by Eric Fullerton
This week, I would like to start off by saying thank you, specifically to those who participated in Community Building Day 2011!
This year, as Steven LaPointe, assistant director of service learning, said, “As many as 1,500 Whitworth students, faculty and staff combined to provide up to 4,500 hours of service to more than 45 agencies throughout Spokane County… the economic impact of this service to the Spokane Community equates as much as $93,825 in one morning.”
These are truly staggering statistics and it took all of you to make it possible; thank you!
Last Wednesday at the ASWU meeting, several exciting presentations were brought before ASWU. The first was our new Director of Athletics Aaron Leetch. Leetch presented us with a heartfelt and uplifting message of what it means to be a member of the Whitworth Pirates.
We also held a discussion on what ASWU’s role on encouraging people to register to vote should be. If you want to be a part of these, and many other, discussions send me an email.
This upcoming Wednesday (Sept. 28), at 5 p.m. in the ASWU Chambers, general manager of Sodexo Jim O’Brien will be speaking to ASWU, addressing meal plans and any concerns students may have about the upcoming year(s).
ASWU wants your voice to be heard. In ALL debates and discussions you can, and are encouraged to participate.
Also, if you contact ASWU’s Executive Vice President (Melinda Leavitt) before noon on the Wednesday you would like to attend, you can receive up to $6.00 in free food from the Café before the ASWU meeting. The only thing you need to do, to get the money, is attend an ASWU meeting after emailing Melinda!
One of ASWU’s goals for this academic year is to increase transparency. To show you who we are, why we are here and what we can do for you.
One quick, but astonishing, example of what ASWU has done for the student body was to strongly encourage the faculty and staff to give students a break at the end of October, creating Fall Break. We have power as long as you tell us what you want. One of the main reasons I have shifted some of my office hours to wandering around and meeting people has been to promote transparency.
We are students just like you, we have concerns just like you, we want to fight for your concerns and we have the knowledge and the weight to make significant changes around campus, but only if you allow us to.
ASWU is not a cloud that students have no part in; rather we are a tool for the student body to use.
May many a pinecone fall into your life.