The HUB

ASUW Commission Spotlight: Middle Eastern Student Commission (MESC)

On March 17, 2016, the ASUW Board of Directors passed a Board Bill establishing the Middle Eastern Student Commission (MESC). This commission was created in response to the vicious murder of 3 Middle Eastern students at the University of North Carolina in 2015, and initially lobbied for by then SARVA Director, Varsha Govindaraju, along with 12 other UW students. They came together to brainstorm and formulate a commission that works to expand resources for Middle Eastern students.

Currently led by inaugural Director Varisha Khan, the MESC has been busy with responding to the impact the presidential election had on its constituents, assisting a constituent who was attacked on campus with a glass bottle, advocating for students who are refugees and immigrants impacted by the refugee crisis and the recent Presidential Executive Orders, creating resources to keep students safe on campus, and keeping its office doors open as a safe space for students who need physical or emotional support because of the climate both on and off campus.

Apart from constituent support, the MESC also hosted its first event in October 2016 in collaboration with the other ASUW Commissions as well as the Student Advisory Board (SAB) of Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity and its legacy groups. They hosted the popular, “Consider the COSTume” campaign, which was a visual display of students representing a part of their communities to raise awareness about cultural appropriation. Want to learn more about the impactful work they do? Visit www.asuw.org.

HUB Alumni Newsletter: ASUW MESC

 UW Daily