Students will soon have the chance to address academic concerns and talk openly about Western academics by being involved in the new Academic Affairs Council.

The council, chosen from students who applied through the Associated Students' Web site, will act as an open place for students to talk about concerns and changes in academics including classes, fees, policies and requirements, said Western junior and member of the council Nikki Brown.

“[Academics] is the common denominator for all students,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrea Goddard. “I feel that it is a very important part in school, and there is no place to talk about them.”

Many issues on campus have places to address them and resources to use but in terms of academics, there has never been an official group to respond to academic issues, Goddard said.

“It's good to know that if I do have an issue or question about academics, there is a place where I can talk to people who feel the same way, or who care about what I have to say,” Western junior Bridget Bannister said.
Brown said being involved with the council is a good way to learn more about academics at Western.

“It empowers students to learn more and to feel like they have a voice in what’s going on within the university,” Brown said.

Goddard said the goal of having a council is to represent the student body as a whole.

This will be accomplished by having a group of eight to 10 students from at least four different colleges and at least one student from each academic year, including at least one graduate student, form the council.

The council itself will take shape starting winter quarter and will meet one to two times per month, Goddard said.
Members of the council are not the only students who can talk openly about their concerns. The council will host quarterly open forums for students to get together and have the opportunity to bring their own concerns and questions.

The turnover of council members has not yet been determined, Goddard said.

“The council is important because it serves as an outlet for any student to come and voice their concerns about anything related to academics,” Brown said.

There are many resources on campus, like the advising center, to help guide students in their own academic career, but there is no place for students to be active in overall academics at Western, Western senior Ramon Rinonos-Diaz said. Even though there are resources for students to use, they are not taking advantage of the help they can provide, he said.  

“Your primary role at Western is being a student,” Rinonos-Diaz said. “All the other things that you do is secondary to getting an education.”

The council will serve as an advisory council for Goddard, who will use students’ feedback to expand her knowledge of concerns students have in order to deal with the proposed issues.

“I am hoping to get a larger [idea] of what students go through,” Goddard said.

She said it’s difficult to generalize academic concerns when a lot of it comes from people she knows and talks to on a regular basis, which leaves out a large number of students who aren’t able to share their ideas.

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