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The University of Washington Tacoma announced on April 24 the officers of next year’s student government. 328 votes were counted, an increase from last year’s voter turnout of 113.

Even though the new officers haven’t had their first meeting yet, some of them already have goals for next year. The main goal is to increase school spirit with what next year’s vice president, Ray Shepherd, calls “Husky fever.”

Shepherd believes that the UWT campus needs to encourage Husky fever by proudly displaying purple and gold. Currently, the campus bookstore seems to be the place where all of the Husky pride is housed. Shepherd would like to see all that purple and gold move out of the bookstore and spread across the whole campus. Shepherd’s goal for next year is to hang UWT banners along Pacific Avenue so that everyone will know UWT is a proud university with lots of Husky pride. He not only believes that the banners will inform the community that we’re here, but it will also help encourage Husky fever in the students.

“Right now, the campus blends in with the museums across the street, but we’re not a museum. However, once the campus starts looking like a university you’ll start to see more purple and gold [worn by the students],” Shepherd said.

The officers believe that Husky fever will cause an increase in student involvement. This year, most of the events held on campus were plagued with low attendance rates. The 2007-2008 ASUWT plan on increasing student involvement next year by encouraging Husky fever and creating what next year’s president, Wil Johnson, calls a sense of family on campus. According to Johnson, what this means is that students need to take pride in their school and get acquainted with each other.

“One of the things I have noticed, not only on this campus, but also in our communities, is that people do not take time to talk to each other. I have had classes with people and sadly admit that I don’t even know their names, much less anything else. We have to get beyond that. The first step for me is just setting the example. I try to at least say hi, or introduce myself to people when I see them,” Johnson said.

Johnson believes that creating a sense of family on campus will increase student involvement because “people are more likely to attend [an event] if it is put on by someone they know or if someone they know asks them to attend,” he said.

Along with Husky fever and creating a sense of family on campus, the officers do plan on using tangible resources, like marketing.

“Everyone holding an event needs to give ample time, at least two weeks in advance, because sometimes I don’t even see the [advertisements] until I’m in the bathroom standing at the urinal and I look up and see the poster on the wall. Then I realize, oh, that event was yesterday,” Shepherd said.

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