The Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, published the 2017 Fall Report, providing a detailed overview of the budget, services and new programs the organization brought to the university as well as goals for the upcoming semester.
Here are some of the key points from the report.
The general fund
ASMSU’s starting general fund balance was $80,010.90 to allocate to specific initiatives or put back into the fund.
Forty-two percent of the general fund, $33,500.00, was allocated and the ending balance was $46,510.90.
The final total reflects the total monetary amount of bills passed through the General Assembly in the fall of 2017.
ASMSU services
In the fall of 2017, the organization provided 1,230 iClickers to students and purchased 28 more for the spring semester.
Fifty-two graphing calculators were ordered for the upcoming semester as well, and 59 were checked out last semester.
ASMSU also gave $34,450 in loans to students through its ASMSU Loan Program and printed 6,676 pages through its Print/Copy Service.
Along with those services, 7,350 blue books were given out last semester.
Additionally, 1,013 students received help and advice through the Student Legal Services and 25 cases were opened through the Student Rights Advocates.
Of these cases, 11 received hearings.
Lastly, 4,100 Red Cedar Log yearbooks were distributed out of the 7,000 printed.
Safe Ride
After presenting the Safe Ride initiative about one year ago, the program officially launched Sept. 4, 2017.
There will be a vote for the Safe Ride program tax this spring.
As of last semester, Safe Ride has given 3,000 rides to more than 4,500 passengers and most rides are completed from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a median wait time of approximately 15 minutes.
ASMSU hopes to increase Safe Ride customer service, continue to work with TransLoc—the software used for the application—and prepare for the tax vote this spring.
Know Your Rights Night
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The fall semester of 2017 was the first time ASMSU’s Academic Affairs department and Students Rights Advocates hosted an Academic Know Your Rights Night.
This event aimed to inform students about their rights and responsibilities at the university, academic misconduct and the Code of Teaching Responsibility.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Ewurama Appiagyei-Dankah hopes to increase the program’s attendance in the future and hold multiple sessions throughout the semester.
Sustainability initiatives
Last semester, the Governmental Affairs office worked on sustainability efforts by advocating for more efficient recycling opportunities in places like apartments, working on an initiative that resulted in the recycling of more than 6,000 plastic bags and limiting on-campus plastic bag usage.
These efforts will carry over into the next semester.
Internal administration
ASMSU appointed 11 representatives from the colleges of Business, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Music, No Preference, Communication Arts and Sciences, Arts and Letters and Veterinary Medicine in the first round which went from Aug. 28 to Sept. 21, 2017, and five representatives in the second from the colleges of Natural Sciences, Nursing, Communication Arts and Sciences and Arts and Letters.
ASMSU also expanded its mentorship program with participation from more than 70 members.
Student allocations
The Student Allocations Board funded 42 Registered Student Organizations, or RSOs, allocating $112,259 for these groups, programs and student activities .
Ten startup groups were approved for $300 grants and $120,479.29 went toward the funding of 12 activity department events and projects put on by the CORES and COPs groups.
