The Asbury Constitution has not been significantly changed in 24 years; however, based on results of the senior exit survey and the student satisfaction survey, Director of Student Engagement Heather Tyner and the Executive Cabinet (EC) have decided it is time to finally make a change.
During a Town Hall meeting on Feb. 25, Tyner and EC further explained the restructuring plan for Student Activities Board (SAB). Implemented in the fall 2020 semester, the change will remove SAB from under EC’s direction, implement a new activity-planning group under Student Development and reformat the executive secretary role.
The desire for change stems from a reported decreased sense of belonging at Asbury and a decreased sense of student satisfaction with weekend activities, which was communicated in the student satisfaction survey, as well as the senior exit surveys, which over 95% of seniors participate in. Tyner gathered data comparing Asbury to other similarly structured universities from 2016 to now, and also had an external audit of ASC conducted which reflected similar results.
In place of SAB, a group of 9 to 11 paid student leaders will be given the opportunity to receive guidance from Tyner in the planning of Asbury events. By doing this, these paid student leaders will now have support from faculty members and be able to more effectively focus their energies on creating events tailored to Asbury’s current campus climate. The new program will also allow for more accountability and assessment, as Tyner is planning to hold interdepartmental evaluations for growth planning.
Along with the creation of this new program under Student Development, the position currently known as the executive secretary will be altered to become the VP of Clubs and Congress Operations. This vice president position will still maintain the duties of the secretary but will also be responsible for overseeing and organizing the clubs at Asbury, as much of the secretary’s current job responsibilities already overlap into this realm.
The funding usually intended for SAB will remain within ASC, and the new student activities group will receive funding based on the reallocation of funds within the student development budget according to Dr. Sarah Baldwin, Vice President of Student Development & Dean of Students.
The Town Hall meeting allowed for open floor questions and gave Tyner and Baldwin time to further explain their decision to forgo an ASC vote on the matter of restructure. After much consideration, they decided that this new structure is the best step forward in addressing the activities and sense of belonging issues on campus, and since Tyner’s professional position with the university does not bind her to the jurisdiction of ASC, a vote is not technically needed for her to move forward and create paid student positions.
Baldwin acknowledged that self-governing student bodies like ASC is critical to the development of student leadership.
“At the end of the day when I looked at all the pros and cons [of the restructure without a vote,] as turbulent as this would be, that it is in the best interest in what we’re trying to do moving forward,” she said. “I don’t anticipate that we would want to do this again any time soon… it is not in line with what we want to do philosophically.”
If you’re interested in being a part of this new change, email Tyner at heather.tyner@asbury.edu. Interested students will begin training with her this semester.
