ASWC is the associated students of Whitman college. We are Whitman’s student government.

Our purpose is to support and empower Whitman students by providing funding for their initiatives, facilitating important discussions, and creating equal and inclusive opportunities. We work to bring about positive change on campus by promoting inclusivity, accessibility, and amplifying student voices.

There are seven ASWC Committees: Finance, Oversight, Communications, Student Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Sustainability, and Nominations & Appointments.

Senate is a meeting of all ASWC committee members and chairs to discuss various agenda items such as voting on new clubs, bylaw changes, etc. Senates are open to the entire student body.

The executive council is composed of all committee chairs and the president. They meet once a week to discuss agenda items and vote on emergency fund requests.

ASWC typically hires in the Fall semester. Applications open within the first two weeks of classes where all committees hire for new members. Typically there are 4 people in each committee: 3 senators and 1 chair.

You can reach out to any of the chairs, president, or committee members! ASWC members are here to listen to any issues and concerns raised by students and present those as agenda items during senates, committee meetings, or through other forums.

Emails via the aswc@whitman.edu email account or Instagram are our main forms of communication. The website also has general information about committees, ASWC Finance forms, the budget for the academic year, and more!

Applications for the TSD Fund are reviewed and decided on by the Finance Committee. Contingency Fund requests are reviewed and decided on by the student development committee. Lastly, Emergency Fund requests are received by the president and voted on by the executive council. The Emergency Fund applicant is anonymous to all voting council members except the president.

General elections happen in the Spring semester. Any student can run for a chair position or for ASWC president. These positions are voted on by the entire student population. The Oversight chair is elected internally and voted on only by current ASWC members. Individuals who run for Oversight chair have to be current ASWC members.