ASW Talks Executive Update

December 12, 2016

Dear Griffins,

It’s the most dreaded time of the semester again: finals week. We hope that you are all handling the stress well and will finish the semester strong. Here are a few updates that we’d like you to know about as we head into the new semester:

ASW Sustainability Fund & Eco-Council

In 2015, the ASW Senate approved the creation of the Sustainability Fund. The mission of the project is to award grants to students who would like to implement programs that improve Westminster’s sustainability efforts. This year, the Eco-Council was created to oversee the fund. The Eco-Council consists of 5 members: the ASW Vice President, the ASW Director of Budget and Accounting, an ASW Senator, and two environmental fellows appointed by the Environmental Center.

The primary function of the Eco-Council is to review applications for the grants, and to provide necessary support and guidance for the funded student projects. The Eco-Council is currently formulating the application process along with the rubrics, which will launch at the beginning of the next semester. The applications will be available for students on myasw.org.

The Safe & Brave Space Campaign

There is no doubt that the discourse of campus life was shaken after the president elections. The occurrences of hate crimes on our campus have become more visible, and many of our students do not feel safe in our community. As members in this shared space, we find that acceptable.

Because ASW’s mission is to “develop a sense of community, enrich the lives of students attending the college, and provide a forum for student concerns,” we will initiate a campaign in the Spring that calls on members of our community to come together to share their stories without fear of being judged, to step up and support one another through tough times, and to pledge to be an ally to marginalized communities.

Because we want this campaign to be fully inclusive of all people, we will be forming a committee to seek input and guidance from. We will be reaching out to folks over the break, but please let us know if you would like to be a part of the oversight committee of this project.

Westminster as a Safe Haven

I’m sure you all have read President Morgan’s Statement of Support for Undocumented and Vulnerable Students. If you haven’t, here’s where to find it.

We’d just like to take a moment to thank President Morgan and the administration for their demonstrated leadership of fully committing to protecting our students. As the first higher-ed institution in Utah to come forth and publicly state that we will protect our students, we hold our “Griffin” status with great pride.

ASW will be making a list that outlines the steps the college plans to take, and we will make it our utmost priority to hold the college accountable for their promises.

Final Thoughts

Please always remember that you are the backbone of ASW. As we approach the beginning of a new year and semester, we look forward to recommitting ourselves to serving you. Never hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. We wish you all the happiest of holidays!

All our best,

Ben and Andrey

November 7, 2016

Griffins,

I hope the month of October has been kind to all of you.

ASW Retreat

Earlier this month, the annual ASW Retreat was held to bring together every elected and appointed ASW official. It allowed us to come together as a whole, get to know each other, reflect on our goals, and inform everyone of the progress we’ve made thus far and will continue to make together.

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Christine Seifert, spoke about how we can do things that may seem little and insignificant, but have the gravest impact on the outcomes. She stressed that change doesn’t just happen without a structure rooted in progressive efforts. It was a refreshing reminder of the importance of the work that we all do.

President Morgan closed the event with a speech thanking students for their contribution to the issues in our community. He encouraged students to continue to speak up on issues that they felt passionate about. He also presented ASW with a check of $7,000. The money will be put towards two capital campaigns: ASW Innovate and ASW Opportunities.

Board of Trustees Meeting

The Board of Trustees meets four times a year and at those meetings, the ASW President presents to them the work of student leaders on campus. It is also a time for the President to raise issues of concern to the Board for deliberation and resolve. This week, the Board will be meeting for the second time this semester. Keep an eye out for the presentation on myasw.org.

ASW Innovate

ASW and President Morgan are each contributing $3000 to the ASW Innovate Fund. The ASW Innovate Fund is a project led by the ASW President to help students with entrepreneurship ideas and initiatives. Students can apply to qualify for assistance (whether that be financial, advertising, networking, advising, planning and more) to start a project on campus. Past recipients like TEDxWestminsterCollegeSLC, The Great Salt Lake Podcast, and The Tipping Point have received funds from ASW Innovate. It is a great way for students with big ideas to come forth and see them come to fruition. We will be launching our ASW Innovate campaign shortly, so please stay tuned.

Blue Light Safety Poles

The Blue Lights initiative is a security-driven program that ensures safety of students across the campus. Currently, there are a total of 9 fully operational safety poles, which serve as telephone booths (indicated by a bright blue light) that connects one directly with a campus patrol agent in case of an emergency. Coming shortly will be an updated campus map with the exact location of every Blue Light safety pole.

We are constantly seeking new ways to improve campus safety because it is Westminster’s and ASW’s top priority. As such, we are exploring additional avenues that would incorporate the use of technology to make sure responses to cases of emergencies are more accurate and efficient.

Final Thoughts

With all of these updates, I hope that you have feedback to share. The one thing we always remind students is that they are a part of ASW, and it is important to be active because these issues impact our campus life. Our office is always open, so please never hesitate to come talk to us. Your feedback is crucial to the work we do!

It is an honor to serve you this year.

Truly yours,

Ben and Andrey