Distance-Learning Students Launch a Cyber SG
Extended degree program students at Washington State University start an on-line Student Government to address their special needs
By Anna Marie Neri

     Taking technological concepts to a higher level separates Washington State University from the rest. The college took the idea of distance learning and expanded it to create an on-line Student Government. Now, students from all over the country unite in leadership without leaving their homes – whether they live in California or Mississippi.
     Distance learning administrators started the on-line SG in September 1998, taking about one full academic year to design and launch it. Cliff Moore, associate director of the Extended Degree Program, says the idea stemmed from funding issues. Although distance students contribute SG fees like other students, they couldn’t participate in the on-campus organization, so a separate internet SG emerged to ameliorate the problem. "We created something from nothing basically," Moore says. "But we were very optimistic, and it turned out better than we had hoped." The cyber SG doesn’t interact with the campus SG. Instead, it specifically deals with distance students and their concerns.
     Currently, the program is led by seven SG officers, all of whom campaigned via the internet and had students vote by on-line elections. When it’s time to get down to business, the SG officials log on to www.aswsu-edp.wsu.edu to begin their duties. Once at the site, they can post announcements or ideas on a bulletin board or talk to students during assigned office hours that are usually posted in advance and last about an hour. During that time, officers can meet with concerned students in a chat room called the Speakeasy Studio & Café.
     The "Speakeasy," as it’s known by most SG members, is where Senate meetings are held twice monthly. At the first conference, the officers decided on their semester schedule and posted it on the site. They rely on e-mails to update each other about any changes in time and to send out new agendas. But the assemblies aren’t only for officers. Any EDP student can attend, as long as they have an internet service provider, create a guest account, and remember their login password.
     SG Secretary Susie Beador lives in Gig Harbor, Wash., about five hours from the WSU campus, and returned to school 33 years after her freshman year in 1968. She says the program has many positive benefits, but it can also have some drawbacks. "It’s a link to getting involved on campus without having to be there, but I think some people are afraid to venture into the internet world," Beador says. "I even get frustrated with getting kicked off-line every now and then. Plus, sometimes I miss that one-on-one experience of dealing with people in person." Yet despite the downside, Beador says their cyber SG is the best alternative for students who want to become leaders but can’t physically be on campus.
     SG President Lori Schaer agrees. The California resident says the program enables distance-learning students to have a more complete college experience. "It’s enriching because it doesn’t matter where you live -- you can still get involved on campus," Schaer says. "Just because you’re a distance student doesn’t mean you don’t want the whole experience. This program is flexible and lets you have more than just a degree."
     Since it began, Washington State has taken the program very seriously, says EDP’s SG Advisor Renee Smith. The staff members and officers continually search for ways to improve and enhance the on-line organization. "We’re the first traditional university in the country to expand the current SG model to include distance students," Smith says. "We have three paid staff members who work on the site several times a week to update everything. We want to be as timely as possible."
     One future plan the cyber SG developed is to craft about six web surveys dealing with important issues to help students communicate better with them. Most of the questions deal with improving the EDP and on-line SG, making all distance students feel more connected to the campus and enhancing communication through better newsletters.
     As for the future of the program, most of those involved in it feel that the concept will continue to grow and spread to other schools. "People with families or who work full-time need programs like this to get more involved with their college education," Beador says. "I really think that the idea will catch on and branch out to other universities."

Copyright © 2005 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved