A.S. councilmembers greeted students on Library Walk last
week as part of their renewed attempts to expand face time with their
constituents and raise awareness about the council’s services, after a Fall
Quarter that some of the council’s own members described as publicly stagnant.
On Jan. 22, the first day of A.S. Visibility Week’s
three-day program, members made a final push to register students to vote in
time for next week’s primary election. The registration drive also served as a
vehicle to distribute nonpartisan voter guides, information about on-campus
polling stations and free T-shirts.
According to Vice President of External Affairs Dorothy
Young, members collected more than 200 registration cards.
Young has led registration drives through her office over
the 2007-08 school year, but last week’s drive was unique because it was
supported by members outside of the External Affairs Office.
“This was an opportunity to show that it was an A.S.
[Council] registration drive,” Young said. “I think having other people brought
in new students.”
On Jan. 23 the focus shifted to promoting A.S. services.
Councilmembers distrubuted free Chipotle burritos while signing up
approximately 40 students for A.S. Safe Ride and distributing information about
the “Dine with a Prof” program.
President Marco Murillo said the free food also attracted
more than 100 students who filled out surveys about A.S. services. The surveys
evaluated campuswide awareness about the Academic Success Program, the UCSD
Internet-based radio station KSDT and the council’s funding of student
organizations, among other things.
“We wanted to gauge the opinion of students,” Murillo said,
adding that he hopes the results will help direct the council’s publicity
efforts and identify which services students use most.
Last week the council joined UCSD Cares in hosting a gift
card drive for the victims of the
wildfires.
Murillo said the drive started off “a little slow” when the
organizers were forced to move to the
When the weather improved later in the day, the group migrated back to Library
Walk for the week’s final event.
“I was surprised,” Murillo said of the Visibility Week
activities. “A lot of students asked questions about how to get involved with
A.S.”
According to Murillo, the program marked the first time the
council maintained a presence on Library Walk for three consecutive days. Past
council “visibility” events have usually been one-day affairs.
Murillo said that the idea for a multiday visibility program
first arose during council elections last spring. He wanted to recreate some of
the excitement and attention surrounding the council and its services that he
saw during the two weeks of campaigning on Library Walk leading up to election
day.
Murillo said that although the council succeeded in raising
visibility early in the school year with a karaoke night that 300 students
attended, he wants to “keep up that momentum” throughout the year.
The council will host another visibility week next quarter,
according to Murillo. He said that he’d like to expand it to a five-day program
and publicize it better in the future.
Young echoed Murillo’s sentiments.
“I think it’s a good start,” she said. “If students don’t
know what we’re doing, then we’re not doing our job.”