Social Workers with Power:
My Vision for the Future of ASM

The vast majority of students at UW-Madison either do not know what Student Council is and does, or do not have a favorable opinion of it. It's hard to get new students involved in ASM, and to get them active in campaigns.

I've often heard this blamed on the campus media. People feel that the Badger Herald and the Daily Cardinal do a bad job reporting the happenings of ASM. While this may well be true, it's hardly their fault that the campus papers are the only way that most students interface with student government. It's both disingenuous and lazy to shift all of the blame to the papers without taking a look at what ASM's elected representatives could be doing better.

If you take a look at how most student representatives see themselves and their jobs, there is a common thread, no matter their political ideology. They feel they are responsible for keeping the University headed in the right direction. They see a need to focus on important policy discussions that affect thousands of students, or even the entire university. Discussions and action around the New Badger Partnership and affordability dominate their time.

These things need to be done, and they need to be done well. However, I believe representatives have another, equally important responsibility, one that will connect them better to students and increase the profile of ASM on campus. A student should be able to come into the ASM office with a problem they are having at the university, whether it be with financial aid, housing, or their job, and they should be taken care of. An ASM representative should talk with them, and if it is reasonable, solve their problem. They should help students navigate the maze of administrative systems. In short, they should work as social workers, but social workers who actually have power to change the system when it does not serve the interests of the people it is for. This will have a significant positive impact on the view students have of ASM, and provide a good opportunity to bring people in and get them involved.

This does not require ASM representatives knowing the financial aid system inside out, or exactly how all the housing rules and regulations work. It simply requires that they know someone who does, and who can fix the problem, such as an administrator or staff member in that area. Instead of simply pointing the student to this person, the representative should contact the person who can fix it and request that the student's problem be fixed. A few days later, he/she should follow up with the student and the person helping.

If the student still has the problem, the issue should be pressed. If the administrator is dragging their feet, or refusing to help, the other avenues should be pursued, such as contacting a boss or co-worker. If this fails, the student on the shared governance committee relating to this area should be contacted. If none exists, or they are also not helpful, a new one should be put in place.

Most ASM members see their job in the same way that members of congress do, and act accordingly. This is the wrong model. They should act more like a city council member. And it's no wonder people tend to like their city council better than they do congress.

While interning at the office of a council member in New York City, I got to see the diverse range of constituents that came in and the problems they brought. Someone would call in with a problem with a noisy neighbor, and some one would walk in having a dispute with their landlord. People needed assistance getting low-income housing, or food stamps. In each of these cases, they had ether tried the traditional avenues or they had no idea where to start. When they contacted the city council member, they were taken care of and given the help they needed.

ASM is far from this right now, but it's possible to bring it closer. The hardest part is starting the ball rolling. Right now, new representative see what is current going on and copy that. If we can start slowly instilling a different culture now, future representatives will enter a different system.

Right now, there are not many people coming in needing help. This is not because students don't need it, it's because they don't see ASM as a resource for this. If students that need help start getting it, and enough publicity is received (possible with help from the press office), more people will start coming in.

In the end, it's up to the representatives how they act and what kind of a body they want ASM to be. I hope that they consider this the next time someone comes in needing help.