By: Brianna Bonham 
Staff Writer

According to their page on OrgSync, ASWOU promises to encompass all students of Western Oregon University and to advocate for their rights to the administration, the state of Oregon, and to the nation.

I am a first year student here at Western and I, like many others, am starting to finally settle in here on campus.

I have been writing and taking photos for The Journal since I’ve been here, and I was to write an article this week describing specifically what ASWOU does for the community of Western, and the changes they are making this year to better serve our campus community.

I went down to the office on Monday morning to interview a member of ASWOU and walked back to my dorm empty-handed. There was no one available to talk to, and the president’s hours conflicted with my class schedule.

Tuesday was the same story. At this point I was nervous because the deadline for my article was fast approaching, and I had yet to write a single word.

Wednesday afternoon I finally found two members of ASWOU and felt a wave of relief. I talked to them and was then told to talk to the president, Corbin Garner, who was in a meeting at the time, or to talk to the vice president. Coincidentally, the vice president of ASWOU does not exist at the moment as they were previously unable to fill the position in the last elections.

ASWOU, like The Journal, is funded by the Incidental Fees Committee and receives a portion of the fees collected from students every term. However, someone from The Journal is always available upon entrance to Terry House, or can be reached easily with a quick phone call. I personally believe that if a student organization like ASWOU benefits from student fees, even if that amount is small, at least one person should be willing and able to serve the students of Western.

All I know about ASWOU is that they promise to be a representative voice of the students of Western, and they encourage students to let their voices be heard.

How are we supposed to be heard when ASWOU is not listening? The frustration of not being able to complete my job should not be an issue, especially when it involves people that promise to be leaders and communicators.