ASUP President discusses "State of Campus"

ASUP president Khalid Osman gave his "State of Campus" address tonight, calling 2016 "The Year of Change."

Full transcript:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Khalid Osman, and I serve as YOUR student body president.

Thank you for joining me this evening for the State of the Campus Address.

Last year we set out to make this year, a year of change.

And therefore I am pleased to announce the current state of the campus is changing.

This year more than any other, this concept of change has been a consistent goal, we haven’t stopped talking about it.

There is a quote from Socrates that resonates closely with our mission of change. He says, “the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

In the spring, the student body, and senators spoke their mind.

They reminded us that the Major Project Fund was no longer working the way it was intended to serve the students.

Senate changed the legislation to what is now the Campus Traditions Fund.

The Campus Traditions Fund is the Senates response to student and administration feedback.

The feedback that this money be better managed and more specifically distributed to traditional events on campus- things that will effect students NOW rather than LATER.

The first use of the CTF was this past September for Riverboat which drew a record breaking crowd.

BUT the question looms… where did the surplus Major Project Fund resources go?

I’ve got the answers tonight!

The surplus amounted to eighty-nine thousand seven hundred sixty-eight dollars ($89,768).

As a senate last year, we were tasked with figuring out how we could best allocate this money to directly impact students.

I have to say I am proud of how it was distributed to 19 different causes, but I would like to take a moment to highlight a few of the most impactful allocations.

First, Rock the Bluff this spring is going to be extra special! A portion of the MPF surplus will go into making this concert a memorable one.

Second, we were able to take care of our Villa Drum Squad by bringing their outfits and equipment into the 21st century. We knew the boys at Christie Hall would get a little jealous so we were able to add to their own hall pride with a Christie Sky Dancer.

Finally, all of our services which are dedicated to the student experience here on campus were upgraded with new equipment.

Continuing on the theme of change, let’s talk about the graduation ceremony.

Last Spring, Sarah Reems a senior in the class of 2016 approached me with the issue of graduation ticket shortages.

What was the point in having a graduation if families and friends couldn’t join you for that life changing moment?

Students were conflicted with deciding between whether grandma or grandpa could come watch them walk across the stage.

We addressed this issue together, and this past summer the graduation committee decided that change was necessary. There was debate about whether we should take it off of campus or leave it on campus.

The final result of this action is that graduation will be kept on campus and held in two ceremonies.

This allows for each student to have 7 tickets for guests and the flexibility to request more tickets if necessary.

This is a perfect example of students taking lead on issues they believe require attention. I hope this puts an end to limited family attendance at the graduation ceremony.

Earlier I had mentioned that the ASUP services have been elevated as a direct result of the extra money from the MPF allocations.

This was no understatement.

Thus far all of the services are operating at maximum capacity in order to serve each and every student.

ADvantage has rolled out a record breaking number of posters, fliers and A-frames.

Espresso UP is constantly meeting the growing demands of students for their warm cup of goodness or cold cup of Italian soda every Wednesday night.

Pilots Audio and Lighting has been continuing the exceptional services they provide clubs, and events.

And Pilots Express had a successful Fall break. And they even have some great ideas for Thanksgiving break, including trips to the Bolt Bus for our Seahawks nation.

I am extremely proud of all the service directors and their hard work this semester… we are constantly looking for ways to improve the experiences of students.

The Campus Program Board led by the wonderful Sammy van den Berg has also been experiencing success in planning events this semester.

This year’s Fall Dance saw record breaking attendance! This was due to careful and strategic planning on CPB’s part.

We had our outdoor movie early in the semester which also gathered the largest crowd for an outdoor movie at 532 people in attendance!

Going forward, I know Sammy and her team are working to solidify diversity programming as one of their core missions. I’ve been absolutely impressed to say the least with CPB and their leadership team, I am sure they will continue to satisfy all the needs of the students.

The past year has been extremely difficult for myself and the University community.

We lost three beloved community members to suicide.

I noticed a change in the conversations around mental health and suicide in general on campus. I remember last year students didn’t want it sugar coated, they wanted to have active discussions about mental health on campus.

This semester Active Minds has taken the challenge of destructing stigmas to a whole new level. Their work has inspired students to speak out about their own experiences with stigmas. They’ve created avenues for reminding people that it is ok to be struggling, but help is around the corner.

Their 100 reasons to live video touched my heart, and truly shook the heart of the community.

I wanted to take a moment to truly commend this organization for their amazing work this semester. I look forward to seeing Active Minds grow even larger and more impactful.

Since tonight’s topic is change...

I’m sure everyone – including freshman – have noticed that campus does not look the same way it did last semester.

We were gifted two new stress relieving spaces on campus.

The Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center sees a steady stream of students on a daily basis. It has become one of my favorite places on campus!

If any of you are so ever brave to challenge me one on one in a game of basketball- I’ll be ready.

The Pilot House has become a student’s favorite.

Both new buildings have had their growing pains, but have also been extremely receptive to student feedback.

An example of this is when David Rinella approached the Senate expressing his frustrations that the rec center hadn’t considered providing sports wheelchairs. When I spoke with the Director of Rec Services, Brian Dezzani, he mentioned that this hadn’t even been considered.

But because the students brought this issue forward, we now have not only one but two sports wheelchairs available for use in the rec center.

I’ve felt the power of student voice more than ever this semester.

8 weeks ago we had our annual senate elections, run by the elections committee with diligent direction from secretary Joseph Rojo. This year’s fall election had surpassed all previous years in voter turnout percentage.

WOW!

That is saying to me that students are behind the mission of change! Either that or they feel really guilty taking candy without filling out their poll.

For the past 2 weeks, treasurer David Zabinksi and the Financial Management Board have been working tirelessly to create a fair and sustainable budget.

They host club meetings for over 100 clubs in order to allocate funds properly. I can’t speak to how hard they work, but the budget is no easy task. This budget will be debated in senate Nov. 30th and is open to contributions from the entire student body.

Moving forward, I believe the most impactful outcome of our work as a student government this year will be reforming the constitution. Currently, it is lacking, it is 65 years old, it is ready for retirement.

The senators led by president of the senate Grace Holmes are looking to tackle the underlying issues within the governing documents in order to remind ourselves and the students of this campus WHY we exist as an organization.

I believe that we realize ASUP Student Government the past several years has existed in the background in functional positions. We are aiming to make ASUP more relevant, and more interconnected with the student body.

In the first few weeks of the Senate Elections, we were able to begin this process by reforming the committee structures within senate in order to elevate the power of each senator. This past weekend we were able to rewrite the preamble clause which will be the foundation for reforming the entire documents.

The preamble reads:

We, the students of the University of Portland, in order to provide a form of government that aims to promote community activities, represent the needs and interests of the University community; foster the recognition of the rights and responsibilities of all students; provide a sounds means of cooperation with the Board of Regents, the administration, the faculty and staff, and the North Portland community, do hereby establish this constitution.

We will be having a special election in Feb. in order to pass the new constitution, be on the lookout!

Aside from our internal goals, we are looking to be more proactive in the community.

Next semester we are participating in several community service projects around the Portland area, and these opportunities will be open to all students.

I believe that change is necessary, change allows for growth, the concept of change allows for us as a community to always think of how we can improve.

Thank you for your attentiveness during my time speaking with you all today.

Thank you and God Bless.