2008 Woodie Awards
High turnover affects ASUWT
Damian Boudreau
Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: News
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The past few years have been anything but stable for the ASUWT: the loss of three senators in early 2005, the brief suspension of the group’s by-laws that same year, and more recently the resignation of the vice president in September.
Manager of Student Life S. Jo Enscoe acknowledges that the past few years have been tough, but believes that changes already underway will help alleviate the issues. Student government falls under Enscoe’s umbrella of management in Student Life.
“I think there’s been some things that have limited us from being as successful as we could be,” Enscoe said. “And I think what we’ve done is identify a number of those and we’re moving forward.”
ASUWT President Nick Bubb agrees that in the past the group has been fragmented because of high turnover.
The turnover may have less to do with the student government organization, and more to do with the lifestyles of those serving in it. Enscoe points out that many of the members serving on the ASUWT are non-traditional students, typically holding full-time jobs, raising families and have involvement with other on-campus groups.
“When (a ASUWT member) is running, (they) say, ‘oh 10 hours a week doesn’t seem like so much,” Enscoe said, “but really, 10 hours a week – when you try to block it into everything else – sometimes is too much.”
A senator is supposed to serve 10 hours a week, but many end up committing much more time.
“You’re never paid for as many hours that you work,” Enscoe said.
The president of the ASUWT is supposed to serve 25 hours a week, and the vice president serves 20 hours. Enscoe acknowledges that the real number of hours could be 15, 30 or 40 hours a week depending on the workload.
Bubb agrees that sometimes the workload on senators and officers can be tremendous, but adds that measures have already been taken to fix the problem. These measures include changing meeting times, and amending the election schedule.
In the past, meetings were scheduled and then senators and officers had to choose whether to attend a meeting or go to class, Bubb said. Now, meetings are scheduled around classes.
Another reason for the turnover may stem from personality conflicts within the group. During the shakeup in 2005, several members of the group complained of communication issues, lack of motivation and accountability.
Enscoe understands that sometimes things could have been handled differently.
“I think at times when people move on because they’re frustrated with personalities or they’re frustrated with prospects, those are times that I take a step back and say, okay, as an adviser, what pieces can I look at changing?” Enscoe said.
One of the biggest changes intended to stabilize the ASUWT concerns the elections process. Currently, senators and officers are elected both in the fall and in the spring. Enscoe says that those elected in the fall often are newcomers to UWT and have a shorter learning curve before starting their duties.
“They have a harder time assimilating to a group that is already bonded,” she said.
That lack of cohesion could change with the introduction of spring only elections planned for this year.
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