It’s election season at Fresno State ”” time to start thinking about if you or someone you know would make a great president, vice president or senator to Fresno State’s student government.­ Keep reading for a description of the available positions, a rundown of how they are elected and the timeline of the process for those interested in running.

Positions:

President: The president is responsible for leading the student government. They work as the liaison between the administration and the student body, attending state-wide and campus-wide meetings. This person also serves as the chair of the Personnel Committee, making appointments to ASI Committees, Campus Wide Committees and the Senate in an effort to enhance shared governance and student representation on campus. The president is elected by the student body.

Executive Vice President: The executive vice president is the chair of the Senate and responsible for managing 15 senators.­ This person is responsible for organizing and running all of the Senate meetings as well as making sure that senators and committee members have the resources, training and support they need to be effective in their respective positions. The executive vice president is elected by the student body to an at-large senator position and then elected by the Senate to the executive vice president position.

Vice President of Finance: The vice president of finance chairs the Finance Committee. This person is responsible for creating and maintaining ASI’s budget, as well as reviewing and allocating funds to students in the form of club funding and scholarships. The vice president of finance is elected by the student body.

Vice President of External Affairs: This is a new position. Whomever is elected this year will be Fresno State’s first ever vice president of external affairs.­ This person will be responsible for chairing the Legislative committee.­ They will work to grow ASI’s Lobby Corps and represent the issues of Fresno State students outside the borders of our campus, to local and state-wide political leaders.­ This person will work with the president to represent ASI in the California State Student Association. The vice president of external affairs is elected by the student body.

At-Large Senators: There are seven at-large senator positions available.­ They are the senator of academics, senator of clubs and organizations, senator of Greek affairs, the senator of parking and safety, senator of student affairs, senator of resident affairs and the senator of athletics. Each individual is responsible for representing the group of students encompassed in their title. They are expected to meet with faculty, staff and administrators respective to their position, serve on campus-wide committees as well as an ASI committee and complete eight or more hours of service to ASI each month. At-large senators are elected by the student body. The top seven individuals get positions on the Senate, then the executive vice president appoints the seven elected individuals to their specific at-large position.

College Senators: There is a college senator for every college at Fresno State.­ This person is responsible for representing the interests of the students in their college, promoting clubs, activities and events happening within their college and meet with faculty, staff and administrators respective to their college. They are also required to sit on campus-wide committees, an ASI committee and complete eight hours of service to ASI. College senators are elected only by students who have majors in the respective college.

If you are interested in any of these positions, stop by the Student Involvement office on the third floor of the University Student Union and pick up a petition to run.­ Fill out the petition and then collect signatures from students who will support you during your candidacy (the number of signatures needed varies for each position).

Once you turn in your petition you are almost there ”” just attend a mandatory candidates meeting to selected your spot on the ballot and get your campaign rules and regulations.­ Then you can begin campaigning! Elections are March 27, 28 and 29th.

Selena Farnesi is the president of Associated Students, Inc. Follow her on Twitter @SMFarnesi.