With the election season wrapping up on May 10th for Western Washington University’s student government, the candidates are eager to share plans for initiatives such as renewing student fees and bringing about policies that support LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups.
Associated Students is a group that helps run the school by giving a voice to the students. They attend meetings with the Board of Trustees and give valuable opinions representing the student body.
ASWWU has direct contact with Western President Sabah Randhawa and other members of the board, playing a vital role in connecting to the higher-ups on campus.
This year’s candidates spoke of their passion for the students and the policies they hope to pass to help the student body.
2024 brought one of the lowest turnouts ever, with only 3.9% of students having voted, followed by a 7% total turnout in 2025. This year, candidates and their advisors hope to see more students send in their votes.
Candidates are trying to get four fees passed this year: the legislative action fee, the student technology fee, the food security fee and the intercollegiate athlete fee. These fees rely on students showing up and voting for them with a 50%+1 turnout rate, meaning that 50% of the people who voted plus one additional voter must vote for something to pass, which is the eligible level of voters.
ASWWU is allowed to levy fees on students for student purchases. The group chooses the ballot through a measure and a referendum. The student government will not approve legally allowed fees without the eligible level of approval from student voters, according to ASWWU faculty adviser Adam Lorio.
The candidates aim to bring comfort to the school through their policies regarding things like anti-ICE and inclusion, and bring forth plans of action regarding the wider political climate.
Ashlye Triebs, a candidate for VP of Government Affairs, specifically mentioned anti-ICE policies for her campaign. She said as a Latina woman, she feels it is her duty to keep pushing for anti-ICE policies. Even though she sees Western and Bellingham as a whole as fairly progressive, Triebs said she wants to continue to see this.
Others are trying to plan ahead, looking at the future of campus through the lens of a student to figure out what needs to be done.
“I tried to create a solid plan for what I would like to do if elected, including a list of policy priorities and procedural changes for the position to increase transparency and involvement with the rest of the student body,” said Anthony Molnar, another candidate for VP of Government Affairs.
Many of the students running mentioned Lobby Day as a way to get connected to the student government and get more information about the logistics of running for a position.
“Last year I got involved via Lobby Day as a freshman, and I was really interested in student government and what they were doing and getting involved in that crowd,” said Eliza Hyche, another candidate for VP of Government Affairs.
Gabriel Townsend (he/him) is a first-year journalism student and campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. He spends a lot of his time walking around campus, spending time with friends, or if he gets the time, reading a fun novel. You can reach him at gabetownsend.thefront@gmail.com.
