Student Affairs

Student Handbook — Student Life

Associated Students of Washington State University Vancouver (ASWSUV)

Contact Info:

ASWSUV Senate and Executive Staff offices are located in the Firstenburg Student Commons Office Suite in the North Side of the Commons.

What is ASWSUV?

The Associated Students of Washington State University Vancouver (ASWSUV) is the official student association for all registered students attending WSU Vancouver. The association is led by elected student leaders in both the executive branch and the legislative branch of student government. These elected and appointed leaders initiate and coordinate student activities to represent student interests, needs, and welfare within the University community at large on issues affecting student life; and to supplement and complement formal education on the University campus.

What Does ASWSUV Do?

ASWSUV works towards two main goals: to create an engaging student life on campus, and to represent and advocate for student needs both within and outside of the WSU System. To achieve the first goal, ASWSUV organizes student events both on and off campus, provides tickets to local performances, works to resolve student issues, and provides funding to clubs and organizations. In an effort to meet the second goal, ASWSUV represents student needs to an all campus Student Government Council, to the President of the University, and to local and state legislatures. ASWSUV lobbies on behalf of student interests, always working to protect students' rights.

ASWSUV Consists of Three Branches:

Legislative Branch:

Senate: The ASWSUV Senate consists of 11 senators, elected in the spring of each year to serve for the following year. Their responsibilities include: adopting and amending the ASWSUV budget, confirming all presidential appointments, approving all funding requests through ASWSUV, and acting as advocates for student needs. Senators are required to hold bi-monthly senate meetings and to post and maintain two office hours per week.

Judicial Branch:

The ASWSUV Judicial Board is composed of three members who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Members serve for as long as they are continuously enrolled at WSU Vancouver. The Judicial Board adjudicates disputes involving the interpretation and application of the ASWSUV By-Laws and Constitution.

President: Serves on campus and ASWSUV committees, maintains healthy relationships with the Chancellor, ASWSUV advisors, and student body presidents at the other WSU campuses, develops a strategic master plan for the year, authorizes budget expenses, organizes the weekly executive staff meetings, and oversees and evaluates the executive staff members. The president is required to spend 10 hours outside the office and post and maintain an average of 10 office hours inside the office per week.

Vice President: Serves on campus and ASWSUV committees, manages the ASWSUV Senate, organizes and chairs the bi-monthly senate meetings, coordinates legislation with the President and Senators, and assists the President with Executive duties. The vice president is required to spend 10 hours outside the office and post and maintain an average of 10 office hours inside the office per week.

Activities Director: Organizes and executes events for the student body that will enhance student life and create a sense of community within WSU Vancouver. This includes negotiating speaker and entertainment fees, monitoring long- and short-term plans for events, and managing the Activities budget. Required to post and maintain an average of 10 office hours per week.

Public Relations Director: Publicizes upcoming events, updates events calendar, provides press releases to student media, and assists senators in publicizing senate sponsored events. Required to post and maintain an average of 10 office hours per week.

IT Coordinator: Maintains, updates, and expands the ASWSUV Web site. Provides computer software and hardware support in collaboration with Vancouver Information Technology (VIT). Provides maintenance functions on ASWSUV computer systems. Articulates University computer use and expectations of ASWSUV computer users. Required to post and maintain an average of 10 office hours per week.

General Election:

The General Election is held annually on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Spring Break of the academic year. The purpose of the General Election is:

To elect the ASWSUV president and vice president for the following year.
To elect the members of the ASWSUV senate for the following year.
To vote on any ballot issues which may be proposed to the membership of ASWSUV.

ASWSUV Committees:

ASWSUV committees extend the opportunities for students to be involved in student government. Some committee chairs receive a modest stipend. Students interested in sports, diversity, women's issues, graduation, or environmental issues should consider being a committee chair. Chairs are appointed by the ASWSUV president and confirmed by the senate.

Office of Student Involvement

Outdoor Recreation Program(ORP):

Yearly Events:

Ski Trip
Bowling Nights
Basketball Tournament
White Water Rafting Trip
Discounted Lift Tickets
Dodgeball Tournament
Hiking Trip
Fitness Trainer
Golf Tournament
Disc Golf Tournament

Equipment Rental Program: The following equipment is available for rental to any currently registered WSU Vancouver student (by appointment only). These prices are for rental of four days or less. For example: Pick up Thursday and bring back Monday. A fee will be charged for late returns. Cash or check only.

Fitness Center:

Location: Lower level of the library building in VLIB 013, next to ASWSUV (VLIB 012).

Hours:

Any time that the Library building is open.

Rules:

Be a currently registered WSU Vancouver student or a Clark College student taking classes on our campus.
Sign waiver and get the Fitness Center Pass and access code, available from ASWSUV or Student Affairs.
DO NOT SHARE ACCESS CODE. No family, friends, visitors, etc. Periodic ID checks by ASWSUV and campus security.
Sign in and out.
Children are not allowed in the Fitness Center at any time.

Activities Program:

Yearly Events:

Back-to-School BBQ
Oktoberfest
Hypnotist/Magician
Winter and/or Spring Banquet
Spring Fling
WSU Vancouver Public Affairs Lecture Series

Discounted Tickets:

Musical, Cinema, Symphony, Ballet, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, Zoo, Bullwinkles, Globetrotters, Ice Skating

Services and Activities (S&A) Fees

Services and Activities (S&A) fees are one component of the total tuition and fees that students pay. S&A fees are available to support non-academic student activities and programs on campus. Any WSU Vancouver group, organization, or individual may request funds, but the purpose must be to support non-academic student activities and programs.

Each year a budget for S&A fees is developed by the S&A fee committee. The committee is made up of students, faculty, and administrators. The total amount to be allocated to the various student groups is based on an estimate of S&A fee revenue from the budget office. Each year in March or April, a meeting is held where the various student groups are invited to present to the committee a budget request for the following academic year. In their request, each group must explain what the requested funds will be used for. The committee then develops an overall budget with allocations of the expected revenue to the various groups. The proposed budget is then delivered to the Board of Regents for their approval.

Student Clubs & Societies

Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs)

Currently, approximately 25 RSOs function at WSU Vancouver, ranging from departmentally related student groups to honorary societies. The University gives a great deal of latitude to student groups who wish to be formally recognized. All WSU Vancouver RSOs have a designated advisor, have completed the recognition process, have agreed not to discriminate against protected groups, and have agreed to uphold local, state, and federal laws. Once recognized by the University, RSOs have the right to sponsor on-campus activities, use University facilities on a space available basis, and set up an account with the University to deposit and expend funds. Students interested in starting an RSO should first contact the Student Involvement Coordinator for the appropriate forms and related information.

Active RSOs:

For a list of current active and inactive RSOs go to www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/clubs.htm

The Student Media Board and its Programs

The Student Media Board is a WSU Vancouver committee that oversees all S&A fee funded student media programs. Currently these include The VanCougar (student newspaper), the Salmon Creek Journal (student literary journal), and KOUG (student radio station). Thirteen members are on the board; seven students and six faculty or staff. Each media program has a professional advisor and a paid student staff. Typically, student staff are selected by the Media Board in the spring for the following academic year. Times and locations of the monthly Media Board meetings are available from the Student Involvement Coordinator or the Campus Communications Coordinator.

The VanCougar

VCLS 212 · 360-546-9524 · vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu

The VanCougar is published twice a month during the academic year and available throughout the campus at no cost. The Web version of the paper is found at www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/vancougar/index1.html

Features include campus news, a variety of columns, opinion pieces, and feature stories. Students interested in working for the paper should contact the editor at the phone number above.

The Salmon Creek Journal

VCLS 212 · 360-546-9524 · scj@vancouver.wsu.edu

The Salmon Creek Journal is published annually prior to the end of spring term. As a literary journal, it features student creative writing, poetry, art, and photography. It is available at no charge to current WSU Vancouver students.

KOUG Radio

Plant Services Building · 360-546-9787 · koug@vancouver.wsu.edu

A student operated radio station that broadcasts on campus. Provides a great opportunity for students to become involved with on air broadcasting.