At ASMSU’s Thursday  committee meetings last week, only one  bill was presented to any of the committees, with a minor bill being voted on by the policy committee . ASMSU officials, recognizing this, made an effort to spur representatives to talk to the deans of their respective colleges, if applicable, and to go out and talk to their constituents.

After a question was raised to two of the committees if any of the representatives had actually gone out and met with their constituents, a very small number of representatives raised their hands.

Chief of Staff Kiran Samra  made a point that in order for people to care about ASMSU, representatives are going to have to do things worth caring about.

Since this is the fall semester, the first in ASMSU for many of the representatives, some could be having trouble adjusting to the demands of being a representative, Samra said.

“A lot of them are new and getting acclimated to what being a rep is, so right now they’re a little bit more concerned with trying to learn the ropes and not mess things up,” Samra said.

ASMSU President James Conwell  and Vice President for Finance and Operations  Greg Jackson  each encouraged representatives to talk to them for ideas or help in reaching out to those they represent.

Jackson reminded them that they are the face of one of the largest and most powerful student governments in the country. They run a large organization, relatively independent from the university, a luxury many university student governments don’t enjoy, Jackson added.

Conwell spoke to representatives after the committee meetings and said many were excited to progress in ASMSU efforts.

Conwell appealed to the committees’ influence to spur them forward.

“You have the power to make a difference,” Conwell said. “Don’t let that slip through your hands.”