ASB elects senators, expands outreach committees

The start of the Spring 2022 semester has presented itself with many challenges for Lewis & Clark’s Associated Student Body (ASB). While online learning has impacted  students campus-wide, ASB wanted to remain as productive as possible during those first three weeks.  In addition to hiring new directors and organizing upcoming elections, ASB has moved to extend equity and justice programs for LC students.   

ASB President Sarah Lind-MacMillan ’22 is optimistic about the progress the organization has made during what could have been a stagnant three weeks.

“So far this semester, ASB has elected two new Senators to fill the spots of Senators who have gone abroad,” Lind-MacMillan said. “The Senate also recently voted and selected the new Director of Allocations, who in collaboration with the treasurer, will run the allocation process for clubs this spring to set them up with their 2022-23 budgets.”

In addition, ASB hopes to expand the projects in their smaller committees in order to establish a broader outreach on campus. Anna Graff ’22, an ASB cabinet member and the head of the Equity Inclusion and Justice Committee (EIJC), explained her plans for the EIJC to expand their outreach on campus and highlighted their audit program as a beneficial resource many students know little about.

“For EIJC specifically, one thing that I think we will be able to continue is increasing our visibility on campus,” Graff said. “I am just very excited that more people know who we are personally, and that they are excited to get involved.”

The EIJC primarily runs a grant program for diversity, equity and inclusion-related projects. This month, they received a large grant that would allow them to increase the number of events they held. In addition, while this does not strictly fall under the purview of their committee, EIJC has been conducting equity audits on campus for the benefit of students.

“An office at LC will reach out to us, normally an administrative office, and ask us to audit either a specific policy that they have or a practice that they do,” Graff said. “For example, we audited the housing and roommate pairing so that it no longer presumed same-gender pairings.”

Currently, the EIJC is working with the Office of Health and Wellness to audit their plan for diversity and equity, in the hopes of creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for marginalized students.

While a lack of permanent office space has caused some difficulties due to the Templeton remodel, ASB has continued to push forward with its duties; one, in particular, being the upcoming elections.

“We are preparing to release the applications for the 2022-23 ASB Cabinet positions very soon and encourage all eligible students to consider applying,” Lind-MacMillan said. “A goal in Cabinet is to better train and support the transition to the new Cabinet once they are elected in March.”

Applications for cabinet positions close on Feb. 25. If students have any further questions regarding ASB cabinet or committee activities and upcoming elections, contact them at their email, aslc@lclark.edu, or visit their page on the LC website.