Meet your Exec!
On this page you will find more information on your elected executive. You can read their letters to the people, their intersts, their goals, their office hours, and their contact information.
Office of the President
Louis Pappas
As President of the Associated Students of Willamette University, I am the chief liaison between the student body and the university. I convey the sentiment of ASWU and the student body at large to deans, administrators and trustees, with the mission of improving student life at Willamette.
Goals for ASWU:
This year's first goal is to institute a Thanksgiving and Spring Break airport shuttle to PDX. The cost and hassle of traveling to Portland International Airport has long been a headache for out-of-state Willamette students, but one with a simple solution. Look for it this Thanksgiving Holiday.
Furthermore, my yearlong goal is to implement an academic honor code within the College of Liberal Arts. In place at many of our peer institutions, an honor code would embody our community's dedication to matters of academic integrity and would elevate the campus' academic culture to our already stellar standards of instruction. This shall be a student led effort, with input from university faculty and administrators.
Lastly, as President I seek to foment a more cohesive campus community. Possible avenues toward this end include student-faculty social events and the creation of new yearly traditions in step with today's Willamette student.
The above initiatives represent just a portion of what I seek to accomplish this year. Like the idea for the airport shuttle, the rest of my duties as your ASWU President should hail from you, the student body. I encourage you to contact me or swing by during office hours with ideas as to how we can improve student life at Willamette.
Campus Activities:
I am a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, have worked as an Intramural Supervisor and Referee, and am a member of the Willamette Rugby Club.
Interesting Fact:
I still have a baby tooth, and have a 6'1" wingspan despite being a modest 5 foot 9; neither of which help me much as a basketball player.
Matt Alex
As the Vice President of the Executive it is my job to facilitate the ASWU Senate. I provide the necessary resources for success and provide assistance for their individual and committee projects. We meet every Thursday night at 7pm on the 3rd floor of the University Center, all meetings are open to the Willamette community.
I manage the Collegiate Readership Program. The papers that you receive every morning in the UC, Goudy and across campus are regulated through this program. We have a partnership with the New York Times, which offers us various online resources and speakers in return for our support.
Lastly in my position I also help coordinate the Building Bridges program. Building Bridges is designed by TIUA and ASWU to help new TIUA students feel comfortable in the Willamette community and Salem area.
Goals for ASWU:
My number one goal for Senate this year is to provide the resources they need and hold them accountable to follow through with every project. A lot of great projects have come out of Senate and with the group we have this year I see even more productivity. I want to see less paperwork and legislation and more results to better our community.
I also want to milk the resources that we have available through the New York Times and make the Collegiate Readership Program more successful then ever. Another idea that has plagued me is the need for storage space for student organizations.
Every year capital possessions are misplaced or mismanaged. With more storage we can make the most of our resources and stop wasting the students’ money!
Campus Activities:
WEB Annual Events, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, the Alumni Board of Directors, Opening Days Lead Team, the Office of Student Activities, and Angles.
Interesting Fact:
A couple summers ago I was a croquet instructor at a resort, and got to watch the International Croquet Tournament. I had only learned to play during training for the job too!
Julie Christine
As the Vice President of Finances, it is my job to properly distribute student body fees throughout university student organizations. My main duty is serving as chairperson of the Finance Board, which is responsible for allocating student body fees to clubs in order to draft an annual budget. I also perform annual audits of WEB and Collegian in order to ensure these organizations are using their ASWU Constitutional Allocations efficiently. I’m also in constant communication with the Willamette Accounting department in order to ensure student organizations are properly maintaining their ASWU club accounts.
Goals for ASWU:
My main goal this year is to increase communication between ASWU and student organizations on campus. I want to educate clubs on the importance ASWU funds can have in offering clubs resources to achieve their individual goals as well as helping make an impact on campus through community-wide events. It’s important that the process of requesting funds from ASWU is as easy as possible, with clear and easily accessible online forms. I also want to encourage student organizations to take advantage of their annual ASWU allocations. ASWU hopes that funding provided to clubs will encourage unique campus-wide events that will appeal to diverse groups of students on campus. This essentially can promote campus unity and a strong sense of community.
Campus Activities:
I am a senior Psychology and Economics double major from Sammamish, WA. I am a member of Alpha Chi Omega and Psychology Club and participated in IM sports as well as the Willamette Volleyball team. I have worked as an Opening Days leader and an IM volleyball referee.
Interesting Fact:
Very few people know that I played the French horn in my high school marching band my senior year of high school.
VP of Administration
Elise Helvie
As the Vice President of the Administration, it is my job to see to it that things run smoothly in the ASWU Office. I hire and oversee staff, create an office budget, and coordinate office hours.
My other roles include running all student body elections, appointing students to serve on various campus committees, and overseeing ASWU Sound. I also am the chairperson for the ASWU Honors and Awards committee.
Goals for ASWU:
One of my main goals for the year is to overhaul the process by which the ASWU Honors and Awards committee hands out awards. I would like to find a way that ensures that the most deserving students receive some of the most prestigious awards on campus.
I would also like to work with President Pappas towards the implementation of an honor code within the College of Liberal Arts. I feel that such implementation would not only enhance the Willamette experience, but it would also our standings amongst our peer institutions.
Campus Activities:
I am a junior Biochemistry and Economics double major from Boise, Idaho. I am a member of Alpha Chi Omega and have played on the Willamette Women’s Tennis Team.
Interesting Fact:
I rode horses competitively in high school.
