As the MSA grows in influence and power, it naturally must demand a greater say in how the campus is run. The cogs of university administration turn slow, and respond most favorably to the highest bidder. The MSA must push hard in order to enact change in adminstration politics. Currently, all MSA interactions with administration is conducted through the MEMSSA ASUC Senator (more on this below). Operating through the MEMSSA ASUC Senator has been a generally positive experience to this date. However, this is ultimately a dependent relationship on an external power structure; this naturally presents a point of vulnerability for the MSA. Up until now, all MEMSSA ASUC Senators have been upstanding indiviudals, however if an individual who is either antagonisitic to the MSA or incompetent becomes the MEMSSA ASUC Senator this will massively hurt the interests of the MSA. For this reason developing a direct relationship with administration over the coming years is highly advantageous for the MSA. The MSA has historically not been a force in university politics, especially compared to other religious communities. Currently, the relationship with administration is policy based. In other words, there are a few specific demands we are pushing (more on this below) rather than a dynamic relationship. The MSA will not become a force overnight. The MSA's influence is growing steadily, and this growth ought to be fostered in the coming years.
The Chancellor is the top executive in the university administration. Currently, this is Carol Christ. Direct interaction between the Chancellor and the MSA is quite rare. Once a year, the Chancellor holds a luncheon event for all of MEMSSA leadership (more on this below). This luncheon serves as a forum for the MSA to directly voice concerns to the Chancellor. All interactions with the Chancellor will be limited to broad ideas, actionable policy will be taken up with the Vice Chancellors.
The Vice Chancellors are each charged with a specific area of administration. Their position is analogous to that of the President's Cabinet. The current Vice Chancellors are as follows:
Interaction will primarily be with the VC for Equity & Inclusion followed by the VC's for Student Affairs and Administration. It is important to remember that these VC's represent the Chancellor, who represents the University Administration. In other words, they are not your friends and their words are often meaningless. Nonetheless, they wield the power on campus and it is through them that the MSA can exert influence on how the campus is run.
The MEMSSA (Middle Eastern Muslim Sikh South Asian) coalition is made up of various religious and cultural organizations on campus. All of these groups have shared experiences to some degree in terms of Islamophobia and general racism; consequently, they share similar demands from university administration. The MSA is one of many organizations that forms the MEMSSA coalition. Most of these organizations represent Muslim majority populations, with the exception of the Sikhs and a handful of non-Muslim Middle Eastern groups. The MSA has historically held great sway in the MEMSSA coalition. The MEMSSA ASUC Senator works closely with the MSA, and naturally the EVP has a close working relationship with the Senator and their chief of staffs. MEMSSA endorses a candidate for the ASUC Senate every year. There is no guarantee that this candidate will win the election, however there has always been a MEMSSA ASUC Senator elected in recent years. Currently, the MSA's relationship with administration is conducted through the MEMSSA ASUC Senator.
The ASUC is an independent student run body which represents student interests on campus. The ASUC Senate is the legislative body for this group. Few bills that the ASUC Senate passes actually have an impact on the MSA specifically. Generally they impact a particular cultural group represented by the MSA or they impact RSOs (Registered Student Organization) in general. In the past, there usually have been a couple of Muslim ASUC Senators aside from the MEMSSA ASUC Senator. Building ties with these other senators can be beneficial, but historically the MEMSSA ASUC Senator alone has been more than enough for the MSA.
Building ties with the executive officers of the ASUC is essential. These ASUC executives include:
The Executive Vice President manages Eshleman cubicle spaces. When issues arise regarding the MSA cubicle, the MSA must negotiate with the ASUC Executive Vice President. There is occasionally coordination with the other executive officers on specific projects with administration. For an example, the ASUC President has played a role in the Halal Dining Hall project. However, interaction with the ASUC executive officers is relatively rare.
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