Hello once again everyone,

Just last weekend on October the 24th, GIVE and ASWSU representatives partnered with the Center for Civic Engagement in an effort to maximize the impact produced by a project we've planning known as National Make a Difference Day. What follows is a general description of the project and a few pictures of us working to make a difference within the Pullman community.

Make a Difference Day is a national service day, which is one of a series of service days that the CCE will be sponsoring throughout the remainder of the year. The general concept behind these projects is to come together as a communal force, and positively impact our local communities through service projects and initiatives. To accomplish this goal the CCE works closely with community partners to develop projects where Washington State students can reach out to our community and give back to the city and environment that we call home.

ASWSU and GIVE in particular helped sponsor this event by taking charge of a Rake Run for the CCE, and getting out in the community to help elderly citizens get rid of the leaves that have been accumulating in their yards. For the individuals assisted with this project, manual labor of this nature can at times be either a daunting or impossible task, and it was extremely evident how appreciative they were of the work that we accomplished and the impact that we were making in the community. Below are a few pictures from the project that document the type of work that we were doing on Saturday.



Here is Derick En'Wezoh, President of the Associated Students of ASWSU, working on the back yard for one of our community partners.

We had a total of fifteen people at our Rake Run and we split off into three different groups to take routes in different areas throughout the city of Pullman. Some of the houses that we helped in the community had tools that we could use to help facilitate the process, but also each group was equipped with their own supply of rakes, gloves, and bags to do work.





This is Sam Shaddox, ASWSU Director of Legislative Affairs. In this picture he was finishing up the side of one of the houses we worked on.

Our groups were out in the community for a total of three hours and we racked up about forty five hours of registered service through the CCE.



Here is Sam and Derick planning the best course of action on how to tackle this drive way and clean out the leaves.

Groups were led the entire time by either Exec Board members from ASWSU or Group Leaders from the Center for Civic Engagement. The general consensus was that everyone had fun and was proud of the work that we were able to do for the community.



Before and after images of the front yard of a house we worked on.

Before:



After:



And here is the final product after Sam, Derick and myself finished loading up all our leaves for the day. Twenty full garbage bags which we would drop off with other groups at a recycling site.



Continue to watch this space for future updates about CCE projects and National Days of Service, and thank you to everyone who contributed to our project and the success of Make a Difference Day.

Edison Kent
Director of Philanthropy and Community Outreach
Associated Students of Washington State University
(425) 268-1255 edison.kent@email.wsu.edu
http://www.aswsu.wsu.edu

ASWSU Lighting Initiative Updates

Cougs,

My name is Chase Gunnell and I am this years Director of Greek Affairs. As part of my position I serve as the chief ASWSU representative to projects on College Hill, including coordinating with Pullman City Council, the Pullman Planning Commissions CORE Plan, and as a Director on the Board of the College Hill Assocation. My current biggest project in this regard is the ASWSU Lighting Initiative.

The ASWSU Lighting Initiative was begun last fall to address lighting deficiencies on College Hill that could potentially lead to an unsafe environment for students and community residents. Just over $31,000 was allocated for lighting improvements from funds raised at last years Students For Safety Banquet, and an initial map of proposed light improvements was created. Regrettably, the project lost momentum with the turmoil of last Spring's University District proposal.

This fall, I renewed emphasis on the project, coordinating with WSU, Pullman Public Works and the Pullman Planning Commission, Avista Corporation and the College Hill Association. A walkthrough was conducted of College Hill on 10/18 by myself and other ASWSU Senators and Executives to update the Lighting Map with locations most effective at reducing lighting deficiencies and most applicable to the needs of WSU Students. Chase meet with Pullman Public Works Director Mark Workman and Avista Corp. Engineer Tim Olson that week to go over the new locations and discuss implementation strategies for the project. The project was also discussed at length during the College Hill Association meeting and Pullman Planning Commission Hearings at the end of October.

Ideally, we are hoping the ASWSU Lighting Initiative will go as follows: The city will confirm all or most of our proposed new Avista Standard Street Light locations, install new lights and pay to maintain them as they are under city jurisdiction. The updated locations for these new street lights are the corner of Garfield and Indiana, Oak Street between Ruby and Opal, Opal Street between Oak and Ash, and Maiden Lane between Spaulding and Maple. Tree maintenance will be conducted on Indiana and Maple streets to allow for greater light proliferation. Light maintenance will be done on Opal Street, Maple Extension and Spaulding Street to address damaged or broken lights. These locations will be addressed by the Pullman Public Works in the upcoming weeks.

Decorative lights, funded by ASWSU and branded with ASWSU and City of Pullman plaques will be added to Campus Street and Colorado Street to serve as the most visible aspect of this project as well as improving lighting in the most trafficked areas on College Hill. Two or Three lights and a new sidewalk will be constructed on B Street from California to Alpha Streets, co-funded by ASWSU and the City of Pullman. ASWSU will continue to work with the CHA, landowners, property managers and Fraternity and Sorority Chapters in hopes of installing Area and floodlights in dark alleys that could be co-funded by the property owners, Greek Chapters and ASWSU.

At this point, we are waiting to receive survey and estimate information from Pullman Public Works and Avista Corporation. We are also exploring options to communicate with Property Owners and Managers about potentially raising additonal funds for the project, as it benefits their tenets and can possible raise their property values.

Installing new lights in the College Hill neighborhood is a complicated process involving a number of players. But it is our hope that we can get these lights in the ground and create a safer campus and community environment for all.

Cheers,

Chase Gunnell

ASWSU Director of Greek Affairs

chasegunnell@wsu.edu

Introduction to GIVE

Hello everyone,

My name is Edison Kent and I am the Director of Philanthropy and Community Outreach for the Associated Students of Washington State University. This year to date I have been working diligently to collaborate with both student groups and the Center for Civic Engagement to organize service projects on campus and raise awareness in the community about issues effecting students and our global community.

One way in which ASWSU has supported these efforts has been through the creation and backing of a philanthropic subdivision known as GIVE. GIVE is a student run, grassroots organization focused on empowering students who care about making a difference. We have so far this semester been working on large scale service projects such as National Days of Service and our own group of specialized philanthropies, projects and events.

GIVE as a student run organization has the central goal of continuing in the future to focus attention on issues affecting local, regional, national and international audiences, and the only way in which we can succeed with this goal is with the continued support and involvement of Washington State students. This organization is open to all students and encourages diversity by identifying common issues and working toward finding solutions. If you would like any more information about how you can get involved or have ideas about projects that warrant our attention, please come to one of our meetings each Thursday between 5:30 and 6:30pm, on the third floor of the CUE building in room 319.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to our future collaboration. Please watch this space in the future for information about projects with GIVE, as well as other service opportunities through the CCE and other campus groups.

You can additionally join GIVE's Facebook group via the following link.

Sincerely,

Edison Kent
Director of Philanthropy and Community Outreach
Associated Students of Washington State University
(425) 268-1255 edison.kent@email.wsu.edu
http://www.aswsu.wsu.edu

President's Student Advisory Board

Fellow Cougs,

Today the President’s Student Advisory Board met for the second time this semester. The President’s Student Advisory Board is composed of President Floyd and twenty-eight students, each with a unique background and experience at WSU. The purpose of the President’s Student Advisory Board is to allow WSU students to assist and advise our University President, Elson S. Floyd, on issues important to the student population.

The overriding theme of today’s meeting was the WSU student experience and if student expectations are being met by the University. Topics discussed by the board included technology, career connections, study abroad experiences, and internship opportunities. Additionally, we discussed the student desire to have Washington State University administer graduate admissions exams such as the GRE, MCAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

President Floyd was very receptive to all student expectations conveyed at the meeting. I thank him for continued commitment to the students. If you would like to learn more about the President Student Advisory Board and the topics we discuss at each meeting please visit http://aswsu.wsu.edu/branches_advisory_board.aspx. Additionally, you can submit comments if you have any feedback for the board or would like to advance a topic you are particularly passionate about. Thank you and stay tuned for more blog entries by me.

-DCE

ASWSU Blog Now Open

Hey Cougars!

The ASWSU Blog is now open. This blog will be used to communicate to students important information coming out of ASWSU.

If you have any questions about ASWSU, please refer to the ASWSU website at http://www.aswsu.wsu.edu and feel free to contact any of the Senators or Executive Board members. Contact information on the website can be found under ASWSU Branches, then by clicking on the respective branch, and then clicking on staff.

Please check back often!

-ASWSU Chief of Staff