The Undergraduate Student Government at ASU makes crucial decisions regarding the student body and budget, but not many know what goes on behind the scenes. Here is a breakdown of what USG does for students at ASU.
What is USG?
USG represents the undergraduate student body at ASU to the Arizona Board of Regents, the Arizona State Legislature and ASU administration. USG advocates for students' voices within campus decisions, according to the organization's webpage on ABOR's website.
There are four undergraduate student governments, one for each campus along with an all-encompassing Graduate Student Government. These five government bodies make up the Associated Students of ASU.
All USG bodies are under one constitution while GSG follows their own. There are talks in play to create a unified ASASU constitution that all governments follow for the coming year, USG-T President Mason DoVico.
USG-Tempe
USG-T has the largest government body — they represent 55% of ASU's student population in person and online, according to DoVico. The remainder of the population is split between the four other bodies, including online populations.
USG-T oversees about $4 million worth of student funds that come from a $35 payment every student makes within tuition. There are three main budgets in USG-T.
The first is a transfer out, which is funding that is given to large organizations on campus like the Programming and Activities Board, the Council of Coalitions, Changemaker Central at Tempe, Sun Devil Child Care Subsidy, the crisis fund and more, DoVico said.
The second largest budget is the appropriations budget, which is about $1 million, DoVico said. This budget includes travel and professional development, participatory budgets and the executive departments.
And the final budget goes toward senate scholarships and staffing. The largest sum of money used on staffing is with the Bike Co-Op and Safety Escort salaries for student workers.
These salaries benefit campus students and provide some of the highest-paid student job opportunities.
USG-T also manages resources and organizations that affect students.
Currently, USG-T is working with dining services for more diverse food options. And with the new federal administration, many students fear policy changes with LGBTQ+ resources. DoVico spoke with Joanne Vogel, the vice president of Student Services, about how the resources were simply moved to a place that is more student-centric, DoVico said.
READ MORE: Students argue against changes to LGBTQ+ resources, administrators defend
This year there has been an emphasis on wanting to create a more welcoming atmosphere in USG-T for students. USG-T reconfigured its office to do so, and there are plans to acquire more technology in the office to engage with the student body, DoVico said.
DoVico's crowning achievement this term has been to redo USG-T's bylaws to make them more accessible for students to understand.
USG-West Valley
Sedra Shahin is the president for the USG-WV campus where she represents the 5,000 students on campus.
Shahin's priorities this term include trying to extend the campus library hours past 10 p.m. and ensuring safe lighting in dark spots on campus and campus infrastructure.
"Red Bull with the President" is a tabling event Shahin does almost biweekly to connect with the students she serves on a larger level. With the feedback she receives, her chief of staff writes a report and from there they divide and conquer the concerns.
A distinctive resource USG-WV offers is the lending library, a program where students can donate old textbooks and allow other students to use them for free.
This year USG-WV was able to remodel its Zen Den which is a mediation and prayer space on campus. It is a place for students to de-stimulate between classes.
USG-WV also hosts resource Mondays on a biweekly basis. This is where they highlight different on-campus resources to students via Instagram.
USG-Downtown
The USG Downtown President Seanika Mathis said one of the biggest challenges this year is connecting with online students and making sure they are welcomed and represented accurately.
Last year's student body president proposed an initiative to host spring community projects on the Downtown Phoenix campus. The two projects funded include plans to expand the downtown garden and an application designed to deconstruct geographic and socioeconomic disparities to create more accessible healthcare environments.
A large concern for downtown students is feeling unsafe walking in Civic Space Park. Drew Stanek, the vice president of policy, said a big accomplishment this year was being able to have park rangers or the ASU Police Department at the park for almost 24 hours a day.
An underutilized resource that Mathis said she believes is important for students to use is the crisis fund. This budget is funded by all five student governments, and any student can apply through Sun Devil Sync and be awarded once per academic year.
According to the crisis fund website, this aid may be the difference between dropping out and staying in school for students who have exhausted all other financial options during an emergency.
USG-Polytechnic
Shaurya Manglik serves as the president of the USG-P campus. Manglik said an important part of his job is making sure he represents and understands the 5,000 students of the Polytechnic campus.
Manglik's main goal from day one of his presidency was to change the image that many people associate with the Polytechnic campus.
"When I came to ASU (at) first, I heard Poly is a dead campus, there's nothing around Poly, nothing happens on Poly," Manglik said.
He has led initiatives that have fought to combat this stereotype, and last year there were about 900 events at the Polytechnic campus, which Manglik called a big achievement.
USG-P does not just advocate for changes students want to see, but they work with whoever they can to make them happen, Manglik said.
USG-P partnered with Uber to give students codes for up to $25 to get to Tempe when shuttles are not operating. The program was expanded to also include rides to the airport.
Overall
All four campuses host health and wellness carts where students have access to basic necessities ranging from sexual health and menstrual products to everyday hygiene.
The four USG presidents said they believe the professional development fund is the most underutilized resource for students. Through this fund, students can receive financial help with travel for student initiatives pertaining to school, professional clothing, competitions, LinkedIn Premium, professional exams and more.
USG is made for students, and all four presidents urge students to connect, share feedback and ensure their voices are heard.
Edited by Senna James, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at nrodri74@asu.edu.
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Natalia is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in creative writing. This is her second semester at The State Press.
