ASI President Selena Farnesi
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Hello! My name is Selena Farnesi, and I am your ASI President. You are looking at the very first edition of my biweekly column, designed to keep you informed about your student government!

The first week on campus can be a daunting one ”” everyone is trying to find their classes, deal with waiting lists, meet new professors, new friends and fight over parking spaces. With all the hustle and bustle of the first week, you may have missed some of the clubs and organizations that were working so hard to reach out to you and get you involved. That’s where we come in. We are ASI, your student government, and it’s our job to make sure you know how to get involved on campus should you want the opportunity. There is not just one way to get involved ”” Fresno State offers tons of unique and diverse opportunities for involvement. You are sure to find something that fits both your interests and your schedule.

Clubs and organizations:
First consider joining a club. Lists of all the student clubs and organizations are available in the Student Involvement Office (USU 808) or online. Just search for student clubs on Fresno State’s homepage.

Club sports and intramurals:
If you are interested in sports or fitness, another great way to get involved is to join a club team or an intramural team. Club sports teams are generally a larger financial and a larger time commitment because they are much more competitive than intramural sports, while intramurals are just a fun way for you and your friends to compete against other students in an environment that is more focused on fun and sportsmanship than on skill level. You can also take fitness classes at the Rec Center for free ”” they offer dancing classes, cycling classes, weight lifting classes and more. Staying fit and exercising is good for your mental health, and it helps students do better in school.

Sitting on a committee:
For the more politically-minded individual, we have opportunities for involvement through committees. Fresno State has more than 200 committees, made up of administrators, faculty and students. These committees meet on everything from fees to general education requirements to athletics to marketing, communications, health and sustainability. Sitting on a committee allows you direct access to faculty and administrators. When you sit on a committee you are representing the opinions of your fellow students and will even get to vote for them. In addition to university committees there are also six ASI committees; personnel, legislative, legal, academic, activities and finance. These committees help run the student government. You can be appointed to any of the ASI committees without running for a position in office, the same way that you would be appointed to a university committee. Just go to the ASI website at asi.csufresno.edu and fill out the application under “Meet the Team.” Be sure to specify what times you are available and what your interests are so we can match you to a committee that’s perfect for you.
Ways to stay informed:

If you are interested in getting more information about what’s going on at Fresno State, what your student government is doing or how you can get involved check out our many different information sources. You can follow us on Twitter (@FresnoStateASI), you can like us on Facebook, check out our website (asi.csufresno.edu), stop by our offices (USU 316-317), listen to our biweekly podcasts, read this biweekly column or read about us in the Bulldog Blog which gets email directly to your Fresno State G-mail account.
We are glad to have you on campus! I am looking forward to a wonderful year working with and for you.

Selena Farnesi is a senior philosophy and anthropology double major and new Associated Students, Inc. president. She will write a biweekly column for The Collegian regarding ASI, Fresno State or state issues.