Armando “Mando” Antonino and Evans Kaame have made history at WSU Vancouver. They are the first Associated Students of WSU Vancouver president and vice president to serve two terms.
ASWSUV is student government. Elected and appointed student leaders advocate for student concerns to campus administrators and state representatives, plan student activities and events, and provide leadership opportunities for students.
Antonino and Kaame did not come to their positions in the regular way the first time. In spring 2020, Antonino ran on a ticket as vice president and won. During that summer, the president stepped down and Antonino ascended to president, as the bylaws prescribe, leaving the vice presidency open. Kaame, who was serving as the ASWSUV director of leadership and development at the time, was appointed to serve as vice president. He came with good experience. He served as student body president at Clark College before transferring to WSU Vancouver to continue his studies.
Serving during a pandemic, when all classes were remote and few events were being held on campus, was also not the norm, so they learned new things and got creative. Like many workers around the world, they learned to use Zoom and Microsoft Teams to conduct business and stay connected. “We had office hours when all of ASWSUV would dial into Zoom and work together. We invited the student body to drop in to watch our work or ask us questions. And surprisingly, they did,” said Antonino.
During the 2020/21 academic year, Antonino and Kaame focused on making students aware of resources available to them during the pandemic and advocated for them to use the services. “The Cougar Food Pantry, mental and physical health services, the Student Emergency Fund, child care reimbursement ... It was a resource-plentiful year and we wanted to make sure our students had access,” said Antonino.
They also focused on events surrounding the tumultuous 2020 election. They wanted students to feel empowered and know their voice matters. They engaged through social media posts, Coug Day at the Capitol and a voter engagement hub they hosted on campus on election day. Students and community members were able to drop off ballots or vote in person on campus.
Antonino and Kaame take their responsibility to advocate for students seriously. When the fall 2021 course schedule was released last spring, a majority of the courses were labeled as distance learning. “Our campus is fundamentally an in-person institution,” said Kaame. “Since we were gearing up to reach the 70% vaccination rate that the state prioritized, we believed fall term should be significantly in person.” Kaame and the ASWSUV senate did research on how distance learning affects learning, as well as how it affects students socially, mentally and emotionally.
“We used our research to write a letter to the faculty that resulted in an increase from 17% in-person classes to 66%,” said Kaame. “What I learned from that experience is that our administration and faculty really do listen to student leaders.”
When student election season came around last spring, Antonino and Kaame agreed they had more work to do. They ran for reelection and won.
This year their first order of business is getting students back on campus safely. “We need time to heal and get adjusted to in-person life again. After that, we want to have some fun and make up for lost time,” Antonino said.
“COVID robbed us of our college experience,” said Kaame. “We want to recapture some of that.”
Antonino and Kaame have developed a strategic plan that will guide their work in the coming year. It focuses on five key areas:
- Mental and physical health—ASWSUV will partner with WSU Vancouver’s Health Services to break down stigmas associated with receiving mental health services.
- Food inequity—ASWSUV will ensure every student has adequate access to food.
- Social equity—ASWSUV will use equality, equity, love, respect and compassion as guiding principles.
- Sustainability—ASWSUV will adopt policies that are friendly to the campus environment.
- Cultivating community and engagement—ASWSUV sees involvement on campus as crucial to the college experience and will encourage students to participate in events and activities.
“This job is bigger than me and my team,” said Kaame. “The needs and the welfare of our students is why we do what we do. We share a commitment to purpose.”
Antonino and Kaame plan to graduate in May 2022. Antonino is a strategic communication major and is keeping his career options open. Kaame is a political science major and plans to go to law school.
A voice for all Cougs
For only the second time, a WSU Vancouver graduate has been selected to serve a one-year term as WSU Student Regent. The WSU Board of Regents is the university’s governing body. Each year a student is selected to represent all students from across the WSU system.
Shain Wright graduated from WSU Vancouver in 2016 with bachelor’s degrees in public affairs and human development. They went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College. Wright returned to WSU and is currently a second-year student in the cultural studies and social thought in education doctoral program.
As a WSU Vancouver student, Wright was involved in the campus’s diversity center, served as president of the gender inclusivity club and finally as president of the Associated Students of WSU Vancouver.
“My goal is to be accessible to students regardless of whether they are in a leadership position or not,” Wright said. “I also want more students to know about the Student Regent and understand that it is a resource and opportunity to elevate student voices.”
The first WSU Vancouver student to serve as WSU Student Regent was Narek Daniyelyen. He served during the 2016/17 academic year while pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs.