The ASFLC: How it Works
When I was assigned this story about the ASFLC, it was the biggest story I had done at that point. I was proactive in contacting sources, and I interviewed all of my sources in the same day. That taught me how nice it is to have interviews out of the way instead of scrambling at the last minute. I also think this story proved myself to the editors, since my work was a bit shaky at the beginning of the semester.
The Associated Students of Fort Lewis College is the student body’s representation. They meet every week and deal with issues that are pertinent to the student population at FLC.
The ASFLC is made up of a president and vice president executive team, 11 senators, two parliamentarians and two advisors.
Senators can sit on various boards and committees, but two positions, the Financial Allocation Board director and the administrative assistant, are filled by students who are not senators.
Senate
ASFLC senators are the bridge between students and the ASFLC as well as college administration, Meryl Ramsey, senator and speaker of the senate said.
The ASFLC cannot overturn a decision made by college administration, but the administration does listen to ASFLC input, Ramsey said.
“I think that administration definitely respects our voice,” Ramsey said.
The main job of ASFLC senators is to pass resolutions, she said.
There are two main types of resolutions that senators typically deal with, Ramsey said.
One type of resolution is a resolution that gives the ASFLC’s stance on an issue or current event. Recently, The ASFLC came out in support of the Native American Education Act and the FLC Common Ground statement, Ramsey said.
The other type of resolution deals with rules. An example of these rules that the ASFLC deals with are rules that registered student organizations must follow in order to keep their funding, she said.
There are multiple ways that FLC students can be involved with their senators, Ramsey said.
Senators are required to have office hours, which students can visit, and the senate student services committee has a suggestion box that is placed around campus where submissions can be made, she said.
Ideas for Innovation is an annual event where students can present their ideas to the ASFLC in a more formal manner. The event is typically held in January. The disc golf course on campus is an idea that originated at the Ideas for Innovation event, Ramsey said.
The ASFLC has also been instrumental in the construction of new buildings on campus such as the Student Life Center, Connor Cafferty, ASFLC president, said.
If a student makes a suggestion that senators feel is important to FLC, a senator can sponsor the idea and bring it up for discussion at an ASFLC meeting. If the ASFLC agrees, a resolution is proposed and voted on. Once a resolution is passed it goes into effect as determined by the ASFLC.
The senators are elected to one year terms by way of popular vote, Ramsey said.
ASFLC senators receive a $500 scholarship per semester if they meet certain requirements, Cafferty said.
The $500 scholarship is given out at the end of the semester, as a cashable check, Cafferty said in an email.
Senators are only allowed two excused absences per semester in order to retain the full amount of their scholarship, and they forfeit the entire amount if they resign mid-semester, according to bylaw XI of the ASFLC constitution.
If a senate seat becomes open mid-year, a replacement is appointed by the ASFLC. The appointed senator must run for reelection in the next year if they wish to continue, Ramsey said.
Appointed senators receive a prorated scholarship amount, according to bylaw XI.
This year the ASFLC has put in place a new policy for students running for the position of senator, Ramsey said. Senate candidates must attend one meeting and all of the candidate forums, as well as meet individually with the executive team to better understand the responsibilities of being a senator, she said.
Executive Board
The executive board is made up of the president, vice president and speaker of the senate.
The ASFLC president sits on a number of committees including the Board of Trustees, College Budget Committee, Institution Review Board, Strategic Enrollment Planning Council and the college president’s Cabinet, Cafferty said.
“On each of those committees, you try to speak up on behalf of the students,” Cafferty said.
As a member of the college president’s cabinet, Cafferty meets weekly with President Dene Kay Thomas.
The president and ASFLC have input on campuswide financial issues. Topics that have been discussed recently are increased tuition, increased mandatory student fees, new course-specific fees and college enrollment, Cafferty said.
The ASFLC president also engages with the Colorado State Legislature since FLC is a publicly funded institution, he said. A big part of that is the Joint Budget Committee, which makes budget recommendations to the Colorado General Assembly.
Many of these meetings are closed door, so the ASFLC president has the job of representing the student body to the college administration, he said.
“I wouldn’t say you have control of very much, but because you are so informed with what’s happening around campus, it gives the opportunity for you to steer the dialogue a lot,” Cafferty said.
For instance, on March 17, ASFLC members traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with United States representatives from Colorado, Cafferty said.
Cafferty led the ASFLC to come up with a resolution in support of the Native American Education Act that was recently introduced in the United States Congress, he said.
Every week Cafferty gives a report on what he has been doing involving the college administration, and senators can give feedback, he said.
The job of the vice president is to manage senators and maintain order at meetings, Cafferty said.
Recent resolutions have been regarding student fees and Registered Student Organizations, Ramsey said.
This semester, the ASFLC allocated $135,000 to RSOs II and IIIs, Lauren Smith, the Financial Allocation Board director, said.
Smith said that it is hard to say what percent that number is of total student fees collected, but she estimates that it is about $1.50 per credit hour, she said.
Every year, RSOs present to the ASFLC and request an amount of money for their budget, Smith said. RSO’s can also come to the ASFLC for travel and event grants, she said.
The ASFLC has a budget just like any other RSO. The ASFLC is an RSO II, so they present their budget and vote on it, she said.
RSO’s budgets depend on if they meet certain requirements. If RSO’s do not submit meeting minutes or come to required meetings, their budgets will get cut, Smith said.
This semester the ASFLC has been working on resolutions to hold RSO’s more accountable.
“The students need to elect candidates who will hold RSO’s accountable,” Smith said in an email.
Financial
The Financial Allocation Board is made up of the director, three senators and two students at large.
The director is hired position by the executive board and is paid state minimum wage for their work, Smith said.
The administrative assistant is also a hired position. The executive team interviews and hires for the next academic year in the spring, Cafferty said.
The money for these positions paychecks comes out of the ASFLC’s RSO II budget.
ASFLC’s RSO II allotted budget also goes toward ASFLC events and things such as free legal advice for FLC students, Smith said.
The table is governed by a constitution. A version of the constitution is available for any student to view on the ASFLC website. The most up to date version is available by contacting the ASFLC.
There are two parliamentarians, whose job is to help the table reference the constitution, Cafferty said.