The Associated Students of Madison hosted a town hall open forum to allow students to inquire about the role of different committees of student government and voice opinions about how the student government can better represent the student body on campus.

Chair Allie Gardner said some of the key goals of ASM this semester are to act on the voices of students by electing exemplary student representatives, recruiting interns and volunteers to participate in grassroots campaigns and educating students on relevant tax and financial aid information.

Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers emphasized to the group of around 35 gathered that registering students to vote is a major focus of her committee this semester. In accordance with the Madison Student Vote Coalition, both groups aim to mobilize students to vote and raise awareness about the Voter ID law across Wisconsin.

Many statewide issues were addressed by attendees, including rising tuition, the need for more events related to post-graduation job opportunities and better representation for international students.

During discussion, attendees came to a general consensus that members of ASM should attempt to make their presence on campus more well-known and better convey to students the issues that could impact them. Some students at the event expressed that the extent of their knowledge of ASM proceedings was the distribution of bus passes.

During the University Affairs Committee small group meeting, Chair Sade Johnson discussed the possibility of a fall break for UW students as one of their top priorities. She cited an overwhelming response to a survey distributed by ASM which received more than 1,000 students responses, vastly in favor of implementing a fall break.

According to Johnson, the committee is advocating for two extra days off either in October or November which would be referred to as “Reading Days” as many other campuses officially classify the days.

“In order to make fall break happen, we really need students who are willing to talk to Teaching Assistants and faculty members and different caucuses within the Faculty Senate and really influence them to pass this piece of legislation,” Johnson said.

Another initiative is to assist students in the logistics of becoming more financially independent, Chief of Staff David Gardner said. The committee has gathered an extensive network of resources to help educate students on where to find scholarships they qualify for and how to go about loan repayment and other tasks.

ASM will also be hosting the Financial Opportunities Fair on Monday Feb. 27 in Union South, with lectures and resources provided by the Office of Student Financial Aid, UW Credit Union, School of Human Ecology and the Great Lakes organization.