Welcome to "From the outside in..."!

Dear friends, allies, and constituents!

Welcome to my new blog! This blog is really for you--it is your chance to keep up-to-date with my work on Associated Students of Madison's (ASM) Student Council, at the Campus Women's Center (CWC), and with the Working Class Student Union (WCSU).

A few months back, a good friend shared with me a statement made by the 51st District's Rep. Steven Hilgenberg. Rep. Hilgenberg said, "It's better to be a representative who brings a message from the outside in, not the inside out." His words are a solid summary of what I think the role of leaders and government officials should be--we should make decisions based on our constituents' opinions and needs. Far too often our representatives make decisions without ever consulting us, then we are left to figure out how to make-do with the often faulty and detrimental legislation that is passed.

I whole-heartedly disagree with this typical method of representation, which is why I am committed to doing things differently. This blog is the first step towards ensuring a productive and transparent term in Student Council and expanding the services and advocacy of the Campus Women's Center and Working Class Student Union to you. I am committed to serving my constituency to the best of my ability and to bringing your voices to those in power.

Who are my constituents? As a Letters & Sciences Representative for Student Council, I represent all L&S Students, particularly those in my programs of Communication Arts, Gender & Women's Studies, and American Indian Studies. Additionally, through work with student organizations, I also consider woman-identified individuals, first generation college students, and working-class and poor-class students members of my constituency. To meet your needs, I have provided my e-mail addresses on the right-hand side of this blog. Please e-mail me with any questions, concerns, or ideas you have. I will be announcing my office hours shortly.

I want this blog to provide you with as much information as possible. Currently available on the right-hand side of the page is some background information about me, links to the organizations I work with, my contact information, links to new articles featuring information on work I am doing for my constituents, and a list of blogs you may like. As we move forward, I will be posting additional information, including information on upcoming Student Council meetings; rationale for my votes at Student Council; language of all Student Council legislation I propose; background information on key issues that ASM, CWC, and WCSU are dealing with; information for upcoming events that may be of interest; and much more.

I hope that you find this blog useful and that you continue reading! Feel free to comment with any feedback or ideas.

I look forward to meeting with you and continuing to serve you!

In solidarity,
Chynna Haas