All About Community Student Advising Committee

CSAC, originally known as the Chair's Student Advisory Committee, was born in 2013. It originated out of a need for a more formal way in which students could make faculty aware of their concerns. They aimed to be a solution based committee that could take students needs directly to those that could make change. Bret Yamanaka and Michelle Maasz (Brouwer) helped found the group alongside their peers and under the direction of Professor Lisa Naugle, the chair of the dance department at the time. The first initiative they tackled was providing first aid kits within every studio and implementing a more structured cleaning regimen after every class. This legacy is still upheld within all studios and first-aid kits can be found in the closets. However, this is not the only success dancers are still reaping the benefits from. The carpeted area and couches that students love to nap on in the hallway behind 1100 came from CSAC's efforts!

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Once the they made some key changes within the department, they realized the committee needed to feel more collaborative, based in community, and have a shared approach to identifying issues in the undergraduate community. Thus, the name was changed to the Community Student Advising Committee. Every year new members apply and are brought into the team to advocate for their peers and be creative problem solvers. CSAC continues to work closely with faculty to provide for dancers. Some actions that the committee has continued to keep present in their mission include being conscious of safety in technique classes, disseminating information to dancers, providing resources where necessary, and communicating class or concert concerns to faculty.