The Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) is the

Student Government A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to so ...

at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

. It is funded and supported by student fees, and it provides services that directly and indirectly benefit student life. The ASUW consists of over 70 student employees and 500 volunteers, and the organization spends about $1.4 million annually to provide services and activities to the student body. The ASUW Student Senate was established in 1994 as a division of the Associated Students of the University of Washington. The Student Senate provides a broad-based discussion of issues and acts as the official voice for student opinion. Currently, the ASUW Student Senate has a legislative body of over 150 senators representing a diverse set of interests on and off campus. The ASUW was incorporated in the State of Washington on April 20, 1906.

Diversity

ASUW provides funding for programming and advocacy on behalf of issues affecting groups that have faced historical or social discrimination. There are currently eight different commissions that host events relating to educational goals and diversity. For instance, the Latinx Student Commission focuses primarily on promoting awareness and advocacy for the Latinx/Chicanx community, and the Black Student Union focuses primarily on promoting awareness and advocacy for the African American/African community. Every Commission is run by a Director, and the Joint Commissions Committee is a committee for these organizations to coordinate efforts for various combined causes and activities, and is chaired by the Director of Diversity Efforts, a member of the ASUW Board of Directors. The ASUW is often at the forefront of social justice issues that face both previous, current, and future generations of University of Washington students. For example, the ASUW has taken a stand against cultural appropriation through Halloween costumes by releasing a 6-minute public service announcement which drew the attention of major media outlets such as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. In 1991, the ASUW was one of the first colleges in the nation to create a Gay, Bisexual, and Lesbian Student Commission with over $10,000 in funding to help sponsor events for the community.

Components of ASUW

The ASUW is composed of a variety of programs and commissions:

Programs & Services

* Arts & Entertainment * Bean Basket Store * Bike Shop * Elections Administration Committee * Office of Communications * Office of Government Relations * Office of Outreach and Involvement * Office of Student Health Relations * Rainy Dawg Radio Station * Student Senate * UW Leaders * Student Food Cooperative * Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Advocates * Office of International Student Advocacy * Office of Inclusive Design

Commissions

* American Indian Student Commission * Asian Student Commission * Black Student Commission * Student Disability Commission * Queer Student Commission * Middle Eastern Student Commission * Latinx Student Commission * Pacific Islander Student Commission * Gender Equity Commission

Board of directors

The ASUW Board of Directors changes every school year and consists of 8 elected officials and 3 hired, ex-officio members.

Current Board of Directors (2022-2023)

* President - Timothy Billing * Vice President - Lillian Williamson * Finance and Budget Director - Mitchell Klein * Personnel Director - Shaheer Abassi * Communications Director - Avery Perreault * Director of University Affairs - Adrien Chen * Director of Internal Policy - Brent Seto * Director of Diversity Efforts - Daniel Tadrous * Director of Campus Partnerships - Kennedy Patterson * Director of Programming - Kisa Batool * Director of Community Relations - Benjamin Roscoe

Accomplishments

The ASUW works through programming, services, and advocacy to serve the students and improve student life on the UW campus. Annual activities like Fall Fling, a free concert at the beginning of the school year, and Everybody Every Body Fashion Show, a program designed to create dialogue around topics of bodies and identities, are just some of the many events that ASUW hosts each year. The Universal U-PASS, the UW Food Pantry, the University Bookstore, the Daily student newspaper, and many other campus staples were all the created thanks to the work of ASUW. In addition, the ASUW has also had a hand in campus remodeling, scholarships, cultural and ethnic awareness, and so much more.

References

{{Authority control College and university associations and consortia in the United States Student organizations established in 1906 University of Washington Student governments in the United States 1906 establishments in Washington (state)