ASUW is definitely something you have heard of if you’re a student at the University of Washington. If you haven’t heard of it, ASUW, or Associated Students of the University of Washington, is a student run organization of hired and elected employees that works to represent and amplify student voices in order to create a great experience for students of all backgrounds. In simple terms, ASUW is the voice of the students, which is why it is important that we as students know who we have representing the majority of us and how to stay involved.
Making sure you are up to date as to when elections are is crucial in making sure you and your needs are represented. The elections for 2021-2022 board of directors have started and close on the 5th of May, so make sure to exercise your right as a student and vote! When visiting the ASUW website, you will be able to see profiles on each of the candidates for the 8 elected positions – as a student, it is important you know who is running to be the face and spokesperson of the students and who you will be able to voice your concerns to. Do you agree with their ideas? Do you agree with their campaign promises? Do you believe they are a good fit? Ask yourselves these questions and vote before the May 5th, 11:45 PM deadline!
Getting involved within the school community and trying to make your own voice hear can be intimidating! Where do you start? How do you start? Who do you even talk to? Luckily, there are many ways to get involved in your school and community! With COVID-19, meetings are held over zoom and the board posts the dates of their meetings along with a link for anyone in the community to attend if they wish. This would be a great thing to attend in order to see firsthand what the board is doing and how they are handling the community. There is also the opportunity to be employed with ASUW if you don’t want to just be stuck on the sidelines and be absolutely sure your ideas will be heard! Job applications for ASUW open at the beginning of spring quarter and over 60+ students are hired. There are also many volunteer and internship opportunities that ASUW supplies to allow you to work with others to make your community a better place and gain some more experience – who knows! Maybe you’ll even want to run for an elected position on the board!
All that I listed are foolproof ways to get involved within the community and get your voice heard. If you’re not the most forward person and would prefer to just email someone, that is also an option! On the ASUW website, you can find the emails of the board and email them with any concerns, thoughts and/or ideas you may have. There are many ways to be involved but voting for the people that will be representing you is the start!
Visit http://www.asuw.org for more information on the candidates, voting, getting involved and ASUW’s mission!