Low campus engagement may be related to students’ unfamiliarity with ASW and the services it offers.
ASW stands for the Associated Students of Westminster, a student government that is composed of elected students who share several goals between five branches, some of which being, to “develop a sense of community” and “provide a forum for student concerns,” according to their site.
“I do not have a good understanding of what ASW is,” said Deontae Ben, a junior transfer student and forensic science major.
Ben shrugged and said that besides ASW sounding like a group, he wasn’t sure what ASW is.
Other new students also report a similar amount of knowledge of ASW.
Bella Willes, a first-year psychology and environmental studies major, and Hazel Laviolette, a first-year math major, had a general idea of ASW but were unsure.
“[ASW] is like the student government, right?” Willes said.
Laviolette also asked if ASW was Westminster University’s student government.
Ben, Willes, and Laviolette were unable to name members of ASW.
President Bethamy Dobkin expressed limited knowledge of ASW’s daily duties but emphasized that their role on campus is important.
“I think they’re critical as having some kind of student body that serves in advocacy roles and helps […] provide a conduit to staff and administrators and faculty […] about issues that concern them,” said President Dobkin. “I would like to know more [about their daily tasks].”
Dobkin said that ASW is still growing and evolving after coming back from the pandemic, but that ASW varies with leadership, with some using town halls and surveys to connect to the student body.
ASW representatives said they considered this disengagement after observing a lack of participation on campus.
ASW President, Quincy Stewart ranked student engagement a three on a scale of one to 10—one being the lowest and 10 being the highest.
“One of my major goals for ASW is increasing student involvement in campus life,” said, a senior chemistry major. “Our second major goal is increasing student government participation across campus.”
Stewart said she doesn’t take lack of student engagement as a critique of the student body, but rather a reflection of ASW as a student organization.
“I think this low ranking is mostly due to lack of awareness and information about ASW. I myself was a [first-year] who was unaware that we had a student government until election season was upon us,” Stewart said.
Stewart isn’t the only ASW representative looking for a shift in campus engagement.
Juanita Galvis, Vice President of Campus Affairs and a senior marketing and international business major, said she’s promoting an engaged campus by helping students find clubs and organizations.
“I think a big part of coming to college is the communities that you become a part of. [I want to see] students find their people and make memories,” Galvis said.
Because Galvis’ role requires working with campus clubs, she strives to make clubs more accessible for students, according to Galvis.
In past years, clubs have been categorized by a tier system. This year, ASW will be transitioning into a color system, which categorizes clubs into colors according to how many members and officers are in each club.
“[This] way, it’s easier for [students] to create clubs [since] not a lot of students know how to plan […] or advertise [events],” Galvis said. “With these new changes, we’re hoping students will be able to be excited about having events.”
Stewart and Galvis said the ASW office is in the process of moving into the basement of Shaw Student Center. Galvis said she hopes the move will serve as a blank slate for ASW’s new office to be more welcoming to all students.
“We are confident that through the school year, we will be able to better engage the student body,” Stewart said.
