Guest Column

Dear Colleagues,

It is with a heavy heart that we type our last letter for the Grisham-Morgan ASOSU Administration. At noon on June 1, 2017, we officially transitioned into the new Administration of ASOSU, which will be led by Simon Brundage, president, and Radhika Shah, vice president.

We wanted to take a moment to convey how incredible our experience has been this past year. Through all of the projects, work groups, committees, emails, phone calls and meetings, we have seen so many students around us develop into engaged citizens. Additionally, we have been able to identify areas where the university is excelling in addressing student issues and other areas where we need to continue to work on. We certainly would not have been able to complete this year without your help, and for that we are incredible thankful.

Over the year, every day has been a new opportunity to serve students in a different way. Some days were more challenging than others, but we knew we had a responsibility to the student body. Reflecting on this past year brings memories both good and bad, but overall we would not have changed anything.

This past year, we have decreased the pay of the president and vice president, worked to increase accessibility to the ASOSU Elections, created new positions, worked on free-speech efforts on campus, combatted white supremacy, written over 10 issue briefs, testified at over 15 different hearings in Salem, addressed issues with the Student Fee process and several other projects related to affordability, inclusivity and community safety (the three pillars of our platform). We are proud of the work that we have accomplished this year with and for students.

We know that ASOSU is in good hands, but don’t ever forget to hold your student government accountable. ASOSU is known for receiving a lot of criticism, but oftentimes it is well-deserved. We must continue to strive for transparency, accountability and accessibility with not only the student government, but all agencies that work to serve the public.

ASOSU and Oregon State University will always have a special place in our hearts and I know we will return to serve you in a different capacity some day.

Kindly Yours,

Rachel Grisham, ASOSU President

Brett M. Morgan, ASOSU Vice President