ASI staff members say they work in ‘fun environment’

The Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) office is covered wall to wall with Bulldog paraphernalia, half-empty boxes and piles of paper. On the floor just outside President Graham Wahlberg’s office sit dozens of sheets of paper that make up the distinct image of a football player sprawling downfield, a piece of décor he plans on posting up on the wall right above his green futon.

It̢۪s the hub of official business for student government, but it̢۪s also the laid-back scene of school spirit, good friends and even a few laughs.

“It’s a fun environment, but it’s usually at my expense,â€Â Wahlberg said, smiling as a few ASI members crack jokes about him from a distance.

Besides a good spirit, he brings his passion for athletics to the office. He doesn̢۪t play for Fresno State, but he rarely misses a Bulldog basketball game.

The dorms on campus may be his current residence, but his home at heart is in the great outdoors. On school breaks, he satisfies the mountain man in him by fishing or tagging along with the hunting club his grandfather belongs to.

“I grew up on the outskirts of Fresno and I’ve always done that kind of stuff,â€Â he said.

Wahlberg regrets not being able spend more time doing the things he loves, like skiing. He jokes that the fact he hasn̢۪t been injured on the slopes is perhaps a testament that he̢۪s not trying hard enough.

Not everyone in ASI is so active.

Senate Secretary Alex Andreotti enjoys being around friends and family, but in her spare time, she̢۪s really just a homebody.

“I’ve taken an interest in scrapbooking over the summer,â€Â Andreotti said. Her love of pictures is evident on her Facebook account, where dozens of photos chronicle close friends and significant events like ASI’s summer retreat to Disneyland.

“We’re a pretty tight-knit group,â€Â she said of her companions in student government. Whether as secretary or advancing to an executive position, the sophomore looks forward to serving in ASI for the remainder of her college career.

Vice President of Finance Lauren Johnson shares a similar affinity with the ASI team.

Tucked in the back corner of ASI office with Director of University Affairs Tara Powers-Mead, Johnson agrees that she and Powers-Mead are both a little on the nerdy side.

Johnson enjoys reading her pocket constitution while Powers-Mead deduces the hidden diseases hinted at in her favorite TV show, “House.â€Â

“Being together so much, working together all the time, you end up being really close to these people,â€Â Johnson said.

Besides being the “conservative pocketâ€Â of ASI, she said she’s even more unique in hertaste in music, which includes bands like Def Leppard, the Cars and the morning jazz programs on the campus station, 90.7 KFSR-FM.

“It’s an acquired taste,â€Â she said of the jazz preference.