The Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) is one of two Student Governments on campus at the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

, the other being the Graduate and Professional Student Senate

Graduate and Professional Student Senate

The University of Washington Graduate and Professional Student Senate is the official student government for graduate and professional students at the University of Washington. GPSS is made up of two senators from each degree-granting department, four officers and several staff members...

. It is funded and supported by student fees, and provides services that directly and indirectly benefit them.

More information can be found at http://wiki.asuw.org

The ASUW was incorporated in the State of Washington on April 20, 1906 . On April 30th, 1932 the ASUW assisted in the incorporation of the University Bookstore which has been in continuous operation at the same location on University Way for over 70 years.

Board of Directors

The Board is the executive body of the association. The president, vice president, and six at-large members of the Board of Directors are elected at the end of each academic year for the following year. The other members of the ASUW Board of Directors are the Graduate and Professional Student Senate Secretary, the Student Senate Vice-Chair, the Personnel Director and the Finance & Budget Director.

The ASUW President for 2011-2012 is Conor McLean of Vancouver, WA.

Student Senate

The ASUW Student Senate comprises students from campus organizations, living groups, and the ASUW diversity commissions. Every week they gather to discuss issues important to students at the University of Washington and establish resolutions of student opinion. These resolutions help guide the Board of Directors, faculty & staff, and student volunteers representing the ASUW on Shared Governance Committees. All students are welcome to submit legislation for the Senate to debate, but only Senators may vote.

Diversity

ASUW provides funding for programming and advocates on behalf of issues affecting groups that have faced historical or social discrimination through its Commissions. There are currently eight different commissions that host events relating to educational goals. For instance, the La Raza Commission focuses primarily on promoting awareness and advocacy for the Latino/Chicano community, and the Black Student Union focuses primarily on promoting awareness and advocacy for the African American/African community. Every Commission is run by a Director, and the Joint Commissions Committee is a committee for these organizations to coordinate efforts for various combined causes and activities, and is chaired by the Director of Diversity Efforts, a member of the ASUW Board of Directors.

Experimental College

The ASUW Experimental College is the largest not-for-profit student-run program of its kind. The college, part of the ASUW, was created in 1968 by several University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

 students seeking to provide the campus and surrounding community with a selection of classes not offered on the university curriculum. They publish over 100,000 catalogs a quarter and offer over 200 courses located at the University, the University District, and other locations within Seattle.

Other Officers and Activities

ASUW has an Office of Governmental Relations, which coordinates students with their representation in local, state and federal government, as well as lobbies on behalf of the UW student population. The Legislative Steering Committee (LSC) determines the legislative agenda for ASUW each year.

ASUW's Arts & Entertainment department funds movies and concerts, in addition to many other different events on campus. ASUW has coordinated the appearances of artists like the The Shins

The Shins

The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...

, Mos Def

Mos Def

Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...

 and Michael Ian Black

Michael Ian Black

Michael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...

.