Every student comes to UW-Madison with different expectations, especially when it comes to something like student government. After all, we’ve all seen how high school student governments work — by mainly planning dances and bake sales, they could hardly be considered a government. But here at UW, the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), your student government, is different, endowed with an immense amount of power and responsibility.

So what are we? ASM is one of the most powerful student governments in the country. In Wisconsin, it is state law that students have the responsibility to participate in the governing of the university. We appoint students to participate on over 50 university committees that have a daily impact on your experience as a student. We allocate almost $40 million in student segregated fees, paid out of your tuition, to everything from student groups to the Wisconsin Union to University Health Services. And we execute crucial services for the students of this university. We cherish this opportunity — this responsibility — and we hope you take advantage of it as well.

In fact, ASM could just as easily stand for Advocacy, Services and Membership. We have developed a strong reputation with university administration, allowing student voices to be heard when they had previously been excluded. Through our lobbying arm we have been able to influence policymakers at the City and State level; UW is, after all, a large portion of the city and just a few blocks from the State Capitol. We have even made contacts at the national level. ASM sends a delegation to the annual Big Ten Lobbying Summit held at our nation’s capital, an event created by ASM leadership.

ASM also provides a great deal of services for students. Not only do we fund countless student groups, but we also provide students with a bus pass every year. Through the Student Activity Center at 333 East Campus Mall we provide a space on campus for students to hang out, study, get office space and reserve meeting rooms. Every year we run a textbook swap that saves students over $15,000 on ridiculously high-priced books. And that is just the beginning.

Our organization could not be complete, however, without membership. As with every institution, we need volunteers, we need committee members and we need leaders. Getting involved is easy, just email us at [email protected], contact Chair Brandon Williams at [email protected], visit us at asm.wisc.edu or come to our office on the fourth floor of the Student Activity Center.

ASM has not always been so productive, and for years we have been characterized by petty infighting and gridlock. But this year ASM has made a commitment to be an organization for students, run by students. This year, we have made a promise to you, the students, to be an organization that gets things done. We are throwing away the stigma of previous ASM administrations and starting anew, with a new list of real, tangible goals that can drastically improve life on campus. We challenge ourselves to do this, and we challenge you to hold us to our word.

Brandon Williams, chair
Adam Johnson, vice chair