Will Lyons (The Beacon)
By Will Lyons, Staff Commentary
It's a typical Tuesday afternoon in The Beacon newsroom and after a couple softball ideas for stories, someone brings up what ASUP has done at its most recent meeting. A collective groan immediately erupts from the squad of reporters and photographers reminding us all that yes, ASUP does continue to exist, and yet not really matter.
This year I'm expecting a stronger ASUP. For the first time in years there are actually more candidates applying to be senators than there are spots. Moreover, President Brock Vasconcellos and Vice President Kyle Hamm are real students as opposed to the patsy for Fr. Beauchamp and polarizing mess we had last year. They, more than other teams I've seen, will challenge rather than accept the status quo and demand transparency from the administration.
Having said that, I've seen the dull belly of ASUP during my year and a half working for The Beacon. As a reporter, I have covered the quibbling mass known as ASUP Senate and know they face some serious challenges.
ASUP doesn't have that much power in the grand scheme of University life. They pass toothless resolutions that get sent to Fr. Beauchamp as recommendations, decide how to use the $20,000 Major Project Fund, which didn't even exist until 2006 and how to allocate our $70 student government fee to clubs. Sometimes they can't even do that correctly.
Let me remind you of the club funding fiasco of '11, in which, for the first time, Senate decided to strongly enforce its deadline for clubs submitting a budget to the ASUP treasurer. This resulted in some clubs and activities not receiving the funds they needed in the 2011-2012 school year. It was the perfect example of what is wrong with the culture of ASUP. Rather than simply doing their job of serving students they enforced for the first time an arbitrary, self-important rule that adversely affected the student body.
ASUP struggles to get student support and input. Few, if any unelected students attend the publically open ASUP meetings Mondays at 4:30 p.m. in Shiley 301, and after having sat through a good many myself, it is easy to understand why. The meetings are a practice session for how to be a formal political body. Very useful for those interested in a career in public office, but not necessarily the most engaging way to spend two hours. To succeed this year, the ASUP awareness committee should garner student interest by unselfishly promoting any successes Senate has during the year. If Beauchamp acts on any resolutions they pass, they need to make students know about it. Senate is off to a good start with the Victory Bell, which admittedly was the product of the previous administration.
ASUP has the opportunity to talk to administrators whom The Beacon is usually told are too busy to meet with reporters. They have guest speakers from all levels of the Administration come to Senate, but they never hold the higher up's feet to the fire by asking them about important University issues. They applaud Fr. Beauchamp for taking time out of his schedule to come say hi, and he responds by patting them on the head for their work. "That's a good little ASUP Senate," he seems to say every semester.
I just came back from UP's first study abroad trip to Santiago, Chile this summer and their view of student government is quite different. Camila Vallejo, is the Vice-President of the University of Chile and with her influence on the Ministry of Education there, she and her ability to organize 100,000 student marches have made strong inroads to change in the education system in Chile. While the executive board of the University of Portland could not possibly have the same kind of power, something with a little bite to it would be nice.
I have a lot of confidence in this year's senate. I've known most members of the executive board since freshman year and this group, certainly more than last year's, gets it. They understand the lack of power they operate under and they strike me as more representative of the average student. I hope they see this as a kick in the pants from a friend to do the right thing and pilot the Pilots into a better future this academic year.
ASUP Check List
1) The administration should give ASUP a power to enforce the resolutions they pass. Right now Vasconcellos signs the resolutions and puts them on Beauchamp's desk, where I assume they get filed away next to the trash.
2) ASUP should demand that sexual orientation be included in the non-discrimination policy. This is in Vasconcellos and Hamm's platform. Hopefully they make some headway on the lack of equality for LBGTQ students.
3) ASUP should ask the administration to stop enrolling beyond UP's capacity. This year's freshman class is the second largest in the history of UP after the junior class. Science labs are unsafe due to overcrowding. Students across majors have to jump through hoops to get the classes they need.
4) The administration is in the process of hiring another mental health professional for the Health Center. ASUP should follow up on last year's resolution. There is already a two-week wait to see a counselor.
5) Senate should to pass a resolution demanding that student jobs return to their spring 2012 level or at least not let any more jobs get cut.
6) Senate should pass a resolution demanding that every location on campus become handicap accessible.
7) In order to increase transparency, Senate should work with administrators to create a public forum where changes at the University are announced to students before they are put into effect.
8) A cultural competency component needs to be added to the core curriculum. Senate should pass a resolution in support of cross cultural learning in the core.
9) The culture of ASUP needs to change. You won't hear this on the Senate floor, but if you talk to senators at parties you'll hear that many of them are doing Senate just to have one more thing on their resume for grad or law school or as an in-road to a political internship. While this is not inherently wrong, Senate needs to remember its constituents.
Will Lyons is the opinions editor of The Beacon, he can be reached at lyons14@up.edu
