About

What is SAC?

The CSE Student advisery Council (SAC) is a student organization whose mission is to amplify voices across the Allen School to create long-term change. We are a passionate organization focused on improving the Allen School experience. This includes collecting student feedback, producing reports, hosting events, leading initiatives, and facilitating conversations between faculty and undergraduates. Feel free to email questions, comments, or concerns to sac-officers@cs.washington.edu!

Prior projects include:

Drafting a letter to faculty to ensure equitable testing policies during COVID. As a result, almost no Spring 2020 classes had tests.
Reporting on inequities in testing for students with Disabilities, leading to the school-wide implementation of our recommendations
Hosting a panel on Failure and Vulnerability, featuring professors and resources on overcoming failure.

What SAC Does

Below are a few examples of what SAC officers work on:

Engaging with partners across the Allen School, including student group leaders, undergrads, faculty, staff, advisors, graduate students, and others.
Hosting events to raise awareness and directly support students
Collecting data, whether quantitative (e.g. “What percentage of students would like tutoring help?”) or qualitative (e.g. “What experiences did students with disabilities face from being in the Allen School?”).
Writing reports directed to faculty that contextualize student issues, demonstrate evidence, and explain necessary actions that the Allen School should take.

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We welcome all candidates to apply. Our priority is to find people who care about improving the Allen School student experience by amplifying undergraduate voices. To amplify all voices, we must be able to hear them. Regardless of your identity, whether racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, socioeconomic background, we are interested in hearing from you.

Staff and Faculty Advisers

EJ Pinera
Staff Adviser

Justin Hsia
Faculty Adviser

Dan Grossman
Faculty Adviser

SAC Officers

Eric Fan, Chair

Hey there, I’m Eric! I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from UW and am currently working towards a master's degree in Computer Science in the Allen School. Outside of school and teaching, I enjoy spending time playing badminton, learning a new instrument, or grabbing coffee with a friend. I also love to travel and explore the beautiful diversity of nature! Don't hesitate to reach out about my journey as an Allen School student, other activities I'm involved in at UW, a book I've published about inclusion in CS education, or anything else you might want to chat about!

Aria Tang, Executive Officer

Hi I'm Aria! I'm a sophomore studying CS at the Allen School, and this is my second year on SAC. I've lived in the greater Seattle region my whole life, so I am well accustomed to the lack of sunshine and constant drizzle. Through SAC, I'm excited to work on community initiatives to improve mental health in the Allen school, as well as to increase accessibility to resources for undergrads. Outside of class, I enjoy watching anime, drawing, and trying new restaurants along the Ave. Feel free to reach out to me anytime!

Vincent Xiao, Executive Officer

Hey everyone! My name is Vincent (he/him) and I'm a freshman studying Computer Engineering. I'm incredibly excited to be part of SAC because I think we can make a real impact on some of the issues facing the student community. I think we can improve accessibility to research and TA positions, as well as providing resources for mental health. I'm also serving as the Allen School's representative to the College of Engineering SAC, so I'm looking forward to opportunities to bring the two closer. Outside of class, I really enjoy playing music (keyboard mostly!) and also badminton (before the pandemic). I'm also still involved in competitive debate around Washington, so if you know a team who needs a coach or judge I can help. If you're interested in any of that, or just want to talk, feel free to reach out!

Afifah Kashif, SAC Officer

Hi, I'm Afifah! I'm a pre-law freshman studying CS, and am really excited to get more involved in Allen School initiatives through SAC! I'm most excited most to work on integrating computer ethics into the Allen School's curriculum, and of course, to plan lots of cool events like CSE Close-Up. Outside of class, I enjoy spending time with friends, exploring rocketry and going hiking.

Andrew Nakamoto, SAC Officer

Hey! I'm Andrew and I'm a first-year at the Allen School majoring in Computer Science. I like to play frisbee, go camping, play guitar, and eat with my friends. I look forward to building faculty-student connections with SAC.

Ethan Shen, SAC Officer

Hi, I'm Ethan and I'm a first-year in the Allen School. In my free time, I enjoy exercising, spending time with friends, and working on projects. At SAC, I'm excited to work towards creating a diverse, collaborative community of culture and backgrounds in the Allen School.

Kevin Wang, SAC Officer

Hey There! My name is Kevin Wang, I am a freshman studying Computer Science, from Kirkland, WA. I am a excited about progressing student voices inside the Allen School and impacting our community through data and transparency. I hope to create a SAC that is more accessible to all Allen School students and am looking forward to the change we can make together.

Kevin Wu, SAC Officer

Hi, I'm Kevin and I'm a first-year student majoring in Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, watching football, and spending time with friends and family. Through SAC, I look forward to working on community initiatives to establish a welcoming environment and improve the Allen School student experience.

Naisha Sinha, SAC Officer

Hi, I’m Naisha! I’m a first-year student studying Computer Science at the Allen School. Outside of school, I enjoy watching sports and hanging out with friends. Something I’m looking forward to as an SAC Officer is to increase information access for new Allen School students (i.e. freshmen and transfer students). Feel free to reach out about absolutely anything!

Renee Ruan, SAC Officer

Hello, I'm Renee! I'm a second-year student studying Computer Science! I enjoy spending time with friends and family and pursuing hobbies such as hiking or learning the guitar. I look forward to helping make the Allen School an inclusive and welcoming place as an SAC officer :-)

Anas Slassi, SAC Officer

Hi, I'm Anas Slassi one of your SAC officers! I'm currently a Freshman at the Allen School and look forward to the upcoming year! I'm looking forward to being more involved with the Allen School and all communities related to it.