Miscommunication between ASB and commissions leads to hate messages on YikYak

“Just got rejected from my safety! #ThanksASB”  

The eight members of the ASB have been the target of hate messages like this on YikYak, an anonymous social media app that allows users to post and view “Yaks” within a 10-mile radius of their location. Although some posts relate to troubles the ASB has had with some commissions, others are unrelated except for a “#ThanksASB” at the end.

““I wouldn’t say that the messages are hurtful, but I would say they’re pretty discouraging because we already don’t receive appreciation for the things that we do that are good,” ASB vice president Luke Salin said.

Much of the hate spewed on YikYak may have come from commissioners who were angry at ASB decisions for various reasons, but nobody knows for sure who posted the messages.

For the Sadie Hawkins Dance on March 28, there was miscommunication between ASB and Dance Commission. Originally, the Dance Commission thought the Spring Fling Commission was planning the dance, but ASB thought Dance Commission was planning it.

Because of the miscommunication, the Dance Commision had only two weeks to plan the dance. However, head commissioner senior Jennifer Kim said that right now, the two groups are on good terms.

Another aspect of the drama with ASB on YikYak involved an issue with Rally Commission.

At the beginning of this year, ASB cut the budget for Rally Commission in half, from $1,000 to $500. According to Kim, by the second rally, the Rally Commission already exceeded its budget. Consequently, in January, the Rally Commission asked for more money. ASB decided to compromise and agreed to match the sum of money that Rally Commission could fundraise. Rally made $199 at last month’s Club Rush.

This year, ASB has played a bigger role in commissions in an effort to make them more effective and help them in whatever way possible. They, along with Leadership, have also instituted certain new events, such as Movie Night and the carnival during Speak Up for Change week in January in an attempt to boost school spirit.

According to clubs commissioner senior Sherrilyn Ling, Movie Night was “a huge success and made a lot of money for the Dance Commission.”

At the same time, Leadership and ASB have faced criticism for because some say they spent too much money on the carnival. Kim said ASB knew they would lose money from the carnival, but the price was worth it because “[the carnival] benefits the entire school and people had a lot of fun.”

“We thought that the carnival would be a fun thing to do to get the whole school together and have a day where everyone could get rid of their stress and have fun together as a school,” Kim said. “For the people who actually attended, we got a lot of positive feedback.”

According to Ling, many people do not actually know or appreciate what ASB does.

“I feel like most people think we don't do anything other than meet a few times a week,” she said. “When I first joined ASB, I realized that we are constantly looking at previous years' mistakes and trying to figure out how we can improve.”

Still, Ling recognizes that in trying make changes to better the school, ASB can still make mistakes. She said that ASB takes full responsibility for their slip-ups, but feels that students often place unnecessary blame on ASB for everything they dislike about the school.

Likewise, Kim said that ASB is ultimately trying to do what they think is best for the school.

“[People] might not agree with our opinions on what’s best for the school, but we give a lot of thought to what people would want,” Kim said. “It might not be what everyone wants, but we sincerely believe we’re doing what we can.”