ASWSU Senate Finds Success in Legislation Through 'Ohana' Bonding Activity, Cohesiveness

In a continued effort to enact progressive legislation, new ASWSU president Jordan Frost is shifting his focus toward passing resolutions that better the student experience at Washington State University.

Under the 46^th ASWSU Senate the number of resolutions and bills passed more than tripled from the previous year. The Senate approved 57 bills and 35 resolutions, significantly higher than the 14 bills and nine resolutions enacted by the 45^th Senate.

This past Senate required each member write at minimum one piece of legislation. Frost does not have a set number for the amount of legislation he wants to achieve, but rather any that makes a meaningful impact on campus.

“My hope is that bills and resolutions are either a direct reflection of student needs or an internal improvement that will put the organization in a better place moving forward,” Frost said. “I want to really encourage senators to outreach in creative ways so that their legislation resonates with students, not just with members of ASWSU.”

Seven members of the 46^th Senate remain under the new senate, who were sworn in on April 20 along with Frost, adding a unique combination of old and new ideas to the 2017-18 ASWSU Senate.

Savannah Rogers, Honors Delegate on last years Senate and one of the seven returning members, felt a strong sense of comradery amongst the whole Senate which fostered quality discussion and resulted in productive legislation.

“We would go out to restaurants and get food and hang out and really be close friends,” Rogers said. “I think that made us not only work better together, but I also made us respect each other more and enjoy the time we were spending with each other. We really wanted to do the work that was set in front of us.”

The previous Senate used a bonding activity called Ohana, which paired two senators together for two weeks, with the intent of creating a family-like feel. Rogers said the activity, which lasted almost the entire Senate term, is something she would like to see carried over to the ’17-18 Senate.

Devon Holze, another returning Senate-holdover, said her first Ohana meeting with College of Arts & Sciences Senator Kevin Schilling strengthening the cohesiveness between the two Senators and stimulated ideas resulting in effective legislation.

“I think they were very beneficial,” Holze said of the bonding activity. “The senate definitely works better as a cohesive unit, and getting to know people and their ideas helped a lot with making us successful.

“My first Ohana really stood out to me because I learned a lot about him (Kevin) and who he is as a person. And working with him this year helped me be successful. They're just great for making us a better unit.”

The cohesiveness of the 46^th Senate proved contagious during the year long term as ASWSU passed Resolution 46-19 supporting undocumented students at WSU, continuing unity amongst the student body.

WSU Young Democrats President Gavin Pielow, who ran for an at-large Senator position this spring, supported the resolution and believes the Senate in place will further a collective culture on campus.

“This upcoming Senate should, and will, help alleviate the burden of food insecurity on campus, proliferate access to cheap mobile printing, and secure efficiently widespread snow removal during the winter,” Pielow said in support of the recently appointed Senate.

The subject of undocumented students remains a key discussion point for the incoming Senate, with efforts already underway to foster a unified campus where no student feels afraid based on their status.

“Latino students have always felt a strong passion for being involved on campus,” said Frank Ramirez, a graduating senior who has spent the majority of his five years being involved in the multicultural communities at WSU.

“With the ASWSU Senate and the university administration in full support of undocumented students, and specifically speaking out against President Trump’s executive order to remove all undocumented immigrants, there is more security on those students who might have previously felt subject to discrimination as a result of their status.”

With increased student comfort and safety the ultimate goal, the notion of passing legislation that does not result in positive change is one Frost does not want to have as the Senate begins its term.

“If we pass one ‘big bill’ that overhauls are organization and sets our path for the next 15 years, I would be more than happy,” Frost said.  “I am cautious of 50 bills that edit the spelling and grammar in our governing documents, because that kind of productivity can mislead people to believe that their government is actually working.

“I want to see meaningful legislation that focuses on enhancing the student experience at Washington State University for all students.”

Sources:

Jordan Frost - jordan.frost@wsu.edu

Gavin Pielow - gavin.pielow@wsu.edu

Savannah Rogers - savannah.rogers@wsu.edu

Devon Holze - devon.holze@wsu.edu

Frank Ramirez - (509) 831-4436

425 Final Pitch

For my final project I will be doing a feature following up on The Daily Evergreen's story regarding ASWSU tripling its legislative production after having just 14 bills passed the previous year. I plan to interview the incoming ASWSU, as well as blend in opinion from university administrators and former ASWSU leaders.

The public records request would inquire about the funding totals for ASWSU, and making those request for subsequent years to compare and contrast to see if ASWSU is improving from a leadership perspective or not (and the benefits and costs of being on ASWSU).

WSU Student Running For Congress Behind Millennial Involvement, Activism

Divided on several crucial social and political issues, the Pew Research Center reported half of the Millennial generation does not align with a specific political party. Instead, a growing number of Americans born between 1980-2000 view themselves as political independents as the younger generation searches for answers to the ever-changing social landscape.

Matthew Sunderland, a 25-year-old Washington State University undergraduate returning for his second bachelor’s degree and attempting to run for congress in 2018, believes the answers will come with an increased involvement from the Millennial generation.

Sunderland is running against Ben Stuckart for the Democratic nomination, with the winner in the primary going head-to-head against Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R).

“It is vital,” Sunderland said, when asked of the importance of college students being active in politics. “In the Fifth Congressional District, we have over 60,000 enrolled students. That is an insane amount of people, but our representatives, and often the candidates, will have poor outreach or outright ignore our needs and voices.”

Sunderland recently joined the National Guard after serving as a reservist in the Army. He has never run for any student government or student body position, like ASWSU, but said he felt a calling to be a political activist instead.

From the classroom stemmed his interest in politics with Sunderland getting his first bachelor’s in pre-law political science. He already had enough of the prerequisites to declare for his physics degree, which is is currently pursuing, with the combination formulating his passion for politics.

“I’m not stopping,” Sunderland said with a chuckle. “I took Physics for Scientists and Engineers and really liked it. And so I went on to work in a solar cell research lab to really get into it, and take Modern Physics from which I still have nightmares about Schrodinger equations.”

Keeping with the theme of empowering students and the Millennial generation, Sunderland appointed another fellow WSU undergrad to be his campaign manager.

Gavin Pielow, president of the WSU Young Democrats group on campus, agrees with Sunderland’s notion of giving a voice to those who have before gone unheard.

“Student involvement in politics is paramount,” Pielow said. “First off, the best, easiest, and most potent way students can address social issues is holding our representatives accountable by showing up to vote. Secondly, fostering a dialogue to lens the perspective among students will promote ideas to be shared, challenged and engaged with.”

The Cougar political pair have focused their message to reach a mixed audience of both older and younger voters in the district. However, with over 20,000 undergraduates around them walking the campus daily, Pielow said the campaign will aid current and future Cougars including an impact on college debt and community involvement.  

“Our campaign will bring about a representative for the 5^th,” Pielow said. “That's working to help current and future Cougs by alleviating the burden of college debt and restoring our economy. Hopefully the Sutherland for Congress campaign inspires future Cougs to roll up their sleeves, fight for what they believe in, and go hands-on with civic engagement with their community.”

Sources:

Matthew Sunderland: 253-282-3000

Gavin Pielow: 541-990-0197

Murrow Symposium: Get to Know The People You Cover

Four sports journalists with varying ties to Washington State University spent roughly an hour Wednesday after educating students on the significance of being observant when reporting in the field.

The panel featured three former Edward R. Murrow College of Communication alumni Joel Knip, sports producer for KING-TV in Seattle; Dana Haynes, formerly a news anchor for KHQ-TV in Spokane; and Ben Wineman who graduated in 2016 and now works as a sports anchor for KTMF-TV in Missoula, Montana.

Knip shared a personal story involving former Cougars quarterback Ryan Leaf helping him find the financial aid office while Knip was recovering from a knee injury. The anecdote paired with a real life journalism tip from Seattle Times college sports reporter Stefanie Loh, giving students the ideal playbook to journalism before heading into the profession.

“One of best stories I wrote was a guy at every football practice,” Loh said, reflecting on her 2013 story on San Diego State offensive lineman Nico Siragusa and his father, seeking a second kidney transplant.

“[He was] waiting for a kidney, had kidney failure, and the family went through a whole ordeal just to allow him to go to practice,” Loh continued. “Nico went to SDSU to be close to his dad. You don’t get that story unless you get that random dude.”

While the panel acknowledged that stories like Siragusa are important, having young journalists begin their career in a small market and forced to find stories that aren’t so obvious, but that still are just as crucial.

Haynes suggested recent journalism graduates should “do a 360 and look all the way around so you don’t miss the story,” adding that a story about someone who is always on the sidelines but maybe without a role or obvious reason is the richer story, not the final score.