Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Nervous about starting at Michigan State? Worried about your class schedule, living away from home, or where to even start? The Spartan Orientation Station (SOS) is a podcast hosted by New Student Orientation staff and was created by students for students. This podcast will launch twice a week throughout the summer, and each episode will feature a unique interview with campus departments discussing their services, common misconceptions, and fun Spartan engagement opportunities. When you need help at Michigan State, it is okay to signal SOS! Don’t worry – MSU is there for you.
Narrator 0:08
You're listening to the Spartan Orientation Station on Impact 89 FM. The podcasts by students for students. Now, this week's episode.
Ali 0:18
Hello Spartans, and welcome back to NSO’s weekly Spartan Orientation Station. On today's episode, we'll be exploring everything you need to know regarding the Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU. ASMSU is the undergraduate student government here at Michigan State University. Founded in 1965, ASMSU has been representing the collective student voice to the university and surrounding community while also providing services accessible to undergraduate students. Since its creation, ASMSU has grown to be an organization on campus that focuses on Student Centered Advocacy, DEI initiatives, student empowerment, and community building. My name is Ali Cramer.
Aaron 1:05
And my name is Aaron Iturralde and today we are joined by Emily Hoyumpa, the ASMSU student body president, and Brandi Stover is the ASMSU public relations director. So welcome Emily and Brandi.
Brandi 1:18
Thank you so much for having us. We're so excited to be here and just talk about all things ASMSU.
Aaron 1:26
So just to introduce you both real quick, what's, you already said your name, but what's your major, what year you’re going into and anything else we would--that would be fun to know about you?
Brandy 1:36
Absolutely, I can start. So, my name is Brandi Stover. I'm a junior this year. And I'm originally from St. Louis, Missouri, out of state student. I'm a double major in Public Relations and then in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy in JMC. I'm just really interested in ensuring that all students are represented and feel empowered on campus. And that's why I love working for ASMSU.
Emily 2:00
And my name is Emily Hoyampa. I use she/her pronouns. I'm also a junior, studying Social Relations and Policy in James Madison. And I've been involved in ASMSU since my freshman year. And not only have I gotten some of my favorite friends and my closest friends from this organization, but I've gotten to see the power of student advocacy in all different shapes and sizes. I've gotten to work on some amazing advocacy issues. And I've also seen the power of what it means for students to come together and to fight for something. So really grateful to be here. And yeah.
Aaron 2:30
Great, and we're excited to have you two here on today. So let's get into some of our questions here to help out some of our incoming Spartans get adjusted to what ASMSU is. So what is ASMSU? And what role does ASMSU play at MSU?
Emily 2:45
Alright, I'm going to take this first one here. ASMSU is one of two student government groups on campus, but we are the largest, woo-hoo. We represent the entire undergraduate student population, and our mission is to advocate, provide for, and uplift the Spartans on campus. Our leadership, which is our Office of the President, meets regularly with MSU administration on campus, and we have several moving parts of our organization that ensure we operate as smoothly as possible. The driving force behind ASMSU, however, is the General Assembly. The General Assembly is our legislative body with our elected representatives from each college, our course in COPS groups, the Council on Racial and Ethnic students, the Council on Progressive Students, and major government groups that write and pass legislation to better the student experience on campus. Some of our success stories include the creation of fall break, and access to free menstrual products in all buildings on campus. ASMSU is the organization it is today at MSU because of the students and advocacy past, and it is crucial that students know the power their voices have on this campus.
Aaron 3:47
Great to hear. Love all the advocacy that y'all do. I mean, I used to work there, too, so I know what's been going on. But I know, like, for years, like these are some things that students will enjoy. So yeah.
Ali 3:59
And I know, also, one of the things that I always hear ASMSU being, you know, kind of referred to in is kind of the resources that you offer. So, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the various services that ASMSU offers to students for free?
Brandi 4:22
Absolutely, the services we provide are really aimed at making the student experience on campus easier. And it makes students feel more comfortable as they navigate, especially first year students. Coming to a campus as large as MSU can be really daunting, it can be really scary. And so, we just really aim to make that experience as smooth and easy as possible. So, some of the services include first off safe, we offer Safe Ride, which is free transportation on campus, kind of like Uber, it runs from 8 pm to 2 am every single day, seven days a week, and it's no judgment, free transportation that we operate through a system called TransLoc. It's kind of like Uber, and, like I just said, and the goal of it is to make students feel safe. So when it's dark, a lot of students don't want to walk at night, and that's completely valid. When it's night, we don't sometimes--we have good lighting, but it could be a lot better. And especially if you're alone, it's a great way to get from point A to point B in a safe, nonjudgmental manner. We offer readership services, which is free access to publications like The New York Times and the spotlight news app, we want students to make sure that they're informed and to make sure that they're staying up to date on current events. And this is a--as well as to be able to have access to these publications if they need them for class. A lot of majors such as social science and JMC need to access publications like this. We offer free legal services. So all students on campus have access to ASMSU’s two paid lawyers, and to our student rights advocates to help them in the university judicial system. And we'll get it, we'll probably get into that a bit later. We offer a bunch of different rentals through our engagement office, such as graphing calculators, iClickers. We offer free blue books for exams, and we offer free printing. And then we also coordinate tailgate pass sales, short term student loans, and just offer a place for students to feel supported, and welcome if they ever need it. And then lastly, we also do--while this isn't a service, we do want to throw out there that we do a lot of advocacy on campus, we're constantly working with campus administration, with faculty, with staff to ensure that student needs are being met and that student voices are being heard. And we delegate students to sit on all major committees on campus to ensure that these students are represented fairly.
Ali 6:49
Perfect. Yeah, I know, I've definitely been in a situation I didn't know I needed a graphing calculator for a class and was like, “Ah, I don't know how I'm gonna get one.” And then I was like, “Oh, I can just go to the Student Services Building and grab one.” And that was definitely something that I utilized. I also read The New York Times every day, and I--I appreciate not having to pay even though it's a small cost, it's nice to just be a login and have access to that wherever.
Brandi 7:15
And something I actually didn't include in there for some reason. Is we also act--we also provide students free access to The New York Times games and cooking. So that includes the full-size crossword, not just the mini, and then full access to all the rest of the games. I'm a big crossword girl myself. And so that's been really nice and like to be able to do the Wordle. And it's such a, like, it's such a small thing, but it just really makes my mornings and I'm really glad ASMSU provides it.
Aaron 7:45
I mean, I love doing the Wordle every morning and trying to not break my streak. So I'm so glad that we now have that that's so cool. One thing I kind of want to dig a little bit deeper on is I know, like, if students ever find themselves needing some legal assistance for any sort of matters relating off campus. So will the ASMSU lawyers still assist students for free then, if they need any help, like on off campus matters?
Brandi 8:11
Yeah. So ASMSU, we employ two full-time lawyers that assist students with any type of legal problem they might need. And these can, these can be off campus matters. They provide consultations, representation, and some of the things that they can help students on include, like, landlord-tenant lease issues, that's a really big one that we get, especially with so many students renting their first apartments. And sometimes not reading the fine print, our lawyers are here to do that for you, we want to--we want you to feel safe and secure and with where you're living and with the legal terms of your lease. They offer criminal defense, the best they can, a lot of times. They're pretty familiar with the city of East Lansing and their ordinances and just the operations of their legal system here. And so, if you get a DUI, for example, our legal team will be able to help you to kind of resolve that legally. We also do, or they also do a lot of smaller things like small claims court and then power of attorney and healthcare matters. And, and so much more. I think it's really important that we have these lawyers here because we have--we have so many out of state students we have a large international population on campus, and sometimes moving far away from home can make you feel less secure and how you live your how you're living in your living situation. And we want students to know that they have access to this resource and that these lawyers are here to help us. The one thing our lawyers can't do, actually, is represent students in university hearings, and the university does not allow any outside legal help in matters pertaining to the university itself. Our student rights advocates are members of ASMSU’s paid staff that are trained to assist students in the university judicial system. They are the only form of representation that students can actually have in these cases since outside legal help is not allowed. They're familiar with the university judicial system and will review your case, help prepare you for the hearing, and act with your counsel through the proceedings, all for free. They're a great resource. They're trained. They’re FERPA certified. And I highly recommend that if anybody has any problems legally outside the university, they check out our lawyers. And if they have problems inside the university, they check out our students’ rights advocate.
Aaron 10:28
Yeah, that's so cool. I didn't know like, there were two different kind of systems that are kind of working out. There's the outside legal system, there's also the university legal system and you both, I mean, ASMSU has those both sides covered, right, so if a student has issues outside, they can go to our lawyer, to your lawyers, if they have any issues going into the university, they have student rights advocates that can help them guide through. So that's so cool. That's a fun service for me, because I know, like, legal services can be a little daunting if students kind of had to defend themselves in court. But now it's kind of cool to know that students can go to this resource if they have any, if they need any help.
Ali 11:00
I know we’ve also talked previously to the Office of Student Support and Accountability, so hopefully if students haven’t already checked out that podcast, they can take into account that ASMSU has students’ rights advocates but then the Office of Student Support and Accountability also has other resources. So, kind of moving, kind of shifting gears, I guess. I don't--I was president of an RSO, involved in RSOs that traveled a lot. We spent a lot of money on hotels and things, traveling to different Model United Nations conferences, and one thing that always saved us, year after year, was the Student Allocations Board and ASMSU’s RSO funding requests. So, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about how that works.
Emily 11:51
Yeah, I would love to. So just to go over a few things. 1/3 of ASMSU’s annual budget goes directly back to students on campus through funding to registered student organizations. And as for what exactly is the Student Allocations Board is, our Student Allocations Board is the group of students within ASMSU who allocate the money to the groups who request it. And as--how can you do this, because there's not that much money, but obviously, there are about 1000 or so I was on campus, I believe. So, in order for an RSO to request funding from ASMSU and Student Allocations Board, the organization must be registered, registered, excuse me, with Student Life and have a university account in good standing before applying for funding. Along with that, you may only receive one--RSO funding once per academic year in your event project must be in the semester that you're applying for. And it's also important to note that funding is on a reimbursement basis only. And you should save all receipts you plan on being reimbursed for and funds cannot be used to pay off debts or maintain an office and the board cannot fund uniforms that aren't kept within the organization from year to year. Once knowing all those details, once the RSO reads through the guidelines that can be found at ASMSU’s website, which is asmsu.msu.edu and go to the Student Allocations Board tab and goes under RSO funding, they can fill out the funding form for the semester that they're applying for. It goes semester by semester, so there will be a fall funding form and a spring funding from and once you do that, and once you know what semester you want, make sure to apply as soon as possible for your best chance of getting funding because funding does run out every year. And once the application is submitted your RSO will meet with the Student Allocations Board to talk about your request for funding and go from there. So yeah, definitely a great source. I know RSOs I've been a part of in the past, have used this. And we've gotten to put on some really great events, and I know other students on campus and they’re RSOs have gotten to do the same too.
Ali Kramer 34:42
Yeah, like I said this like single handedly kind of allowed us to decrease our conference cost, which was great, because with it a lot of students in, like, my particular RSO, were able to then afford to go on conferences and have opportunities that they wouldn't be able to otherwise, thanks to the ASMSU funding.
Aaron 14:06
Kind of shifting gears here too a little bit. I know y'all mentioned a little bit of the structure of ASMSU a little bit, a couple questions ago. But I think for some of our incoming students coming to campus wanting to get involved and you know, as many registered organizations they want to be, what are some ways that some of our incoming students can get involved in ASMSU or in general just student government?
Brandy 14:28
So, student governments on campus is such a large, bureaucratic structure almost and MSU is such a large university and sometimes student voices in a large university can get lost. And so, one of our primary missions is to ensure that we're uplifting those voices still and we do that by appointing students on to academic committees around--or academic governments committees around campus. We do this through our academic governance program. And on these committees, students sit alongside faculty, admin, and staff to make decisions concerning the University. We are always looking for hard, hardworking students to join on those students that are passionate about campus initiatives. And that is one of the main ways to get involved with governance on campus, it's really important that student voices are represented on those committees. And we are we you don't have to be--have any previous experience with ASMSU to want to do that. We're always taking applications. So definitely stay tuned for that we also, we obviously have our legislative body, but those elections are in the spring. So, at this, at this point in time, all those seats are for the most part filled. So if somebody is wanting to get involved in ASMSU, another great way is also class councils, we have four class councils, a freshman, sophomore, junior, and a senior. And these class councils are just groups of each grade level meant to represent the grade each grade level as they are. And it's a great way to grow your leadership skills to meet new people. And to just get acclimated into the ASMSU system. ASMSU is a large organization. And it can be a little complicated at times. But class--I personally was a member of freshman class council. So was Emily, that's where we met. And it's a great way to just kind of meet people. And so those are a couple of things we'll get we can get more into them if you want.
Aaron 16:31
Yeah, no, I love, actually, I started out at ASMSU in class councils too and that's where I met some of my like, lifelong friends. So I mean, it's one of the, I think, if I could also put a little input, a great, you know, way for incoming students to come and join the organization.
Ali 16:48
Yeah, and I know, Brandi, that you mentioned, and Emily, you've also mentioned, a big theme of ASMSU is trying to amplify students’ voices and making sure that students are heard on campus. So, to that point, what are some of the DEI initiatives that ASMSU has taken to make the campus more inclusive, and I was wondering, also, if you can talk a little bit about what the current five-year DEI plan involves.
Emily 17:17
I think the biggest thing for DEI is just constantly knowing that there, there's work that needs to be done, and acknowledging that there are disparities and making sure that all voices in that process are being heard and amplified for improvement. For ASMSU, specifically, ASMSU’s Five Year Strategic Diversity Equity Inclusion Plan, strives to re-envision the application of DEI policies in reference to the student body and aims to progress, nurture, and sustain an inclusive culture where difference drives innovation solutions to meet the needs of minority students at Michigan State University, from increasing representation to--for those who identify as minority student at ASMSU, and involvement in other student organizations, to planning monthly programming related to various cultures and identities. This plan is working to uplift students--uplift the students that make up Michigan State University, because there are multiple, multiple identities and just multiple differences to be accounted for. And with this plan, ASMSU is continuing, and will continue to work on diversity, equity and inclusion, uplifting students on campus. And yeah, I think the biggest thing is just acknowledging that there always is work that needs to be done, and making sure that people have a seat on the table. And not only that they have a seat at the table but ensuring that their voice is heard at said table.
Aaron 18:29
I also want to dig a little bit deeper on one of the services y'all provide and that’s Safe Ride. So, like, how specific—what, like what's--what specifically--how can students use, like, the Safe Ride program?
Brandi 18:43
It's actually super simple to use the Safe Ride program, and I highly encourage everybody listening to this podcast to listen closely to what I'm about to say. It's gonna save your life at some point, it's super important. There's an app on both the app---the Apple App Store, and then Google Play called TransLoc. It's T-R-A-N-S L-O-C, and you download that app, sign in with your MSU ID, and from there, you have access to ASMSU safe ride from 8pm to 2am. Again, that's the free transportation on campus, no judgment whatsoever. And from there, once you download the app and sign in, it just kind of acts like Uber, you're able to request a ride, you'll put where you're starting where you want to end up, and then it'll give you a wait time. We have been so fortunate to have more vans this year. And so we're gonna have a little bit less wait times, which we're really, really excited for. And if anybody has any questions about Safe Ride or anything like that, be sure to stay tuned to our social media, or visit our website with questions.
Aaron 19:50
Yeah, no, that's super easy, like, and it'd be kind of cool to see more vans on campus so that I wouldn't have to be waiting too long for a Safe Ride. So that's so cool.
Brandi 20:00
My friends and I, we always play a game whenever we’re on campus at night, say, the ASMSU Safe Ride vans, I'll have like a little sign on top kind of like a taxi would. And so we always play, like, spot the ASMSU Safe Ride van. And it's like a little game with us. It's --it's just such a fun thing. And it's a really, really cool service that we provide.
Emily 20:19
As someone who's played that game with Brandi, especially if we're in another Safe Ride vehicle, we'll be like, “Oh, my gosh, there's another Safe Ride!” Because there's different vans, depending on the day of the week in which you need a service. So yeah, definitely fun to look out for. And obviously, like, the green one, you can't miss it on campus. So.
Ali 20:36
No, that sounds like fun. We always play, like, the yellow bug game in the office when we're, like, driving around. So that's like an MSU version of that, I feel like. But kind of going back to some of the events that you all host, I was wondering if you could kind of give us an idea of the scope and maybe some examples of events that you're planning on organizing and hosting this year.
Brandi 21:04
Yeah, absolutely. ASMSU, we are lucky to have such an involved and committed staff that's able to help plan a lot of our events and a lot of our programming. So, some of the ones we do are, first off, we host a Mental Health Awareness Week, every fall. And this is a week to promote the mental well-being of students where we host events like, last year we did we provided a bunch of food for students and let them come color, or let them like paint some succulents and it's a great place--it's a great week that we provide resources and a place to relax to students as exams and finals come closer. We know that's a really stressful time for students, and we at ASMSU are very committed to ensuring the students feel supported and feel safe on campus. And sometimes that needs to happen internally as well as externally. So Mental Health Awareness Week, make sure to stay tuned for that. Secondly, we also host a First-Generation Student Week on campus. This is an initiative and a week of programming that is aimed to kind of enhance the experience of first-generation college students on campus. First generation college students always have a little bit more of a difficult time acclimating and adjusting on campus just because they are the first in their family to come to college, and that is such an amazing thing and such a hard barrier to overcome sometimes. So we aim to uplift their stories and to provide them resources to help their journey here at MSU as well as to make them feel at home, in a way. And then the third major programming event that we hold is Earth Week on campus each spring, which I absolutely love Earth Week, it's a week--it's normally the week--the Earth Week falls--this past year, Earth Week was on a Saturday, so it was the week before and we put on programming aimed to inform students about sustainable practices on campus and to promote all the amazing student groups that are helping the environment on campus. Some of the things that we've done in the past, include an RSO fair with all the sustainable groups on campus like the MSU Thrift Club, or some like the Recycling Club, and students can come and learn more about the things that they're doing to help sustainable practices on campus. This is hosted by our Sustainability Department at ASMSU. Our Sustainability Department is just absolutely fantastic, and they have done a bunch of initiatives as well, including a bunch of advocacy to stop the use-- stop the, or to--for divestment from fossil fuels. And we use this week to kind of help improve that advocacy as well. And so those are the three main ones that we host, we're always looking for more ideas, looking for more things that we can do to help support students on campus. If anybody has any ideas at any point of things that you think ASMSU should kind of dip our toes in to help out in any way, like, you guys are always welcome to reach out to us. We’re--we are so committed to helping students and we want everybody to feel as supported as possible.
Emily 24:04
I think just building off of Brandi’s point and just getting students involved. Earth Week was actually something created two years ago and is now, like, after seeing it the second year is something we're hoping to continue for years and years. So definitely always open to suggestions and seeing what students can put on campus and just once again, uplifting our student voices, seeing all MSU has to offer being such a big campus and being such a big community.
Aaron 24:24
Yeah, that's so cool that all those events that you host and also I know like you also partner up with events throughout the year with other like, with other organizations on campus, too. So that's so cool to kind of see y'all kind of getting--you’re involved all around campus and still willing to get more involved with more events too. But yeah. I think my other question is to ask you all so that I know, like, when I review my tuition bill that I get from my student accounts, I see something that says the ASMSU tax. So what is the ASMSU tax that students pay? And then what do students kind of get out of that?
Emily 25:00
Okay, I will take this one and then anything else, Brandi, you want to add, feel free to. But ASMSU tax is split into three parts. There's a general tax, a Safe Ride tax, and our readership tax. The general tax specifically, that funds the initiatives such as funding for the registered student organizations on campus, which we talked about a bit ago, our legal services, which we talked about with our lawyers to help with on campus, and also our student rights advocates, and the payroll of our paid student staff. The Safe Ride tax then funds all of our Safe Ride operations, such as contracts, payroll, and marketing of the service, and the readership tax funds students’ free access to publications like The New York Times, The New York Times games and cooking, and the news app spotlight. All these services are free to students on campus, and paying the tax helps--helps us ensure the best quality of them that we can offer. It is included within your tuition, but there is an option to opt out if you like.
Brandi 25:59
And yeah, just to kind of add on to that. The tax, when you're looking at it, I completely understand why people would be like, “I don't want to pay any more extra money, I already pay so much money to attend MSU.” But this tax really is an investment in both campus and yourself. This tax is essentially an Uber ride. That's all you're paying for everything else that we're offering. And it's so important to understand that by paying the tax, you are investing in yourself, you're investing in your safety on campus, your advocacy on campus, and all--access to all these resources. If you choose to opt out of the tax for whatever reason, you don't, you aren't able to access any of our services anymore, unfortunately. So just keep that in mind as you're making those decisions. And, as always, we're here to answer questions. This past year, we posted a bunch of information about our tax on our social medias. If you want to scroll down and look at those. If anybody ever has any questions about the tax, you're always welcome to reach out to us. We are nothing but transparent about our financial practices and want to ensure that all students feel like we are supporting them properly with their tax dollars.
Aaron 27:10
Yeah, could you give us, like, the Instagram handle? So, like, if students would like to visit, like, your Instagram to learn more about ASMSU?
Brandi 27:18
Absolutely, our Instagram is @theasmsu. So let's see T-H-E-A-S-M-S-U. And so is our Twitter.
Ali 27:29
Perfect! Well, obviously we've talked a lot about all the fantastic different resources you offer. And just with everything that ASMSU does, with all the resources it offers, with all of your advocacy, I can imagine it takes quite a robust leadership team. So I was wondering if you could talk a little bit specifically about the Office of the President and how the members of that office kind of ensure that ASMSU resources are being allocated properly and that you're able to best serve the needs of all of MSU’s undergraduate students?
Emily 28:06
Yeah, I'll take this one. I think it's really important to note, like, when in these leadership positions, and there's so many student leaders on campus, that it's not just a one-person job, it is definitely a team effort on so many accounts. And these teams have so many different individuals, made up with so many not only like different identities and backgrounds, but also just people that have different strengths and different weaknesses and coming together, they’re able to do the work that's representative of as many people as possible. For the Office of the President, or I'll refer them following as OTP. These members work alongside all facets of ASMSU, from our student allocations board, our class councils, our general assembly, and our staff to ensure the advocacy work students want done as being represented to the proper channels, specifically, especially that I've noticed is Office of the President is working hand in hand with the General Assembly, who, as mentioned earlier, write legislation based on issues members of the college or themselves want to see change and advocate for at MSU. Once that legislation is created, the Office of the President ensures that those representatives and those student voices are heard when talking to MSU Administration Faculty. From some issues that have been brought up in the past with the Office of President and the General Assembly are, like, include, but not limited to, advocacy with student engagement work with RHA or the Residence Hall Association, the Provost Office, the President's Office, health and wellness issues, Title IX, civil rights, and so, so many more. And I think just knowing that, getting as many perspectives as possible on what issues want to be advocated for, and making sure that there is a wide array, wide array of issues and bringing these matters up in the most respectful way possible.
Brandi 29:42
I think it's also, also important to note that our--all of our main leadership is elected by our general assembly, so these people have to go through an election process. They're very dedicated to everything that's they do and they're just great representatives of everything ASMSU stands for. And so I personally love our leadership and I really hope that all students take the time to kind of get to know their student leaders on campus and to understand just how much work they put into their jobs every day.
Aaron 30:15
So it's like a robust, like leadership team on campus. So we're really excited for what--to see what y'all can do this year, and, like, what you can achieve this year. So yeah, kind of maybe moving to our last question here, just kind of following up on that. What is your favorite part about working with ASMSU? Or within your role at ASMSU? What do you find rewarding? What do you find fun? What do you find that's like, like the best part of your job at--at your organization.
Brandi 30:45
I can take this one first. My role on ASMSU is a very specific role. I work with a lot of our outreach and our communication practices, which is obviously what I want to do in the future. So my position on staff at ASMSU has been a great stepping stone for me, as I look to my future career, and I think that's something I do love about ASMSU, is that we offer the opportunity for students to get experienced in a role like this. Like, we hire graphic designers, we hire sustainability experts and to be able to have something to add to your resume before you go to look for internships. And I think it's absolutely amazing, and I'm so blessed that I've had this experience. But furthermore, it's also just the people, the environment of working with people who want to see change just as much as you do is so empowering. It's so inspiring. And I go into work every single day excited, I never know what to expect. University can be a little crazy sometimes. But I love MSU. I love ASMSU, and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to continue to empower students on campus through my role here.
Emily 31:50
There's definitely a lot I can touch on as well. As for, like, the specific work, I love getting to talk to different students about what they want to see on campus and working with different facets of ASMSU. And just once again, encompassing that there's so many students with so many different ideas and advocacy points. And just making sure in one way or another the students are feeling supported, and that they know that they have home at MSU. And if they would like to have a home with ASMSU as well. As for some specific things I've gotten work on. I've been in ASMSU for three years. I've been from class councils to being on staff to now being president. So it's really wild to see how much this organization has changed in three years just with you—like, knowing the current generation of Spartans, but also acknowledging our past Spartans and our future generations of Spartans as well, and knowing how much work has been done and will continue to get done in the future. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what this group can do this year. And, like Brandi said, I really do love the people here. I’ve met genuinely my closest friends and if you would have told me that when I started, I would have been, like, “No way,” like “I like being in my dorm,” but, no, my closest friends I’ve found have come from ASMSU, and I am grateful for them every day, and I am so excited to see the memories that I’m going to make with those people while also continuing meeting new people this year at everything ASMSU will be present at. And yeah, all in all, ASMSU just has a really big place in my heart, and I am so, so grateful that I found this organization freshman year at Sparticipation. So, yeah. And with that as well ASMSU will be all around during Fall Welcome weekend from, there’s so many different events, ASMSU will be doing a Bingo, we’re going to be a Sparticipation, we’ll be at UFest we’ll be at Moonlight ExtravaGRANDza, we’re gonna be all over the place. So, if you need a friendly face to talk to, feel free to email me: my email is president@asmsu.msu.edu, and I would love to hear from you and would love to see you involved.
Ali 33:47
Well thank you so much for joining us. We’ve been joined by Emily and Brandi from ASMSU this week.
Feel free to check out their website, check out their Instagram, and definitely, as Emily just said, check out all of the events that they’re going to be at. If you’d like to hear more about student perspectives, feel free to check out our previous podcast episodes, and also tune in for our next episode which will feature a recorded student panel.
Narrator 34:22
Thank you for listening to this episode of Spartan Orientation Station on Impact 89 FM. Let us know what you think by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at msu_nso.