Student Union

As the Chair of the Campus Services Committee, I would like to let everyone know that the tabling and outreach efforts we started last semester will become visible initiatives for the SU Senate this fall.  We have compiled all of the suggestions and concerns students brought to us, and my committee is ironing out our agenda for this term.  We plan to work on smaller projects that should be easy fixes, and also to tackle bigger initiatives (such as Campus Circulation and increased awareness of WUPD security off campus).  I will be posting our plans for the summer and fall semester soon, and I look forward to enacting the changes YOU brought to our attention.  Senate is your advocate, and I am one who cannot wait to get started making that role into a reality.

Remember to take the Senate Outreach survey at http://studentvoice.com/washstl/senateoutreachsurvey for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate!  It's really short, and it'll help us make sure we're doing the things you really want.

Hmm, well I think that with the cold weather, people will be inside so much that our blogs will get lots of hits, and you can find out all about what we're doing this semester in Student Union!

My name is Amy Heard, and I'm a Sophomore senator for the College of Arts and Sciences. I just started Senate a few months ago, so I'm still getting a feel for everything that both SU and Senate do, and all of the things that we have to offer to students. I think it's a major problem that most students aren't really aware of all of the things that go on behind the scences and all of the resources that they have available. Hopefully things like this blog will help change that!

One thing that's coming up next week, Jan 20-23, is Senate Outreach Week. This will be an opportunity for students to meet their senators, as well as understand what Senate does, how to get more involved, and how Senate can help you! We will be tabling in the DUC every day next week (except Monday because it's MLK), and we will be walking around meeting students in the DUC Thursday and Friday, all from 11-1. I'm really excited about this outreach, and I hope to meet a lot of you next week!

Have a great four day weekend, and try to stay warm!

Welcome back and happy new year. 

My name is Adam Cohen.  I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.  I am a Political Science and Psychology major.  I am part of the University Initiatives Committee.  I have been working on the Senate liaison program which you will be hearing more about as the semester progresses.

With that brief introduction, here is one important upcoming event.

Student Union is kicking off the new semester with a new event Senate Outreach Week.  A representative from Senate will be in the DUC next Tuesday to Friday from 11 - 1.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, look for us next week in the DUC.  If we are not there when you are available, come visit us at Senate meetings which take place every Wednesday at 9 PM in DUC 276. 

Hey, I was inspired by Robyn's post to make my own first post as an SU Senator.  Quick intro: I'm Chase Sackett, a junior ArtSci senator, and I'm on Senate's Campus Services Committee.  I'm also the SU-CS40 liaison, one of the new Senate Constituency Outreach co-chairs, serve as SU's rep to the Housing Selection Task Force, and work on SU's new LiveWELL student health campaign (we did the flu shot and sleep awareness events in the DUC last semester).  Outside of SU, I'm involved with XRHH and Chimes Junior Honorary.  If you want more on me personally, go ahead and Facebook stalk me...it may or may not be exciting (probably not).

One of the things I wanted to give attention was the resolution Student Union passed earlier this month advocating the expansion of ResLife's gender neutral housing program, as well as better advertising its availability.  After serving on the Housing Selection Task Force, I discovered how beneficial the gender neutral housing program would be for many students if it were expanded from Greenway and the Village to encompass all WashU-owned housing on the North Side and off-campus, and I decided to sponsor this resolution.  It passed unanimously (22-0), and I thought it was a really great example of Student Union's ability to advocate for the student body. 

The resolution SU passed is right here: Gender Neutral Housing Resolution

And to find out more about the reasoning behind the resolution, the Student Life article covering it is here: http://studlife.com/news/su_lobbies_for_expansion_of_gender-neutral_housing

A lot of the things SU does aren't visible to the student body (hopefully these blogs will make that easier), but resolutions like this can make a big impact on administrators and WashU policy.