Drawing about 70 students, the Associated Students of Madison held its kickoff meeting Tuesday in an attempt to involve students in campus issues. Leaders of the organization said they were actively seeking to make ASM more of a resource to students.
\A lot of people know ASM and know it's the student government, but they don't know what we're doing, what we are accomplishing,"" said Erica Tietz, a UW-Madison senior and ASM campus safety coordinator.
UW-Madison senior and ASM Chair Jessica Miller said she expected the group to be more visible this semester than last.
She said UW-Madison Provost Peter Spear has commented on how ""quiet"" ASM has been this year.
""We haven't protested. We haven't had a rally or a sit-in, but we've been working actively behind the scenes on important legislature and campus policies,"" Miller said.
Tietz said ASM is hoping to improve public relations this semester by working with a new chair of the campus relations committee, UW-Madison freshman Andrea LeClair.
""Last semester, the chair had divided attention and I don't think as much got done as there could have been,"" Tietz said.
Students seem to feel that although they hear about ASM often, they do not always know specifics about the organization.
""I think students really need to work to get information,"" said Dan Quam, a UW-Madison sophomore who attended the kickoff. ""ASM is really important because it provides students with a voice.""
LeClair said she hoped to make students more aware of what ASM does.
""When I found out I was going to be chair, I had so many new ideas,"" LeClair said. ""We are trying to make information more open to all students.""
Tietz said she was unhappy with the lack of student knowledge.
""I didn't even know what ASM stood for last year,"" Tietz said. ""There is such a minority of students that know what we do and are aware of what we do. I wish the students could see'it's disappointing.\
