Alicia Acevedo / The Collegian
Associated Students, Inc. senators and other Fresno State students have raised concerns about the cost and the purpose of a new executive position that was proposed to the student body.
While ASI President Selena Farnesi defends the position, several anonymous Facebook accounts have questioned her intentions by publishing documents, questioning ASI spending and past legislative actions.
Farnesi said she is aware some students want to know what ASI is doing to represent them.
She added that this year, lobbying efforts have doubled from previous years.
“Additionally, I am putting through a new initiative to create an external affairs position which would put us on the same level as all the other ASI’s,” Farnesi said.
“We are seeing that student governments have gotten more and more involved in lobbying because the state is having more and more control over what happens on our campus,” Farnesi added. “We want students’ voices to be heard.”
Students frustrated with Associated Student, Inc. have found several ways to voice their concerns about ASI’s representation of Fresno State students and passage of a new executive position. Some students have attended ASI senate meetings while other have created Facebook accounts to post their concerns.
Facebook pages such as Occupy ASI have posted what they claim are official documents revealing ASI’s failure to represent students.
Other Facebook pages such as Campiss Leaks and Occupy Fresno State have also posted their concerns and similar documents.
The documents displayed feature pictures of computer screens, letters and pictures of ASI members’ Facebook accounts. Campiss Leaks and Occupy ASI affirm on their page that they will be posting additional official documents informing students of ASI members’ misconduct and illegitimate use of student money.
ASI president Selena Farnesi said she has no opinion on Occupy ASI since the Facebook account is not affiliated to ASI.
“If someone is taking screen shots of ASI computers, they are doing so illegally,” Farnesi said. “If someone wanted those documents, they should just do a public records request.”
“[No public records requests] have been turned in and no documents have been given out, so my best guess would be that they are not legitimate documents,” Farnesi added.
Occupy ASI, Campiss Leaks and Occupy Fresno State have questioned the purpose and the cost of the new executive position students will vote on next semester.
Farnesi added that she expects the new position will be a paid executive position. She also added that the new executive position salary would be extracted from the ASI budget.
Farnesi said that every year since she joined ASI, the budget has been excessive.
“There is plenty of money in the budget to pay for that staff person without removing any funding from club funding,” she said.
Both anonymous Facebook accounts have also questioned ASI’s decision to add a new executive position, the $40,000 renovation of the Fresno State water fountain and other spending decisions.
Farnesi said ASI did not spend $40,000 on the Fresno State water fountain and that the money will not come from ASI’s budget.
Several ASI senators have voiced their opinion against the additional executive position, which they see as a waste of money because a senator has already been assigned to legislative affairs.
Senator of Clubs and Organizations Jose Nava, who has actively advocated for less ASI spending, said the new position would cost students about $750 a month, which will add up to $9,000 a year.
He added that money could be better used by adding more services for students, additional club funding or any other student service instead of being given to one person.
Nava also said the 5 percent salary increase the senate voted for on Nov. 7 for full time staff was a waste of money.
“This increase was because they supposedly had a good job performance review according to Sally Ramage,” Nava said.
Nava added that when he requested additional documents, “the only problem was that when I requested these reviews they said they couldn’t because it was Human Resources policy.”
He submitted a petition against the salary increase that approximately 250 students signed, but said it was ignored.
“Their excuse was that we have plenty of money,” Nava said. “But again, that money should be going directly to the students, not to office employees.”
Senator of Students Affairs Dulce Marin concurred.
“We do take a vote on Jan. 24 and there has been no email sent to students,” Marin said.
Marin added that January is too soon for a vote because students are usually preoccupied with adding and dropping courses and purchasing books to really pay attention to a new ASI executive position.
Farnesi said the new position will not affect services currently given to students and that all programs offered by ASI will continue.
“Nothing will be cut because of the new position,” Farnesi said. “In fact, what the new position will do is allow us to really boost up our lobby core and start getting students involved in legislation and lobbying at the state wide level.”
According to Farnesi, the new executive will be responsible for ASI legislative affairs, which means advocating and lobbying on behalf of students.
The new executive would also be responsible for general external affairs coordination.
Farnesi highlighted the importance of this new position.
“Congressman Jim Costa was on campus the other day and there was no one to talk to him because we don’t have this position,” she said.
Farnesi said she spoke to Costa, but she lacks the time to gather all the legislation information because she has meetings all over campus that are part of her obligations as ASI president.
She added that there is a senator in charge of legislation information, but he is obligated to work only eight hours a week which is not enough.