Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) senators discussed the value of two new Senator positions at their meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 30.  

The prospective positions, Senator of Sustainability and Senator of Graduate Affairs, will be up for vote at the next meeting.

Support for the Sustainability senator was led primarily by Elizabeth Rocha Zuñiga, senator for resident affairs. Zuñiga claimed that, according to a survey that was sent out by ASI President Demi Wack, Fresno State is the only CSU in California not to have a sustainability position in student government.

Senator for the College of Arts and Humanities Hunter Sansom was the main opposition, claiming that a task force would be a more effective measure for sustainability issues in general. Concerns were also raised about the proposed job description and whether the senator will be mandated to be part of a club.

Senator for Greek Affairs Bryce Johnson supported Sansom’s position, suggesting that the issue be assigned to a current senator or task force rather than creating an entirely new position.

The Graduate Affairs Senator position, also proposed by Zuñiga was debated as well.

Senator for the Kremen School of Education Alexandra Chavez, the only ASI graduate student, was the main proponent of the position. Chavez claimed that graduates are a generally overlooked portion of the student population.

“We feel disenfranchised — we feel invisible,” Chavez said.

Executive Vice President Elias Karam cited the possibility of the new Graduate Student school, claiming the position would be beneficial as a representation of that school when or if it comes into existence.

Senator for Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs Claire Copher agreed with Chavez, stating that it is difficult for an undergraduate student to faithfully represent a demographic that they are not a part of.

Some of the concerns expressed were for the future of the position involving the graduate school, and whether the Graduate Affairs position would have to be restructured once that comes into effect and what the position would look like if not graduate students run for the office.

Both positions will be discussed further at the next ASI meeting.

Full-year senior registration was also discussed, which Fresno State will be piloting. Once the program starts, seniors will be able to enroll for the entire school year at one time, rather than by semester. This will allow seniors to more easily get the classes they need and will allow the school to better plan for them.

The program will be optional, and as of now, it is in the development stage.

Most of the concerns surrounding the program are logistical details such as how the current registration system will handle it and whether it will effect add/drop dates.

The Project Rebound Resolution, the initiative that allows former inmates to return to school, was also passed through in a unanimous vote, meaning Fresno State will officially support and expand on the project.