This year’s Asbury Student Congress (ASC) is noticeably shifting its approach to bettering campus, including a list of proposals and reformed expectations for the congress members. Though many ideas are still in the works, some tangible changes are already being made around campus, including the Commuter Commons Lounge in the basement of the STUCE. The lounge has a set of lockers, a refrigerator and furniture for commuter students to use while on campus.
Possibly the biggest shift in ASC has been student involvement, which has been further pushed by this year’s Executive Cabinet (EC). This increase is an opportunity for more corners of campus to be recognized. With nearly 70 students in the congress, they work alongside Dr. Sarah Baldwin, Dr. Brittany Worthen and Joe Bruner to vote on proposals created by EC.
“Freshman year, not a lot of people knew or cared about ASC,” Ignited Class President Jiaru Liu said. “But I can tell the campus involvement in ASC has increased. The number of branches has increased and there are more students involved in the congress.”
Liu points out that the augmented number of congress members will help ASC to see the spots around campus that could be improved as their reach stretches further. A concern for Liu and other members of ASC is that the larger body will also affect the efficiency of meetings and the progress of proposals.
Proposals that have gone through Student Government Association (SGA) and EC this semester pertain to the STUCE and Shaw CLC buildings. ASC is working to replace the porch furniture for both buildings, and to add class cabinet magnetized boards in the STUCE to post events happening on campus.
Student Body President Zachary Fazio shares other proposals in the works. “We have incomplete progress on updates to the ASC framework, club guidelines and leadership development initiatives.”
The recent survey that was sent out to students will begin to be worked through by ASC, specifically by SGA. The data pulled from these surveys will be used to create new proposals to be considered next semester.
Another proposal this semester that has been passed and put into effect is the Hip Hop: Music & Dance Club. The club was proposed and presented to ASC by Kyndrick Spitler at the September meeting and passed during the October meeting after working with Elizabeth Bramer, Vice President of Clubs and Congress Operations, to improve according to suggestions ASC had initially made. A second club that has been voted through by the congress is the Bi-Partisan Discourse Club. The club president, Ashton Montgomery, saw the need on campus for a space for respectful political conversations. The club has since had three events: Politics and Popsicles, Poptarts and Politics and an Election Night Party at WGM.
Outside of clubs, ASC has partnered with Latino Student Alliance, each of the class cabinets and other organizations around campus to fund events on campus. Some of these events have been the Bachata Night, the Beloved class’s Brownies & Bracelets and Spill the Tea, an event with Student Life Board and Intercultural Studies.
This coming semester, students can expect to see more events with Intercultural Life and Black Student Alliance, an Appalachian Festival and a Native American land acknowledgment. Other changes include the new ASC logo which will be completed, student leadership development workshops and additions to the STUCE.
