This week, The Associated Students of Madison will hold two more listening sessions for students. Like the listening sessions held at the beginning of the month, representatives will present the first draft of the revised ASM constitution and allow students to offer feedback regarding the proposed changes.
Additionally, the second meeting on Oct. 15th in Memorial Union will hold an open forum by ASM members regarding the General Student Services Fund and Student Services Finance Committee,
discussing budgetary issues.
Furthermore, ASM is holding fall elections for freshman representatives and SSFC members. Voting is available online to students, and polls opened yesterday. Any UW-Madison student is eligible to vote.
For a group plagued by inaction, muddled bureaucracy and failure to address student concerns, ASM is making legitimate efforts to reach students and openly discuss their plans for reform. In earlier listening sessions, representatives stressed that student input will be extremely important toward addressing flaws in a reform movement that is entirely new to them.
While ASM is openly aware that they are far from perfect, the only way they can improve is for the student body to take these proposals seriously and actively engage the organization's attempts at reform. Online voting is extremely easy as it is available online, and requires no more than ten minutes to cast a vote for positions that will potentially decide where student segregated fees go.
The open forums, while allowing for criticisms, concerns, and suggestions on the constitution, will also allow students attending to assist in allocating money for the next fiscal year. Immediately after the forum, representatives plan to draft the initial resolution in consideration of student feedback provided.
espite great deals of rightfully inspired apathy over the past several years, ASM is genuinely attempting to reach the student populace it lost touch with. With no recent track record of getting things done, ASM cannot demand much of students, but a few minutes online to cast a vote and an hour in a listening session is miniscule. Students must make some effort to ensure these reform attempts don't fall flat before ASM is allowed the chance to truly serve students.
