Hi Hornets!
As the semester wraps up, I would like to share with you all some of the amazing work we are doing at ASI. As your student government, we have a responsibility to ensure we represent the interests of the student body through the implementation of innovative programs, services, and initiatives that enrich student lives.

On November 29th, the ASI Board of Directors voted on awarding 30 ASI scholarships ranging in amounts from $500-1000. We are excited to share that we are proposing raising all ASI scholarships to $1000 at our next board meeting. More exciting still, we are also proposing allocating $10000 to create a new scholarship program to help cover textbook costs. We know how expensive textbooks can be, and we hope this will help alleviate some of the financial burdens students face today. We are also proposing to add $10000 more in ASI scholarships to help minimize the impact of the tuition increase. In total, an additional $20000 is proposed for scholarships!

We are also thrilled to share our advocacy on Basic Needs. As students, we understand firsthand how food and housing insecurity impedes educational access and success. With 42% of Sac State students facing food insecurity, we knew that Basic Needs insecurity must be our number one priority. During the summer, I met with President Wood early on in his arrival and shared the importance of expanding our food pantry and more resources for Basic Needs. Since then, I have worked with our Vice President for Student Affairs to secure more storage space for the ASI Food Pantry. However, this is not all. I have been working directly with Senior Leadership to establish a Basic Needs Center that will open in Spring 2024. The Basic Needs Center is looking at having a second satellite food pantry to be able to serve more students and establish a clothing closet that would collect donations and create a closet for students to have access to free clothing.

Additionally, your ASI Board recently passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a SWANA Center. SWANA is a decolonial and geographical term that represents the various communities located in Southwest Asia and North Africa. The SWANA term has been adopted to be more inclusive of the SWANA communities that may not identify as Arab. In light of recent events in the region, a physical center location for SWANA students is needed now more than ever to provide the community with crisis support and a sense of community and belonging. We have been working closely with the University Administration with plans to soft launch the center late in the spring semester.

One last project we are excited to share is a project we have been advocating for since last year. We are excited to share a course of Sac State campus resources on all students' Canvas accounts. This course will list 8 modules with a variety of resources that will help students navigate all of the resources offered on campus. We believe this course is extremely important, not only to centralize information, but also to make it easier for students to find resources when needed. All students will be added to this course before the start of the spring semester.

I want to thank the entire ASI Board of Directors for their continuous advocacy and hard work to serve the campus community. I would also like to thank President Wood, The Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Mitchell, and everyone who has supported our efforts.

We have much more to share on all our exciting work. If you'd like to know more, follow our new Student Government account @sacstateasigov.