Dynamic duo Sarah Smith and Dan Stell have won the Associated Students of Pacific Lutheran University (ASPLU) elections, and they’re ready to get down to business.
Smith and Stell, both juniors, won ASPLU president and vice president, respectively, in April. As president, Smith is the student voice in different administration committees. She also guides the ASPLU Senate to ensure their success.
As vice president, Stell is head of the board of directors, which has positions representing different parts of campus, including the programming, diversity and sustainability directors. The ASPLU directors work with their administative counterparts to create a network to make sure everyone is working together for students.
In the final few weeks of the semester, Smith wants reach out and be more transparent with the student body, saying the Senate meeting agenda and minutes will be posted in the Daily Flyer.
“I’m chaning where Senate meetings are being held,” Smith said. “I want to make it a lot more open and inclusive toward the students so they can walk in and see what we’re talking about.”
Senate meetings will be moved to the Regency Room in the upper Anderson University Center rather than its current place in 133. Smith also wants to put a sandwich board in front of the meeting place so students will know where the meeting is taking place.
Stell wants to work on developing a branch of ASPLU that will specifically work with programming, such as dances and other entertainment, called the Programming Board. The Board will be self-sustaining within ASPLU to make programming more consistnet across campus.
“It’s an issue of over-programming,” Smith said. “There’s not enough communication with different parts of campus. The Programs Director can delegate and communicate to what’s happening across campus.”
ASPLU also wants to be a resource for clubs across campus and the Programming Board will help with that.
In addition, each board member will focus on one part of programs, like one person under the programs director will be in charge of dances.
Smith and Stell want the student body to know that their ears are open to change.
“This is a place for students to come and see a change on campus,” Smith said. “ASPLU is a resource to make those changes. We are here to serve them.”
Stell wanted students to know they can even stop him on his way around campus.
“My vice president hat is always on, so if anyone wants to talk to me, do it. I love having those conversations,” Stell said.
To learn more about ASPLU, attend the Senate meetings at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
