Q&A with AS Committees Coordinator Octavia Schultz and AS Review writer Erasmus Baxter
Why should students join a committee?
Serving on either an AS or university committee gives you an opportunity to help make decisions that impact Western students, and make sure that we have a say in what happens at our university. You’ll get to work closely with student leaders, faculty members, and administrators to make lasting professional connections, and gain professional experience that will benefit you in your future career.
What committees are there?
Right now there’s actually about 65 committees throughout the university that students can serve on! Some of the ones that are currently looking for student members are the Digital Media Center Advisory Committee, the Campus Public Safety Advisory Council, the Student Publications Council, and the Recruitment, Admissions, and Support Committee. The full list is available on the AS website at as.wwu.edu/committees.
How should students go about finding and joining a committee if interested?
Checking out the full list of committees on the AS website is a great place to start looking for ones that you might be interested in; there’s a description for each one and the number of student positions is listed. You can also stop by my office in VU 435 or send me an email at as.committees@wwu.edu if you have any questions about a committee or just want to hear more about the ones that are available. To apply to join any committee, just fill out the form that’s linked on the AS website.
What does being on a committee entail? What is the general commitment like?
Committee meetings generally consist of the members discussing documents or agenda items and voting on decisions or creating recommendations and policies. The time commitment depends on the specific committee; some of them will meet once a week for an hour, others will only meet once a quarter, and there are variations in between.
Do you have any advice for people who might be interested in committees?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If there’s a committee you might be interested in and want to know more, feel free to contact me or stop by my office. If you know that you want to be involved but don’t know exactly which committee might be a good fit for you, we can also talk through the options available to make sure we find something you’ll enjoy.
