ASPSU learns sustainability

Associated Students of Portland State’s new outreach and fundraising coordinator, junior Tasha Triplett, found herself in need of a new university when the school she attended in San Francisco shut down due to a lack of funding. Ultimately, she made the choice to come to Portland and stepped into her position with ASPSU.

Outreach and fundraising coordinator is a new position created to stop debt from being carried over to next year’s student government, which has been a consistent problem.

According to ASPSU President Jonathan Sanford, debt was a major factor in the poor turnout for the 2009 student government elections because ASPSU did not have the resources to reach students.

Edward Hallman, ASPSU administrative director, said that Triplett is “bringing a lot of creativity and innovation” as well as “making our program so that we’re providing a resource without putting it all on students’ backs.”

Triplett already has several fundraisers in the works, including a “Super Hero Award Show,” which could include gift certificates for the winners and costumes for all. She is also working alongside Outside In, an agency that aids homeless youth, to set up a dance marathon, which will take place in May.

Her hope is that the dance marathon will not only raise funds for Portland State and Outside In, but also raise awareness for the projected increase in family-friendly housing on campus and create connections for local young people who are involved with Outside In.

She says that her own love of dance, which she has been doing since she was four years old, was an inspiration in her decision to organize a dance marathon. Though a lover of many dance forms, Triplett is currently intrigued by the Palestinian form of dabke, a type of dance she learned as an exchange student in Israel.

Her grandmother’s belief in the importance of helping others was passed down to Triplett, who has been involved in activism since her high school days. At Portland State she is a member of several organizations, including Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER). She also volunteers at the Women’s Resource Center.

As a child and family studies major, she knows that working with kids is in her future, though she is undecided about which age group. In Phoenix, Ariz., where she attended high school, she enjoyed working with preschool children.

Triplett feels strongly about diversity and said, “Until you’re actively involved with people who are different from you, you’re not learning.”

Triplett has already proven her own ability to work side-by-side with the diverse bunch in ASPSU.
“She has brought a certain amount of reasonableness and respect that’s rare in student government [but] she’s hell-bent on doing what she thinks is right,” Sanford said.

When discussing the big picture for ASPSU this year, Triplett said, “Overall goals are recruitment, retention, graduation rates and civic engagement. We want students engaged in campus and the community.”

When asked how her experiences with activism differed between Phoenix, San Francisco and Portland, Triplett said that liberal groups in the Bay Area were more militant, whereas in Portland they are more willing to work with each other. Despite Portland activists’ willingness to work together, she sees a “huge disconnect on campus.”

She believes that many people just don’t realize how much there is to get involved in at Portland State and that the different student groups need to communicate better. Her hope is that this year’s student administration will have a hand in combating that issue while creating a stronger sense of community amongst students.

“I want students to be more than invested in their education. I want them to be invested in their campus,” Triplett said.