Spring 2014

Alumni
News

In This Issue
2 Letter from The President
3-6 ASMSU Structure Breakdown
6 Recent Achievements
7 Historic Timeline
8-10 Current Projects

Presidential
Letter

Alumni News

Structure

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A Little Bit
About ASMSU
Preamble to the ASMSU Constitution
"We, the undergraduate students of Michigan
State University, in order to establish a
collective student voice, ensure the protection
and defense of the rights of students, provide
comprehensive and valuable services to
the student body, promote the health and
wellness of undergraduate Spartans, secure
the advantages of a strong, autonomous, and
sovereign all-university student government
association, we do hereby ratify and establish
this constitution and the Associated Students
of Michigan State University."
Officially founded on March 9, 1965 as
the Associated Students of Michigan State
University (ASMSU), ASMSU has constantly
worked to improve undergraduate
education and provide tools and services
to help each student receive the best
experience possible while at Michigan State
University. In 1965, it became the official
governing body of the undergraduate
student population. Along with the Council
of Graduate Students (COGS), it replaced
the previous body called All University
Student Government (AUSG). The First
Student Board comprised of John McQuitty,
Chuck Stoddard, Jim Grahm, Webb Martin
and other presidents of the major governing
groups, who set out to collect and distribute
a 25-cent per student, per semester tax
to represent the student population to
the University Administration, city of East
Lansing and the State Legislature. Despite
tremendous growth and change, ASMSU
has consistently held true to its mission: to
enhance students individual and collective
student experience through education,
empowerment, and advocacy by dedication
to the needs and interests of students.

General
Assembly
In 2011, ASMSU merged the
Student Assembly and Academic
Assembly to create one board: the
General Assembly. It is composed
of elected representatives
from University colleges, one
representative from each of the
Council of Racial and Ethnic
Students (CORES) and Council
of Progressive Students (COPS)
groups, and one representative
from the major governing groups.
Representatives from the General
Assembly answer any questions
students may have and are there
to hear students concerns. ASMSU
representatives meet weekly to
discuss student concerns and
issues affecting students at the
campus, city, state, and federal
level. Representatives work to
ensure the student voice is heard
on campus and work with **OOTP
members***, and university
administration to improve
the quality of life, education,
and culture at Michigan State
University. General Assembly
Meetings are every other Thursday
at 7pm and are open to the public,
with committee (finance, policy,
and academic) meetings on the
alternate Thursdays.

Structure

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The General Assembly

Office of the President
The role of the Vice Presidents are to assist
the President in executing the directives of the
Assembly. The General Assembly Office of the
President consists of the President, Vice President
for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Finance
and Operations, Vice President for Governmental
Affairs, Vice President for University Programming,
Vice President for Student Funding, Vice President
for Internal Administration, and Vice President
for Special Projects. The Vice President for
Academic affairs duties include regularly meeting
with various university administrators, serving
as the Chief Executive Officer of the Executive
Committee on Academic Affairs, and appointing
student representatives to the University Council
and other academic governance committees. For
the Vice President of Finance and Operations,
responsibilities include overseeing the ASMSU
business office and ASMSUs services such as free
Legal Services, the ASMSU Test Prep program,
free Readership program, and academic services
such as free iClickers and blue books. The Vice
President of Governmental Affairs oversees the
Governmental Affairs Department, which works
to support and advocate students interests
and issues at the local, state, and federal levels.
The Vice President of Internal Administration
serves as the official Parliamentarian of the
General Assembly and handles all General
Assembly appointments, as well as advises the
Class Councils. The Vice President for University
Programming assists CORES and COPS groups
across campus to promote diversity and alleviate
cultural misunderstandings and tensions. The
Vice President for Student Funding oversees
the ASMSU Funding Board, which provides up
to $4,500 in funding to the various student
organizations at MSU. As for the Vice President of
Special Projects, the position focuses on campus
engagement, Spartan spirit, health and wellness,
and undergraduate research.

Programming Board
In 1976, in conjunction with the
Union Activities Board (UAB),
ASMSU formed the ASMSU
Programming Board (PB). The
Programming Board was made up
of different activity departments.
These departments, in turn,
sat on different Programming
Councils, such as Audio - Visual,
Concert, Public Service, Travel,
and speakers. The Programming
Board was then made up of a
representative from each of the
Programming Councils and three
representatives from the Student
Board. The Programming Board
was allowed a fixed amount of
money from each tax dollar to
specifically spend on diverse,
university wide programming
and the funding of programming
executed by Registered Student
Organizations (RSO).

Funding Board
In 1980 the Student Board and
Programming Board created the
ASMSU Funding Board (FB). The
ASMSU Funding Board consisted
of six representatives appointed by
the Programming Board and three
representatives appointed by the
Student Board, with three people
selected as alternates. As was
the case with the Programming
Board, the Funding Board received
a set tax dollar amount every
quarter to fund Registered Student
Organizations (RSOs).

Structure

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Class Councils
The Class Councils were established in order to directly represent their class on campus,
and to better address their unique concerns. The Councils act as the voice of their class to
student organizations and to all University departments and units. In addition, the councils
put on numerous events throughout the year targeted to their specific class.

Freshman
The Freshmen Class
Council was founded
in 1987, and has always
been concerned with
making the freshmen
feel more at home. In
the past, they have
made plans for alcoholfree tailgates and social
events (1987), changing
the residence hall
cafeterias operating
hours and adding more
bike racks around
residence halls (2005),
and working closely
with the AOP staff. They
have also hosted events
specifically for Freshmen
such as Battle of the
Bands, Battle of the Late
Night, Ice Skating and
more.

Sophomore
Until 2013, there was only a Freshmen
and Senior class council. Sophomore
Class Council is entirely new and
hopes to serve as a resource to its
classmates to help them avoid a
sophomore slump. It addresses
issues including career services,
questions about declaring a major,
study abroad, off-campus housing,
and more.

Senior
The Senior Class Council serves to help its
classmates get the most out of their final year at
Michigan State University. It has hosted events
for its Seniors such as the Charity Bowl football
tournament, career development seminars, a car
smash and more. In addition, the Senior Class
Council has always chosen the senior gift, which is
given to MSU from the graduating class at the end
of each year.

Structure

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ASMSU Staff
The Executive Staff, supervised by the Chief of Staff, was
created in 1977. Through what is now referred to as ASMSUs
Central Staff, ASMSU has many opportunities for interested
undergraduate students to further develop their leadership
skills, gain experience related to their major or career, and apply
lessons learned from their academic education in an institutional
setting. There are nine departments with employment
opportunities: marketing (including sales and graphic design),
public relations (including a videographer, webmaster, and
alumni relations), multicultural affairs, accounting, human
resources, IT, legal services, Red Cedar Log Yearbook, and
governmental affairs. It is constantly expanding its staff so that
ASMSU can serve the student body as efficiently as possible.
ASMSU has also recently enacted an internship program, where
students can rotate throughout the different departments
to learn how each sector of ASMSU works. Through its staff,
ASMSU additionally provides free bluebooks, iClickers for free
rental, interest-free loans, and funding for individuals to attend
educational workshops or pursue research.

Recent Achievements
After much debate, in June ASMSU decided to move its funds
on-campus.
In October, ASMSU passed a bill calling for the state legislature
to pass a resolution that would use state sales tax money to
create a post-secondary education fund. The money could
potentially go to MSU students, and help ease the burden of
attending college.
Last December, ASMSU approved an endowment fund
for scholarship to award scholarships to MSU students
demonstrating outstanding leadership qualities.
WTF MSU
What would Sparty Do?
Cell phone charging stations
ASMSU rebrand
ASMSU tailgates

History

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1908
The Universitys first form
of student governance is
born, and titled Michigan
Agricultural Colleges Student
Council

1951
All College Student
Government is formed
on Campus, later termed
the All University Student
Government

1965
The Associated Students of
Michigan State University
(ASMSU) is founded by the
major governing groups,
wherein it established
itself as the all-university
undergraduate student
government.

1976
ASMSU
Programming
Board is founded

1977
ASMSU Staff is
formed

1980
ASMSU Funding Board
is founded Colleges
Student Council

1987
Freshmen
Class Council is
founded

2011
ASMSU merges the previously separate assemblies
of Student Assembly and Academic Assembly into
one General Assembly

2012
Medical Amnesty Law
passes, which ASMSU
had been pushing for
several years

2013
ASMSU moves all funds on campus
and Sophomore Class Council is
founded

Whats New

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Current Projects

The most recent policy spearheaded by the Office of Academic Affairs was the
Preferred Name Policy; allowing students to register as the name they most closely
associate with. Current policies progressing through the academic governance system are
for implementation of a mid-semester formative feedback system to improve dialogue
between student and professor and a Grief Absence Policy protecting students from
academic penalty due to missed class from a death in the family.

The Academic Affairs department is also constantly searching for new programs
and initiatives that can improve the undergraduate academic and intellectual experience.
Some examples of current projects under development include an online course syllabi
database, an academic advisory board composed of at-large students to increase
participation in academic governance, and a supplemental instruction network to provide
extra assistance for high-risk classes. Organizing educational events, such as speaker
series or panel discussions, is another way Academic Affairs provides opportunities for
intellectual and scholarly growth.

At the Federal level, ASMSU lobbyists have written letters to keep Stafford loan
interest rates low and discussed student related policies with some of the top U.S. policy
makers in Washington, D.C.

At the State level, the Government Affairs office has been working diligently
to advocate the passage of legislation aimed at protecting students wellbeing and
their wallets. Last year Government Affairs, with the help of a bipartisan group of
representatives in Lansing, helped advocate and passed the Medical Amnesty Law, which
prohibits law enforcement officials from issuing M.I.P.s to minors in need of alcohol related
medical attention. Our General Assembly (GA) has also begun endorsing legislation that
would reduce the costs of higher education across the state. House Joint Resolution,
proposed by Rep. Vicki Barnett (D- Farmington Hills), would establish a $1.8 billion fund to
cover tuition for eligible students for all tuition related expenses. Other GA endorsed and
proposed bills could postpone student jury appointments during the academic year (HB
4351), and SB 408, if passed, would provide a tax credit to contribute to eligible student
loan repayments in state.

Whats New

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Our organization is exploring ways we can better the school spirit, pride, and
sportsmanship on campus. We want to help make Michigan State University a school
known for its strong pride and appreciation for being a Spartan. Our goal this year is
to create and solidify a universal Spartan identity so students feel anchored to this fine
university. We are exploring a variety of options to do this and we are working with a
variety of departments and organizations on campus to create this Spartan identity and
share it with campus.

ASMSUs General Assembly recently passed a bill for the creation of a bike share
program, which would allow students to rent bikes to use for up to three hours available at
10 locations across campus.

ASMSU is currently in the process of creating the Student Allocations Board,
through the merging of the ASMSU Funding Board, Programming board, and new
Research Board. Through merging these boards into one department we will be creating a
more transparent leadership structure, and will allow for a more convenient and accessible
funding system. Merging these boards will free up additional funding for organizations that
was previously used to maintain the offices of two separate boards. This new board will
also address concerns of groups trying to apply for funding from both the Programming
Board and Funding board. This major change to ASMSU Structure must be approved by
the ASMSU General Assembly, and must also go before a vote of the student body.

ASMSU admires how Sparty demonstrates the class, pride and excellence this
institution stands for. As we go forth in our days at Michigan State University and beyond,
ASMSU feels that the Spartan community should maintain its Spartan identity and
appreciation for its alma mater as we ask ourselves, What Would Sparty Do? Therefore,
The WWSD campaign is a Spartan identity campaign that will be launched on February
10. The Vice President of Special Projects is working with the Association of Future
Alumni and Sparty to promote positive behavior and appreciation for Michigan State. The
campaign will include a video and social media component that solidifies our Spartan
Identity.

Whats New

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WTF MSU (What To Fix) has been going incredibly well. We launched Facebook
ads a few weeks ago and have seen incredible results and return on investment in terms
of student engagement. Thanks to the Facebook ads, WTF MSU has received more
engagement on our Facebook in the two week of ads than the first two months of the
campaign. WTF MSU continues to engage with students and MSU departments on Twitter.
With more than 1,300 followers, WTF MSU receives countless tweets from students. We
connect them to the necessary on-campus resources and also identify trends and pass this
info on to the ASMSU steering committee.

Last year, ASMSU went through a rebrand. The ASMSU brand standards specifies
specific colors for Undergraduate students, Administration, and Partners/Alumni Relations.
The two typographies have been chosen for ASMSU, which are consistent with Michigan
State Universities typography. Even though we are our own entity, we represent Michigan
State University as a whole.

ASMSU tailgates occur before every home football game by the tennis courts.
Students and alumni may purchase tailgate passes to park by the tennis courts from the
ASMSU business office or on our website the week before the football game. At every
tailgate there is a DJ playing music, as well as ASMSU employees handing out different
free promotional materials, such as t-shirts, koozies, and sunglasses. Information about
next seasons tailgate will be up on our website by the end of the summer.

For more information, visit ASMSU.msu.edu