The governance of the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) is in good hands next year if election results are any indication.
Two Informatics students, Christina Xiao and Amber Amin, won the ASUW presidency and the director of policy and procedures positions respectively. They will join ten others who will serve on the ASUW board of directors, eight of whom are elected by the students.
The board provides a variety of services to students and advocates for them by sitting on University and faculty committees, lobbying state and national lawmakers, and working closely with faculty, administration and community leaders.
Xiao and Amin were both significantly involved with ASUW prior to the elections, so this represents a natural progression for them.
As president and CEO, Xiao will be the official spokesperson of the ASUW on campus and in the greater community. She is passionate about equal access to opportunities for every student on the UW campus and wants to focus on reducing the overall cost of education.
“Building on the ASUW's Student Debt Reduction Working Group's efforts to define affordability, we will work towards achieving for a financial model that is actually affordable and makes it feasible for students to work their way through school,” says Xiao. “This includes advocating for lower tuition as well as addressing housing, transportation, and other additional academic costs.”
Amin will serve as parliamentarian of the board of directors, ensuring compliance with its bylaws and constitution while ensuring transparency in the governing process. Her prior UW involvements, including Student Senate and committees, Greek leadership, the Greek Voice newspaper, the UW Leaders program as a mentor, multiple elections campaigns, and the RSO (Registered Student Organization) Child Rights and You, give her a solid foundation from which to govern.
“By being involved all over campus, as well as through ASUW, what I’ve come to be most passionate about is bringing together the voices of diverse students,” says Amin.
It is no surprise, then, that Xiao and Amin chose Informatics for their majors. The degree will allow them to use technology and information to serve people in a holistic way once they graduate.
“Technology is empowering,” says Amin. “It is making people’s lives easier, and in some cases, is making people’s lives possible. This is thrilling to me. I am studying informatics because the human component of technology is what makes this field so exciting to be a part of!”