TRANSCRIPT

PRESIDENT ANNIE JOHNSTON'S MID YEAR ADDRESS

18 February, 2025 

Good evening faculty, staff, and student leaders, 

As we gather here today for ASA’s first Mid-Year Update, I want to express my sincerest appreciation and gratitude for your presence today! Prince and I planned this event as a way to share our accomplishments and progress with important stakeholders–which include all of you in this room, and the students that make our work even possible–as well as celebrating our student organizations and their hard work this year. So, thank you for everything that you do for Augustana and supporting the vibrant student life on campus! 

Before I provide a brief overview and progress report on our administration’s strategic plan, I think it is helpful to provide some historical context and background to hopefully answer the question of how we got here and what is in store for the future? So, without further adieu…

Last March, when Prince and I first decided to run as a ticket for ASA President and Vice-President, we hunkered down in Study Room 321 (arguably the best study room in the library) and brainstormed for several hours. We discussed our vision not only for our administration and the incoming Senate but also for the future of Augustana and its student body. With my experience of being on the Senate for three, going on four consecutive years, I had the opportunity to witness various leadership styles and ideas. I was fortunate to be in a position where I could sift through the events of the past three years and figure out what worked well, what didn’t work out so well, and what needed improvement. I threw out a variety of ideas, hopes, and goals—Prince did the same—and our vision ultimately cumulated into a ten-page strategic plan—a plan that we will share updates with you today. 

From the beginning, Prince and I knew that our mission would be guided by Augustana’s core values—Christian, service, the liberal arts, community, and excellence. With that in mind, we spent the bulk of our summer meeting with various departments across campus (which includes most of the faculty and administrators in the room) and our fellow peers—many of whom are in the room today. We gathered input, took lots of notes (all in total, the notes from the summer alone took up half my journal so lots to think about), and spent a period of time just before the start of the academic year to pause and reflect. Leaning on the conversations and interactions we had with everyone we met over the summer, the strategic plan emerged not solely as a “Prince and Annie” thing, but a collective vision. A vision that is only possible because of the hard work and effort of everyone in this room, and across campus. So, with that in mind, our collective vision has four pillars: Innovate at AU, Revamp the Viking Community Spirit, Sustainability in Practices, and Enduring Commitments. 

The first pillar, Revamp the Viking Community Spirit, focuses on creating and implementing programs that encourage student participation in campus events and activities—an area that has seen a decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. Engagement with ASA and ASA-related branches such as UBG, Viking Days, and SALT have seen an increased rate of board applications; ASA’s fall elections were notably competitive, with 13 candidates vying for three available seats. This suggests that marketing efforts have been increasing student engagement with our Tier One organizations on campus. Additionally, in the spirit of collaboration, ASA partnered with Viking Days for the traditional Feast; we also will be partnering with UBG for this Friday’s tailgating event for the Hockey game! We look forward to partnering with SALT in April for Earth Week; this will ensure more collaborative work not only as a University, but as student leaders, in advancing sustainability efforts around campus. We have met with the Athletics Department and the Student Athlete Advisory Council to connect with individuals that ASA has historically struggled to reach—student athletes. After meeting with Athletics and SAAC, we have implemented the Ole Advantage Loyalty Points Program which is a tiered loyalty system that rewards students for attending athletic events from the end of November through April. In thinking about the perfect incentives for college students (outside of free food), Prince and I thought how motivating it would be to compete against fellow peers for flight vouchers and go somewhere warm during a cold spell (like right now)! While this program has been in effect since November, we are already seeing a rise in student attendance at athletic events. The top five students who attend the most sporting events will win flight vouchers, popular sports branding clothes, and Augustana Athletics merchandise! 

We have also partnered with the Office of Faith and Spiritual Life to strengthen collaboration and integrate faith-based practices with key moments, such as this Mid-Year Update! Every year, ASA leadership invites Pr. Ann to speak at a full Senate meeting; and every year, the Senate discusses what it means to be “Rooted and Open” as a Lutheran institution, and as a student government a part of that institution. When Prince and I met with Pr. Ann over the summer, we discussed how ASA does a really great job of being open, but struggles to remain rooted. One small, yet nonetheless significant, step towards becoming a little more rooted in our efforts as a student body government was reintroducing a senator-led reflection at the start of each full Senate meeting. As of February, we have had the opportunity to listen to various reflections from our senators, highlighting their own faith-based or culturally significant practices, and how it informs their own leadership style. This has fostered rootedness and openness, setting the tone for more healthy and constructive debates in the Senate. 

Now, as a history major, I am super excited to share updates about our ASA History and Heritage Conservation Initiative, one of several of our fellowship programs that is designed to provide students with hands-on experience in their respective areas of study! We have welcomed three History fellows who will be celebrating and documenting ASA’s history since its founding in 1923. While some of us (mainly the seniors in the room) might remember key conflicts, events, or leaders from the past four years of ASA's history, anything beyond that is pretty much a mystery to most students. Who were the founding fathers of ASA? We don’t know but three fellows—Lilly Roberts, Amy Kim, and Mustafa Mumtaz—will be researching, documenting, and sharing their discoveries on ASA’s rich history spanning over 100 years. This will help us build a stronger, more well-rounded student government while looking to the future–it will also be exciting to spill the tea from nearly a century ago. 

The second pillar of our strategic plan, enduring commitments, includes enhancing integral components of campus life such as student well-being, safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and leadership development. In an effort to celebrate and educate the community about the rich diversity on our campus, Prince and I have been releasing strategic statements during holidays and festivals from various faith traditions and cultures represented at Augustana. These statements aim to foster inclusivity, promote cultural awareness, and honor the unique traditions that contribute to the vibrant nature of our community! As we look ahead to April, ASA will be hosting the annual Diversity Summit—an event designed to engage in discussion and learning about diversity on our campus, and at the local level. The Summit will take place on Saturday, April 12th from 11am-2pm in the FSC! Do not fret, we will be sending out personalized invitations and emails to all of you in the room as the date approaches! We hope to see you there. 

Our next fellowships, the American Forum and Viking Global Review, allow students to share their stories, ideas, and passions with the Augie community by conducting research on a topic that pertains to American values, culture or global affairs. We acknowledge the importance of providing college students with opportunities to write and publish qualitative work on critical issues affecting America and the world today; as college students, we occupy a unique space in society. We are on the awkward cusp between young adults and actual, real-life adulthood. Most of the issues that face America and the world today, such as healthcare or environmental justice, are issues that we have a stake in–not just for ourselves, but for our future. We look forward to the work and research of the American Forum fellows, Chilo Okafar and Alexxus Radel, on their topics. We also look forward to the work of our Viking Global Review fellows, Madisyn Stogsdill, Ava Brandt, and Henry Dornbusch. You can find more information about the topics of these fellows by scanning the QR code on the back of your brochures. 

As we began our term, Prince and I were mindful that we were serving during an election year—one that was particularly tense. Our vision was to be proactive in ensuring a civil and safe environment on campus where students could engage with the political process in a healthy manner. We partnered with the University’s Civility, Courage, and Curiosity election initiative in an effort to remind our community to practice civility and to encourage students to vote if they were eligible to do so. We were also aware of the distinct circumstances international students face as a national election year approaches; as students who are not eligible to vote yet are deeply affected by U.S. policy, Prince and I organized a safe space session solely for international students. This was an opportunity for international students to freely ask questions about the American political process to experts in the field! We are especially grateful to the IPO team for partnering with us on this initiative. Finally, in the spirit of celebrating a big event that only happens every four years, ASA, in collaboration with various student organizations and the Government Department, hosted the inaugural Election Watch Party Extravaganza on Election night. Initially, we projected attendance numbers to be around 100 to 150 students (election fatigue is a very real thing); however, I am pleased to say that the final number was over 300 students in attendance! I also want to issue an apology to our Campus Safety team who were perhaps more concerned about us being over the maximum occupancy in FSC113, so my sincere apologies but it was for a great event! Also, a massive thank you to all the faculty and administrators who generously dedicated their time to answer students’ election-related questions throughout the night. We appreciate your time and energy! 

Finally, our committee chairs have been working hard on key initiatives and projects. While I will only be highlighting a few incredible ones, I encourage you to reach out to these individuals if any peak your interest. The H&PR Committee, led by Senator Julie Seely, has been managing ASA’s social media marketing to enhance transparency about our work in addition to planning this Mid Year Update Event! The Diversity, Equity & Social Justice Committee, led by Senator Susana Gebrekidan, have been working since September to plan the annual Diversity Summit and make it the best one yet! The Curriculum Committee, led by Senator Abby Smith, have partnered with the Mikkelson Library to create a free library for students to donate their old textbooks or required reading materials from previous classes. The Sustainability in Housing and Dining Committee, led by Sen. Lydia Valenzuela-Rylaarsdam, have been hosting food trips for students that are in need of kosher or halal meals in addition to organizing the annual custodial/janitorial appreciation week! The Co-Curriculum Committee, led by Senator Gracen Juffer, have been working hard on a Sexual and Reproductive Health initiative in addition to coordinating an Emergency Preparedness series for students. [Applauds] Finally, our Finance Committee, led by our Treasurer, Noah Everson, have been busy managing ASA’s money in addition to simplifying the process for RSO’s to request and access ASA funds for events. 

As we look forward to the rest of the semester, I am incredibly grateful and proud of all the hard work we have accomplished. As I mentioned earlier, our strategic plan is not an individual vision, but a collective effort. An effort that is only possible because of all of you in the room today. I am also proud of the student leaders in this room who have been diligently organizing incredible events throughout the year, all while balancing their own academic responsibilities. You are all doing wonderful work, and I thank you for enhancing the student experience and life on this campus! With that being said, I will now turn it over to the Vice President, Prince Adhikari, to share his own updates. Thank you!

Read the Vice President's Address here. 

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