There have been controversy, walkouts, infighting, charges of racism and even Supreme Court decisions reported about the Associated Students of Madison this semester. However, with all the bad press ASM has received this semester, it may be hard to recall the good it has done. Recently, members of our student representative board were asked to list their accomplishments since last August.

“We’re trying to make sure the university keeps up to its goals,” said ASM chair Bryan Gadow. “We’re working with the Board of Regents to add another student to the board.” “The Diversity Committee is working on the Speak Up! program,” he added.

The Speak Up! program would enable students to be heard if they felt they were the victims of harassment.

Gadow also mentioned the development of a peer-advisement model, curriculum infusion of a comparative American studies program and the work of the Sexual Assault Awareness Committee.

“The Alcohol Issues Committee is also working to lobby city officials over student-drinking concerns,” Gadow continued, citing topics like the drink-special ban and house-party safety.

ASM member Rob Welygan agreed with Gadow’s overall assessment.

“I’ve been pleased with the way the organization has been handled financially,” he said. “All the people working on the committees are doing a great job.”

Welygan especially emphasized the work of his own Finance Committee, which funded over 300 representative student organizations during the past year.

“We fund 10 times as many groups as the Student Services Finance Committee,” he said. “It has huge diversity, everything from the Madison Atheists to the Student Catholics. All we ask is can they put on an event that’ll benefit the campus.”

Welygan also touched on some of the infighting that occurred within ASM this semester. “I think it’s to be expected in everything from a student government to a normal government. There were many people who had ideological differences, and we handled them in a civil manner.”

Gadow agreed, saying, “Its good to see discussion coming to the forefront.”

Yet he admitted, “People don’t have as positive an image as they can. It takes attention away from our successes.”

ASM member Anita Bertram also admitted, “I’m kind of mixed,” when asked about the overall success of the group during the fall.

However, she did note the achievements of the 2002 voting campaign.

“We got a lot of people registered,” she said, mentioning the number was around 3,000. “We just missed the record 1998 turnout by only 1.8 percent.”

Bertram also admitted to being frustrated with the group’s internal conflicts. “It was very distracting. We couldn’t finish the things we wanted to get done in a timely fashion. It was just frustrating.”

Bertram’s hopes for next semester included “solving some of the internal conflicts. But I don’t think that will actually happen. I don’t like the political parties. They draw a lot of the attention away.”

Bertram’s belief in ASM was still strong, though, as she added, “They do a lot of good things. There are a lot of really good things that get overlooked.”