#OpenEd21

Students are the primary beneficiaries of all the OER initiatives in higher education. But in most OER programs, active and sustained student involvement as leaders, partners, and collaborators continues to be a challenge. This is where the power of the student government can be harnessed and leveraged beyond the usual passing of resolutions and bills in support of OER. It is imperative for the student government to mobilize to its full capacity so that OER programs can be more impactful and sustainable.

In this presentation, we will talk about the partnership between the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU), the undergraduate student government, and the OER librarian leading the MSU Libraries OER program. We will highlight how our collaboration started--remarkably during the pandemic when all of us were learning and working remotely. We will discuss the work we have done in furthering the goals of the OER Program, and future plans of ASMSU to embed this initiative into the bigger goal of not just college affordability but student empowerment and leadership. Our hope is that participants come away with not just ideas they can implement in their institutions but be inspired by our partnership and collaborative spirit in the service of our students.

After participating in this session, attendees will be able to:

• Generate ideas for effective student government leadership in OER initiatives
• Understand what drives collaboration and partnership between librarians and students
• Come away feeling uplifted and inspired by what we have done despite the odds