Associated Students of Oregon State University, a voice for students
February 22, 2021
The Associated Students of Oregon State University represent every student at OSU. It is an organization to promote academic excellence and encourage the intellectual, social, cultural and physical development of the student body.
ASOSU has worked to serve and represent the student population for more than 100 years. It was established in 1900 as the result of organizing done by students to raise money for the football team which was in debt at the time.
By 1927, the term “Associated Students” was used and ASOSU became the sole campus organization with general authority over all student enterprises.
ASOSU includes the Student Government Association, the Office of Advocacy, Student Legal Services and SafeRide. The Student Government Association specifically includes three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.
The executive branch comprises the executive cabinet, task force directors, support staff and professional staff who focus on direct-action organizing and promoting student resources and services.
Zach Garrow, coordinator of Veteran Affairs at OSU, said via email, “As a member of ASOSU and more specifically as the coordinator of Veteran Affairs, I advocate for and work with members of the military community to engage students at OSU on issues affecting veterans and others included in the military community, as well as highlight resources and spearhead initiatives related to this community.”
Each team in the executive branch collaborates together and independently in order to advocate for students and create events and initiatives.
“We work to make sure students have easy access to all kinds of resources, are informed about events and are able to easily reach out to anyone on our team for advocacy in various areas,” Dari Edwards, director of public affairs at ASOSU, said via email. “Right now, one of our largest goals is to increase following and engagement on our social media channels so we can get information and resources out to more of our students—we want the student body to have a better understanding of what we do and how we are here for support always.”
The legislative branch is led by members of the ASOSU House of Representatives and the Senate who focus on direct-action organizing through legislation and budgeting.
“We primarily oversee fiscal and financial responsibilities regarding not only ASOSU fundings but also assisting with student fee processes such as contingency fee requests,” said Chase Pettibone, speaker of the house for ASOSU.
The judicial branch is led by seven students who focus on upholding the constitution of ASOSU and providing checks and balances to the legislative branch.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASOSU also supports OSU students via some assistance resources like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Human Services Resource Center or OSU’s COVID-19 updates.
“[We] raise awareness of Student Legal Services as a resource for students facing landlord or ten– ant disputes and other legal concerns, especially in light of COVID-19, and reduction of the stu– dent incidental fee of $353.30 by 11%,” Garrow said via email.
More than an organization, ASOSU is a place where each member acts as a voice for OSU students.
“As a member of ASOSU, you get that experience to represent your fellow students, represent your peers and represent those that you’re in class with,” Pettibone said.
ASOSU works on student issues through direct-action organizing. It is also devoted to uniting student communities within the university and promoting student success.
“ASOSU is not only the student government, but an organization of dedicated students that care about advocacy and the betterment of our OSU community as a whole. We work on increasing diversity, advocating for those diverse voices and making changes to make the university a more welcoming and accepting place for everyone,” Edwards said.