AS Executive Board update graphic. PJ Heusted // AS Review
By PJ Heusted
The Associated Students Executive Board met on Thursday, April 15 for their 22nd meeting of the 2020-21 academic year.
Black Student Organization Demand Updates
VP for Governmental Affairs Nicole Ballard said that the state and Western secured funding for the hiring of at least one new Black mental health counselor.
AS President Abdul Malik Ford asked if that means a Black counselor or a counselor trained in providing care for Black students. Executive Director of Student Engagement Eric Alexander said that the law requires that the position be open to anyone of any race, but that care is being taken to hire the best candidate to provide care and services for Black students.
VP for Student Services Carson Brock said that he is on the hiring committee for the new resident directors and specifically hiring within the new dorm and the Black Affinity Housing space.
Community Reconstructive Collective
Sanai Anang spoke as a guest seeking endorsement from the board as he looks to create a partnership between his non-profit and Western’s Career Services Center.
The Community Reconstructive Collective helps to financially support high school and college students participating in unpaid internships. They provide public funding to allow students to engage in these programs without having to worry about not being able to support themselves during that time.
An endorsement from the board helps the CRC to get funding by showing that they are a legitimate program and that there is student interest in the program and the opportunities that it provides.
VP for Activities Keenan Kaemingk asked about the process for determining which students get support and which students don’t get funds given that it would be impossible to provide funds to every student with an unpaid internship.
Anang said that it starts with securing as much money as possible to be given to students and that the Career Services Center would help in moving forward in determining an equitable way to distribute funds.
The board voted to endorse CRC unanimously.
Student Opportunities Council
AS Business Director Noemi Bueno presented as a guest to share a proposed charge and charter for a Student Opportunities Council.
This council would take the place of the Student Enhancement Fund Committee given a number of changes in the scope of what that committee handles. Members felt a rebrand and restructure would be appropriate.
In previous years, the committee just managed the SEF fund but they now also supervise the employee development fund. This charge and charter adds the AS Personnel Director as a co-chair given their involvement with the employee development fund in the past.
The board approved the charge and charter unanimously.
AS Elections Code
AS Elections Coordinator Mario Alem spoke as a guest to present the current edits to the AS Elections Code.
The Elections Advisory Committee chose to fully remove the petition signature requirement for all candidates, require enrollment at Western’s main Bellingham campus, decrease the GPA requirement from 2.5 to 2.0, clarify the college/undeclared status for senators and require that students be eligible to work in the US and at Western.
Alem said that the committee plans to include language for transfer and incoming students that waives the GPA requirement and to establish the use of rank choice voting in the elections.
AS President Job Description
Ford shared the final version of the AS President’s job description including the edits from the previous meeting.
The final edits included: requiring the fall AS staff development training, making winter and spring AS staff development trainings optional, including DACA in the eligibility statement and finalizing updates to committee memberships and meeting invitations.
The board passed the updated job description unanimously with a note that the GPA requirement may be changed pending future discussions.