped create change within those environments but helped strive and exceed the standard set in said environments. I was hoping to bring a new perspective to the AS and having worked with marginalized identities in the past I feel that I can ask those tough questions within the space about who is sitting there and who is not sitting there and why they are not truly representing the student body. I have skills working with the college environment in previous years as I said before and I feel like the AS has set out to solve certain problems and it can definitely use a fresh perspective on. What do you think is the role of the VP Academic Affiars? I believe the role of VP for Academic Affairs would be to engage with the students with means of programming and services to enrich the academic environment here at Western. As well as standardize the student representation in many spaces such as committees and task forces where a variety of issues are discussed. Anywhere from contesting grades to solving textbook issues to providing re-
sources to raise grades as well as resources for students to utilize to prevent academic suspension, grievances and other such items. By working within the AS I believe that the role of VP would be to innovate change within the workplace by creating models of leadership and equity to diversify them. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? One issue affecting students right now I believe is the GUR system. I hear a lot of students often complaining about it. I believe it is a problem right now because it is currently slowing down accomplishing graduation within four years as well as causing many students to stay for a fifth year during which some students may not be able to pay for it because all debt is not created equal here on our campus. My solution would be to work with administration as well as reform other items within the AS as well as administrative policies here at Western to create a better Viking advisor. As well as encourage early academic outreach within the community as well as encourage students to contact their departments earlier to create a success plan here at Western.
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT Everyone here at Western takes part in the impressive university environment. This environment encourages and pushes its own students to approach and participate in community, activism and exploration of experiences outside their own. This upcoming year, my goal is to work with students and administrators to impact how the academic experience looks here at Western. I encourage everyone to make change even when not in a leadership position. I believe I accurately represent the student body and it is first priority at all times. As a student leader, I am dedicated to listening to what students have to say. The following year, I intend to impact the GUR system, improving on the scholarship budgets and reforming committee boards to be more accessible for students. I want to change what involvement looks likes at Western and ensure that student voices are properly heard and acted upon by Western.
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CANDIDATE
S TAT I S T I C S Learn more about each cadidate... The most used words of all the cadidates statements combined...
GRAPHICS BY KEGHOUHI BEDOYAN // AS REVIEW
The candidates favorite foods include tacos, enchiladas, lasagna, chicken gorgonzola, corn on the cob, mangoes, chocolate and anything but olives
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Voting for AS Elections will open April 27 at 12:01 a.m. until May 1 at 2 p.m. Voting boxes will be located at Red Square and on the Communication Lawn. Voting will also be avaliable online at wwu. edu/vote
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Jesse Doran Candidate for VP for Governmental Affairs Why are you seeking this position?
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT Students today face the triple threats of high tuition, sky-rocketing debt and low-wage jobs. I am campaigning for reduced tuition by taxing the super-rich to fully fund higher education. I am also campaigning for cancelling student debt and establishing living wage jobs for students and graduates. I will use my student government position to help build a student movement at WWU and campuses around the state, such as Autonomous Students United to Reduce Tuition which I helped co-found. Lobbying corporate-funded politicians has failed to create meaningful change in the crises facing our generation. We need a fighting strategy. We need to organize rallies, marches, walkouts, and sit-ins – tactics that have won real gains for students and others. Vote against politics as usual. Vote for Jesse Doran - an activist in the same socialist organization as Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. And get involved in the fight for a decent future.
I feel that politically Western has become a bit too stagnant, following the trend of society at large. Voter turnout was seven percent last year, which I think reflects a lot of untapped potential on a campus where I hear so many amazing political discussions and see progressive events happening multiple times a week. With defined political ideas on campus, why aren’t students expressing these more through voting? I see it as a failure to connect with what matters to students and what students want out of the AS. I want to bridge that connection. However, to create an environment that fosters progressive political action, we will have to use different tactics. Instead of general political involvement, which is seemingly turning off many students, I want to help build campaigns around specific issues that students care about. I want to build a unified student movement. Being VP for Governmental Affairs and having a unified student movement work so well together I’m surprised it isn’t written right into the job description. A movement not only gets massive amounts of students involved in an exciting way, but it is also the best way I can think of to get student interests heard. What do you think is the role of the VP for Government Affairs? The role of the AS VP for Governmental Affairs is to serve as the translator between the larger political sphere and the student body. What I mean by this is that the VP of Govern-
mental Affairs should serve to make political topics accessible to the larger student population and form political stances in response to the needs of Western’s students. But further than just communication, there is the aspect of turning these political stances into actual change. In terms of communication between Governmental Affairs and the student body I would like to create events and actions that feel open to all students, even those that don’t feel politically savvy, as well as more direct communication with clubs.The portion of the role that I am most excited about is in translating the needs of the student body into real change and I have some progressive ideas on how to do this. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? A huge issue that I see affecting Western students is college affordability. On this topic, there are three conversations that I have been trying to start on campus through my work with ASURT: how can we most effectively reduce our tuition which has almost doubled in the last eight years? And how can we address the dismal jobs prospects after graduation, where 1 out of 5 recent graduates are underemployed? You may have also seen in the news recently the first-ever student debt strike in the United States called the Corinthian 15 who are standing up and fighting against the system that makes profit on the backs of middle and lower class students. College affordability affects the great majority of Western students and it’s time to do something about it.
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Patrick Eckroth Candidate for VP for Governmental Affairs Why are you seeking this position? I’m seeking this position because of what I’ve experienced while trying to represent students on this campus. I’ve noticed there are a lot of barriers concerning student representation and engagement on campus. Whether it be policies or just the structure of the AS and the university and the way that we outreach our services is really limiting and so most people don’t know about them and I would like to use my knowledge, experience and passion to advocate for students as well as organizing and mobilizing students. So that I can change those structures and policies to make sure that all students have a really good opportunity and the empowerment and preparations necessary to represent themselves. What do you think is the role of the VP for Governmental Affairs? I think that the role of Vice President for Governmental Affairs is to ensure that students are represented on campus and at the local, state and federal governments - whether it’s organizing lobbying trips, and making sure that students opportunities to represent themselves and focus on the issues that they’re concerned about on campus. Or if its doing voter registration drives and making sure that students are having their voice through voting or electing officials. Either way I think it’s really just to make sure all students are represented and I think this position could do a better job at making sure its reaching out to all different communi-
ties on campus because a lot of them are not actually being represented. And this position oversees the Representation and Engagement Programs Office and makes sure that it serves all students so I would want to make sure that it is serving students more inclusively and reaching out to all the different parts of campus so that all students can actually be represented and engaged like they should be. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? I think that one issue that students are affected by and that they would want me to focus on next year are those structures and policies that are so limiting and acting as barriers. I’ve heard a lot about clubs and individuals who can’t organize, they try to have themselves represented and have that voice on campus but they can’t get space or because of the limitations in policy there and they can’t find the resources. We have lobby days for the AS but I think that if we opened up those opportunities so that they focus on more issues instead of just that one agenda that the AS proposes. Just like we have Environmental Lobby Day I think we should start growing other lobby days that are focused on issues that people really care about on campus. Finally I think that students don’t feel empowered and confident when they’re trying to represent themselves and have that voice because the structures we have usually mean that they’re doing it alone.
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT I am running for AS VP for Governmental Affairs because I am passionate about student representation and increasing the accessibility and inclusivity of representation on our campus. Over the last two years, I have dedicated my time to making sure students are represented on and off campus by serving as the AS Representation and Engagement Programs Director. By organizing and mobilizing students, I have provided a platform for students to represent themselves and their interests through voting, lobbying and testifying to various governments. Personally, I want to address issues of student tuition and financial aid, environmental issues and the inclusivity of how the AS represents students. Although I am passionate about these issues, I will focus on ensuring that students have the opportunity to have their individual voices and concerns represented and addressed.
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Abby Ramos Candidate for VP for Diversity Why are you seeking this position?
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT Hi! My name is Abby Ramos and I’m a sophomore double majoring in Communications and Public Relations and double minoring in Spanish and English. As a first generation Mexican-American student I want to broaden the idea of what diversity and intersectionality means to Western students. Oftentimes people assume diversity constitutes ethnicity, but in reality diverse identities are complex. Diversity and intersectionality encompasses not only ethnicity but sexuality, gender identity, ability, economic status, religion and overall personal experiences. My goal is to make every aspect of diversity visible on campus through promoting inclusivity on our campus. I believe I’m a strong candidate for this position, not only because of my personal experiences and the identities I hold, but because of my leadership roles in Latino Student Union and as an AS employee. Through raising awareness and finding solutions, I hope to transform Western into a safer space for all identities.
I am seeking this position because as a female-identified Mexican-American student, I have seen some of the issues that not only affect my identities but also other identities. I have some really great goals that I want to make happen for next year, because of my own personal experiences and because of experiences that others have shared with me. I’ve been involved in the AS and with the Ethnic Student Center for the two years that I’ve been on campus, and I’ve been able to see a variety of different issues concerning students, and because of this I want to fix that. I really think all identities need to be thought about in all the spaces that our campus entails, and in the Bellingham community. I know that I can’t completely change everything and that a lot of it will be hard, but I want to do my best to provide all identities with a safe space. What do you think is the role of the VP for Diversity? I think that this position calls for a liaison on everything that has to do with diversity. In this position I would be advocating student needs to the adminstration. The position also oversees the Resource and Outreach Programs, Ethnic Student Center and other entities on campus that have to do with diverse identities. In my position I would serve as a support system for these programs and for students also. I have a lot of ideas and goals that I want to make happen for next year, but I know that other students probably have even better ideas
that I would have never thought of. In this position I want to make it clear that I’m open for any student feedback and although I may hold the position title, I want to work for students. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? One of the main things that I want to focus on is improving classroom spaces. I think a lot of times problematic things are said, with people not realizing the different identities that the students hold in the spaces. And I think professors don’t really know what to do about that— when students say something problematic, or if a professor says something problematic. I’m interested in seeing what kind of training that the admin provides to professors, so that they know how to go about something that’s being said that might offend someone or that is problematic in its self and what to do with that. So my main focus is really working within classrooms, so that each identity that is being held in that classroom feels safe and they feel comfortable. Because we are spending so much of our time here and we’re spending so much of our money to be here and we need to be able to know that when we go into a classroom we don’t have to worry about someone saying something that would make us feel unsafe. I also want to take a look at the physical space that the Resource and Outreach Programs are in need of. They provide so much emotional support to students, and physical space shouldn’t be a worry of theirs. *Editor’s note: Abby Ramos is currently Editor in Chief of the AS Review.
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Emma Palumbo Candidate for VP for Student Life Why are you seeking this position? I’m seeking the position of Vice President for Student Life. First and foremost because I’m incredibly passionate about this school. I’ve seen many things that have been great for students, and I’ve seen areas where there is room for improvement. This position focuses on health and safety, transportation and sustainability and housing and dining. These are areas I’m dedicated to on this campus, and where I’ve already gained valued experience. More specifically, I’m running because I want to work with and work for students to make our overall experience at Western a great one, and to make our campus and our community a safe place for everyone. Next year, I want to work on connecting students with some of the valuable resources that our campus has to offer, and I want to continue to work to make this campus a safe space for students of all identities. What do you think is the role of the VP for Student Life? I think the role of the Vice President for Student Life is to make sure that student voices are heard and respected and to ensure that resources available to our students directly reflect their needs. A big part of the role is to serve as an advocate for the student body in matters that will affect students, and to see that our school works in the best interest of us as students. I think the Vice President for Student Life is also there as a resource for students to connect them with different resources
that our campus has and to make sure those resources are accessible to every student. Finally, the role of this position is to work with other students to enhance our experience at Western, and also promote a safe, healthy campus for future students as well. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? I think one major issue that I’d like to focus on is accessibility, especially for support resources for personal and academic needs, making sure that these are entirely accessible to all students. I think accessibility is especially important for students of color and other underrepresented identities in the university. Improving this could help immensely in matters of retention on our campus, which is, of course, something that needs great work at Western. I think a lot of important resources are inaccessible for a variety of reasons, and I want to get information about these resources out so that students have the chance to utilize them. I think also an important part of accessibility is having students know that the Associated Students is a resource. This ties back to the role of the Vice President for Student Life, serving as a point of contact within the AS in order to connect students to these resources.
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT My name is Emma Palumbo, and I am running to serve as the Associated Students Vice President for Student Life. I am a junior majoring in Political Science and Sociology. This is an incredible school but still there is work to do. In my current involvement on committees in the AS and as an active member of campus life I offer a fresh perspective, leadership and dedication to the wellbeing of the school and to my fellow students. In the position my main objectives will be to connect students to valuable campus resources, work to ensure that this campus is a safe space for students of all identities and emphasize the sustainable and responsible use of the resources available to us. I love this school and it would be my honor to serve as your next Vice President for Student Life.
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Hannah Brock Candidate for VP for Business & Operations Why are you seeking this position?
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT I am Hannah Brock and I am honored to be running for the position of ASVP for Business and Operations! My mission is simple: to serve Western students by ensuring that resources are utilized ethically while keeping student interests as priority. I have worked to promote a more transparent understanding of how the AS operates to ALL Western students throughout my three years in the Associated Students family. I am a WWU Business student in my third year, working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. I worked in the AS Productions Assistant position for two years and am currently the AS Personnel Director. These positions have equipped me with the necessary budgetary skills and policy knowledge to take on the position of VP for Business and Operations. With experience, dedication and a passion for serving others, I am committed to ensuring your funds are spent with you in mind.
I am seeking the position of AS VP for Business and Operations because I have a passion for service, specifically service to Western students and outreach as well. I’ve worked in the AS for three years now. After hearing about a volunteer opportunity within AS Productions. I jumped on board and that same year applied to fill a roll of ASP Assistant. I did that for two years and now I am AS Personnel Director, and I can honestly say that I feel more complete as a person because of these experiences. I think the AS has shaped who I am today, and I really want to share this experience with Western students because it makes me feel sad when I mention what I do for and students don’t know what the AS is. Especially because every student here at Western is helping to fund the Associated Students. It’s a service provided by students for students. So I really want to bring this opportunity back to students in this roll of VP for Business and Operations. I want to make sure students have a transparent understanding and awareness of what we do for them, because everything we do needs to come back to students and serve them. I highly encourage students to visit the board office, and come visit me specifically so I can share what you want. What do you think is the role of the AS VP for Business & Operations? This position primarily has two parts, so I’ll start out with the business component. The business description is centered around the
business functions of the organization to make sure that the funding we’re receiving is being spent ethically, and that all important budgetary decisions, at the end of the day, are going back to serve students. The VP for Business and Operations position oversees three primary budgets for the organization, and approves all funding requests. The second part of this position is the Operations part, which is essentially centered around making sure employees are abiding by policies as well as sharing and serving as a voting member of various committees. Both are equally important because one of my main goals in this position is to increase understanding of how student funds are being spent, down to the last dollar. What is one issue affecting students that you would like to focus on or work on next year? Like I said before, transparency and awareness within the organization, and externally to students is my main goal for next year. One of the most important reasons for this goal is that the majority of the large funding requests that go through the Business Office to the VP for Business and Operations office is requests for programming for students. I think that AS Programming Offices do an excellent job of providing inclusive and diverse opportunities for students, but I want to continue that expansion of being diverse and inclusive, and making sure we’re listening to students and what they want to see on campus and that we’re representing all students and the opportunities that they want to bring to campus.
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SUSTAINABLE ACTION FUND REFERENDUM Shall the students of Western Washington University recommend to the administration that the Green Energy Fee be renewed as the Sustainable Action Fund at a rate of $.70 per academic credit per quarter, up to $1.40 per academic credit per quarter, not to exceed $10.00 overall [currently at a rate of $.70 per academic quarter not to exceed $7.00?]
REFERENDUM STATEMENT The Green Energy Fee was first established at Western in 2005 after the Students for Renewable Energy and an Associated Students club at Western, worked with key members of Western’s staff, faculty and administration to include the ballot measure in the 2005 AS elections. The student body approved the initiation of the fee. The initial fee, titled the Renewable Energy Fee, was set at $.40 per academic credit per quarter not to exceed $4.00. The fee was used solely to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates. In 2010 the fee was restructured to include the use of surplus funds for a grant program that students could access to implement projects. The student body voted to renew the fee, newly titled the Green Energy Fee, with an 80 percent approval rate. The GEF
currently stands at $.70 per academic credit per quarter not to exceed $7.00. Since the fees restructure in 2010, the GEF has provided funding, guidance and support for over 20 student-led projects, including Water Bottle Refill Stations, Parking Lot LED Lighting Retrofitting, High-Speed Hand Dryers, the Environmental Building Solar Array, the Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Dorm Pilot and much more. Aside from reducing Westerns environmental impact, the personal impact on students who have designed and implemented projects cannot be put in simple terms, as well as the educational experience their projects have provided for the thousands of individuals who have and continue to utilize their ideas.
Referendum sponsor Emily Blessington answered the following consumption with renewables. It also inspires students to collaborate questions: and create innovative projects for the good of the university. We also educate students on what renewable energy means. So it’s just an aweWhat led you to put the referendum on the ballot? some thing. The initiative expires the summer of 2015, so we wanted to renew the initiative so that the program would keep going and thriving.
If the initiative passes, will it need funding to be implemented? If so, how much and where will it come from?
Why should students support this?
So the initiative does require funding if it is passed. Currently students pay about $7 per quarter for the fund, and the funds will move over quarter to quarter. The hope is to keep the fund at the current rate, or slowly increase it to a maximum of like $10.
Well, my initial reaction reading this question was ‘why shouldn’t you support it?’ The thing is, the fund is made to offset our electricity
16 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Can you find the candidates? Belina Seare Candidate for AS President
Abby Ramos Candidate for ASVP for Diversity
Zachary Dove Candidate for ASVP for Academic Affairs
Gabriel Alejandro Ibañez Candidate for ASVP for Academic Affairs
Patrick Eckroth Candidate for ASVP for Governmental Affairs
Jesse Doran Candidate for ASVP for Governmental Affairs Find the candidates & the AS Board positions: Belina Seare Zachary Dove Gabriel Alejandro Ibañez Patrick Eckroth Hannah Brock Jesse Doran
Hannah Brock Candidate for ASVP for Business & Opersations
Emma Palumbo Candidate for ASVP for Student Life
Israel Rios Abby Ramos Emma Palumbo
AS President ASVP for Academic Affairs ASVP for Activities ASVP for Business & Operations ASVP for Governmental Affairs ASVP for Diversity ASVP for Student Life
Israel Rios Candidate for ASVP for Activities