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| Student Government Elections Are Fast Approaching | |||||||
| It is time once again for Associated Students, Inc. to hold its annual elections, where all positions become open and available for students wishing to have a direct say in the legislative process. | |||||||
| The positions, which include three executive offices (president, vice president, and treasurer), 20 senators (two from each college and six at-large), and board of director jobs for various departments, are open to any student who meets certain GPA and minimum class unit requirements, and fills out an application found in USU-311.� The filing period to apply for student government position lasts from Feb. 17 to Feb. 26, and the general election is held towards the end of the semester. | |||||||
| The competition for prospective office-holders is already heating up, however, as several incumbents plan to run for new positions.� One such incumbent is Erik Jolliff, senator at-large for Greek affairs, who will be running for office of vice president of A.S., which is currently held by Guido Piotti.� The vice president of A.S., in addition to all the prescribed duties, is also the acting chair of the Senate, but this is a job Jolliff is confident he can handle.� "[Serving on] the Senate is one of the best positions I've had on campus so far, and being the chair would be very rewarding," Jolliff said.� "I enjoyed helping the Greeks out and making sure that their concerns were represented," Jolliff continued, noting that his current position has allowed him to be "a representative of every student and it gave me a chance to interact with them." | |||||||
| Mike Johnson, current A.S. treasurer, will also be making a bid for new office, this time A.S. president.� "I feel it is my duty and obligation to continue to use my experience and motivate my peers to protect students," Johnson said, detailing why he wants to be president of A.S.I.� "Working with students is very rewarding," Johnson continued, noting, "I have the best intentions for the student body and understand what students want and need." | |||||||
| It is a preconceived notion among many people that students in school government positions have no real power and do not accomplish anything, but Johnson believes this to be completely false.� "The power that a student leader can achieve is profound," Johnson said, "and CSULB is a flagship university of the largest public school system in the world, and with this a well intentioned student with passion and heart can serve as a catalyst for positive educational and social change."� Johnson, who feels that it is crucial for the students to represent themselves, said, "There are many issues that directly affect all students, and it is important to keep in mind that the politicians, administration, faculty, corporations, and others may not always have the students' best interest in mind." | |||||||
| A.S.I. Vice President Guido Piotti is one student that will not be running for reelection. Piotti, who will be applying to law school in the fall and taking the LSAT, said that he cherishes "[being vice president] every day, but I wouldn't be able to give the time necessary to the position of president if I ran [and won]."� "If I went ahead and ran anyways knowing that I didn't have time," Piotti continued, "I wouldn't be doing it for the right reasons, and that is not fair to the students who elect their officials." | |||||||
| Piotti, along with Johnson, believes it to be imperative for students to be involved in school elections.� "I can't stress enough to students reading this that either you should try and [run for office] if it is something you want to do, or you should vote for a candidate which you honestly and deep down inside believe will earn every penny and perk that he is given," Piotti said.� Piotti feels that an important thing to consider about his particular position is that it serves as "the glue for the organization" because he gets to work with so many different people and is not limited to only one department, and since he will be leaving student government, Piotti noted that he and A.S.I. President Danny Vivian are considering making public endorsements of certain candidates that they feel "will steer the ship in the right direction for future years." | |||||||
| Copyright Gerry Wachovsky, 2004, and Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. | |||||||
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