former ASG President's Blog

Sup Playas - Here’s the agenda for our meeting, Wednesday 6:30pm Northwestern Room. 

Speaker in the Hiz-ouseElections are coming up, and it’s important for us to discuss what we as the Student Group Senators Caucus want in our Exec Board. So this week’s highlight: Speaker!1 - What are we looking for in our Senate Speaker?2 - What changes are we hoping to see?3 - What are our primary concerns with how Senate is run?       (Mr. Ryan Murphy, sure you have plenty to say… hehe) 

Legislation UpdatesI know what the Venue Committee is up to, but I never got an update from the Ticket Committee (mah b)! Please e-mail me an update on your plans, ideas, deadlines, action plans etc! I need to know your point person as well please! We would have a 2 minute update from each committee, but our meetings are too short. So once I get an update from the Ticket Committee, I’ll start 2 e-mail threads so we can keep each other updated etc etc.Remember, we decided on 30 minute meetings with heavy e-mail communication. If this does not work, then we’ll change our meetings to 1 hour!! 

Senate Seat ReallocationsLegislation is in the works for changing up Student Group Senate Seat Allocations. Rather than increasing numbers, I think they are considering grouping together seats. For example — 2 cultural student group seats (all cultural groups pick 2 senators to rep), 2 political student group seats etc.; Look over the legislation Hiro introduced last week. It effects all of you — so have an opinion! Have questions! If need be, have changes! I’ve attached it.Please reply to all with your feelings towards this! I’ve got SASA’s opinion, but want to hear from you guys before I reply! 

Open ForumHey hey hey! It’s that time again! Julia had the brilliant idea of holding an Open Forum during Reading Week in the library! Not sure if we can get snacks though. To be honest, our last Open Forum was a terrible Open Forum, but a GREAT meeting. So we need our meetings to be more like that, and our Open Forums to actually be like an Open Forum. We need to:1 - Decide on a date and time (everyone needs to have input because everyone is expected to come. We will decide a date and time tomorrow. If you don’t show — 1/2 absence!)2 - Reserve a location in University (Volunteer Job — not filled by Friday and it’s going to be assigned! Gasp!)3 - Decide what our talking points are.4 - Make a facebook group (Volunteer Job — same deal as location reservation) and INVITE OUR CONSTITUENCY!! Whoever brings out the most of their constituency gets a PRIZE!

 Damn Facebook Group Again.Neal is a part of our group. SIX SENATORS ARE NOT.http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=48824037339#/group.php?gid=488240373391 - Join the group2 - Delete the discussion I posted about you, copy the message and post it yourself.3 - INVITE YOUR CONSTITUENCY or at least send the link out with the next listserv or I.T.K. They don’t have to join, they just need to know about it.4 - Send this message (or your own) out with the invitation: Hey guys! Have questions? Want to get involved? Want to vent? Itching to make a difference? Have an idea? ASG, NU and everything in between — check out this facebook group to find links to everything you need to know. You’ll find the office hours for all 15 Student Group Senators, along with their numbers and contact information. Not the right medium for you? Post under our discussion boards to get responses to your questions ASAP!Your (organization) Senator,(name)  

Ok. i’m going to leave the agenda at that. props to those who didn’t delete this and read the whole thing. Here was the attendance for our meeting last week:

Late (15 min) —
Joe Sobecki (College Rep)
Alternate —
Carter Labarthe (A&O)
Unexcused Absence —
Patricio Noboa (Alianza)
Julia Brook (ASB/SEED)
Nissi Orgil (FMO) 

“be irreplaceable.”this week i mean that very literally. 2 unexcused absences and poor performance and you may actually be replaced.   

XOX

your whip.

Here’s an overview and update on the many projects of the Student Services Committee of ASG.  

Shuttle/GPS - We are releasing a poll this week to identify weak areas in the current shuttle program for Northwestern’s Evanston campus regarding the Purple Route stops as well as general improvements to the naming and routes of the Purple Route and Purple Express.  This is in connection with our concurrent efforts to implement a live shuttle tracking site utilizing GPS data from the buses akin to offerings from peer institutions like Harvard and Stanford.

Laundry Upgrades - While we are currently still looking into logistics of getting an online laundry status website and text alerts for finished laundry, we are also looking into other improvements to they way laundry rooms work at NU.  Two such improvements would be adding laundry baskets and white boards to create a more organized system for putting “abandoned” or forgotten loads from the washers or dryers into bins rather than spread over tables, the floor, or other machines.

Outdoor Lighting - Improvements to several dark spots on campus are being pursued after a successful light walk earlier this year.  We are looking into several avenues for funding the installation of new lights to ensure this project is completed in a timely manner.  Hopefully funding will be allocated or secured by the end of the quarter so Facilities Management can begin the installations.

Food Service Improvements - We have several projects currently pursuing improvements to food service on campus ranging from assessing student perception and problems (via polling) to creating proposals for upgraded locations (like an expanded Lisa’s cafe) to increasing or reallocating the hours of certain on campus dining halls.  Another idea we are looking into is providing ready to go bagged lunches for students on the go (a more complete meal option than the current sandwich offerings).  Please contact me if you have feedback or suggestions for improvements to on campus dining.

Diversity - One of the projects on Student Services right now is looking into diversity as a broad issue at Northwestern, both how we see/perceive/live it currently and how to better address and incorporate diversity going forward.  We are still in the conceptual stages of identifying the problems and some of the ways to deal with this but due to the broad scope and different views on the issue we are always open and interested to hear feedback and suggestions for ways we should pursue improving the diversity of our campus both through how it is perceived and seen and also through how we experience it on a day-to-day basis.

HIPAA Compliance - Although we had thought this project was previously addressed by Searle earlier in the school year, allowing billing to 3rd party and personal insurance (i.e. any non-Northwestern insurance) at Searle has been stalled.  We are working with the Student Health Advisory Committee to see what ASG can do to help pursue this issue.

North/South Campus Integration - This project of SS is making some great progress and we are currently looking into Wildcat Welcome programming that would help bridge the gap between North and South campus through programming that brings the two parts of campus together.  Some ideas include pairing dorms on opposite sides of campus (i.e. Allison and Bobb-McCulloch) to do mutual programming or engage in friendly competition (ala dorm wars, etc.).

Collaborative Projects:
Rideshare - Two of our committee members continue to work diligently to improve the wildly successful ASG RideShare program which will include expanded offerings this time around.  The shuttles that will be run between campus and O’Hare will be the cheapest option offered to students yet for getting to the airport!

Guide to Life at NU - Another member of Student Services is collaborating with the Academic Committee to put together an “insiders” guide to life at NU with all the helpful information you wish you had as a Freshmen.  Ideally this will be ready for electronic distribution to incoming Freshmen this summer/fall.

I.T.K 02/18/09

HOT STUFF!

A Weekly Update From Your 

Senator 

Hiro Kawashima

HirotsuguKawashima2008@u.northwestern.edu

OFFICE HOURS: Wed 10:30 PM

I may sit in Senate for 2-3 hours each week, but I’ve made this report so that you 

can be “In The Know” after 2-3 minutes.  Check it out, stay updated, and as 

always, don’t hesitate to contact me with questions and concerns. 

 

BREAKING NEWS

For those that came to the ASG Exec Fireside,

THANK YOU very much.  For those that didn’t,

there is always time to tell me how I can help 

you make your experience at NU better.  Fell

free to contact me or meet with me!  

APPLE STORE COMING TO CAMPUS?  WHAT? 

MARCH 30th = HEAVEN

TEXT BOOKS FOR CHEAP!?

That’s right, we’re kicking out the Norris Bookstore…well not quite.

But you can check out ASG LISTIT an online

marketplace just for NU students!  Sell your used textbooks

for more money and buy them for less!!

THIS WEEK IN SENATE

NOT ENOUGH LIGHT ON CAMPUS?

We’re Working On That.

Lights OUT                    

LEGISLATION IN THE WORKS

ARE YOU LOSING MONEY ON YOUR MEAL PLAN?

THE ANSWER IS YES!!!

I currently serve as the chair of the Residential College Board/Residential Hall Association 

caucus.  We are in the works to propose legislation that creates a  

MEAL PLAN TASK FORCE that will make efforts to lobby the administration

and Sodexho to change the current meal plan system.  The legislation

will be introduced to Senate on 2/26/09.

AM I BEING ACCOUNTABLE? 

Legislation has been proposed to introduce a new

committee to ASG.  The SENATE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE will 

be given the task of keeping Senators accountable to their

constituents.  So help keep me accountable! 

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• Ever wish you could CTEC your landlord?  Now you can, with ASG’s Off-Campus Housing Evaluations and Housing Guide!  There’s a link on the right side ofNULink.northwestern.edu! (And there’s also a link to all of ASG’s Press Releases, where you can find out more about ASG’s new Undergrad Research Database (for ALL schools)!
• Woah.  ASG has a brand new podcast and a blog!  Check out the very first podcast at http://asg.northwestern.edu/asgweb/podcast.php , and the blog atasgblog.tumblr.com!

 

THIS WEEK IN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

FUNDING SEASON BEGINS

 ASG WEBSITE

Little known fact: ASG has a new Web site! Check it out at 

www.asg.northwestern.edu. Bonus little known fact: ASG has a 

blog! Check it out at www.asgblog.tumblr.com. 

 

WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING IN SENATE
I was recently appointed and confirmed into the Executive Committee of ASGwhich manages and audits all B/T status groups at Northwesten.  My job as an Ex Comm member is to make sure that the 79 B/T status groups at Northwesternhave representation within the Senate.  

My colleagues in the Senate and I believe that communication is key to the success of
ASG and your Northwestern experience.  I have been working to improve presence 
within Shepard Residential College, and hopefully, with the help of the Executive
Board, will be able to represent all of your interests in an efficient and respectable
manner.


Any Concerns???Please come talk to me about them!  I am in Rm. 418 and if I am not availableplease shoot me an email!  I usually check my email every 15 min so I should get back to you promptly!!

1) SafeWALK program-
This week: my people are talking to IFC/PanHel, ROTC, and Athletes, to see if they would be interested in being escorts (and if the girls think the service is needed). I’m meeting with Mary Desler tomorrow to talk about liability concerns and other issues regarding the program with admin. Next we want to design a implementation system- people need to call, or sign up online, to get an escort, like SafeRide has operators. Once we get the system down, admin approval, and our existing student response we should be good to get a proposal and lobby the administration.
TARGET DATE: End of quarter

2) Peapod-
This week: We’re designing a poll and contacting PeaPod’s representatives to get information/see if they would be amenable to a deal. I’ll get results from Steve Eilers on his contact with PeaPod at our committee meeting tomorrow. We are simultaneously designing a poll to gauge student input; after I approve it after tomorrow’s meeting then we will have it ready to go out next week. Hopefully by the end of the quarter the poll will be out there and we will be able to have the data to convince Peapod to engage in some kind of pilot program.
OPTIMISTIC TARGET DATE: Deal with Peapod by End of Quarter, Pilot Launched in mid-Spring
REALISTIC TARGET DATE: Deal with Peapod finalized by end of year, Pilot launched next fall

3) Parking and Transportation-
Shalini is meeting with Jilian to talk about it…and hopefully we can integrate some of what we heard today (allow people living as far away as Ridge to drive to campus with a parking pass, get people to fight parking tickets, into that plan. Tomorrow I will hear from Shalini about what to do.
TARGET DATE: We have no idea what we’re doing right now, but we’ll figure something out.

4) ASGOCHE-
I put someone on my committee in charge of putting together things that could be improved on ASGOCHE and ways to improve it for next year; everything from publicity, to increasing usage, to site design, to survey questions

5) Evanston Elections- GOING GREAT

Thats all, e-mail with questions.

michaelmcgee:

asgblog:

ha, look.  the lazy bum finally came up with new material.

http://asg.northwestern.edu/asgweb/podcast.php