Caroline Alvarez, Fresno State’s new Associated Students Inc. (ASI) president, didn’t have an opportunity to campaign for the ASI presidency. 

Since she was selected for the position after the former president resigned, her name was never on the ballot, so she’s aware many students are unfamiliar with who she is. 

Alvarez sat down with The Collegian to introduce herself to the campus and reflected on her time as ASI president. Alvarez, born and raised in Fresno, is a fourth-year Fresno State student and enrolled in the nursing program. 

She didn’t expect to be ASI president, but the situation arose when the seat became vacant due to a presidential election disqualification and then a resignation from former president Cinthya Arriaga-Sanchez. 

In addition, Executive Vice President (EVP) Karen Carrillo declined the position because she felt comfortable in her current role, so the ASI senate voted for Alvarez to be the current ASI president. Despite her unexpected transition, Alvarez has big goals that she wants to address, such as student needs on campus.­

Alvarez said an issue she has heard from graduate students is the lack of resources they have because they cannot obtain Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or no longer receive support from family. Alvarez wants to relocate resources to better address students’ financial needs. 

“A simple one would be giving them the iPad program that we see success in, and offering that to graduate students would help them,” Alvarez said. 

Many graduate students can’t get iPads because they aren’t candidates for the program, according to Alvarez. She wants to change that. Alvarez also wants to increase the graduation rates on campus, particularly for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community which she said has one of the lowest graduation rates at Fresno State. 

“We really want to see how we can create an environment that will help them with the resources to help them graduate because they are a huge part of our campus,” Alvarez said. 

She also said there are concerns regarding issues between students and the Title IX office, particularly following the mishandling of sexual harassment complaints by former Fresno State president Joseph Castro and student-led protests regarding Title IX issues in 2022. 

Alvarez said she wants to reassure students that they can trust the campus’ handling of Title IX issues and will be strict about complaints being heard and processed in the Title IX Office because it is a serious matter for her. 

Alvarez said she has been in talks with Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval about addressing these issues and obtaining funding for programs on campus. Jiménez-Sandoval and Alvarez are talking about getting funds from the state to expand science and mathematics programs. 

She said she supports funding for STEM courses because they need more funding for labs and other equipment. Currently, Fresno State is still negotiating to get funding from Sacramento, according to Alvarez. 

Alvarez said she has been enjoying being ASI president so far because she loves interacting with different campus communities and their unique perspectives. Alvarez said she is often invited to be a part of projects on campus, such as the Latina/o Faculty and Staff Associations’ celebration of National Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Week, which kicked off on Sept. 12. 

“It’ll be an event for students to come [to] and talk about why they think being an HSI University is important and how great Fresno State is [as a] Hispanic-Serving Institute,” Alvarez said. 

Alvarez said that she does still miss some of her responsibilities and the focus on civic engagement while serving as Vice President of External Affairs (VPEX), which she did for a year. 

“That’s something that I do miss because I think civic engagement is a really important aspect for college students specifically, but for everyone in general,” Alvarez said. 

Alvarez initially felt uninterested in serving as ASI president because she felt comfortable in her previous role, she said. 

“Doing it again for a second year would have made it easy for me since there was not as much [of a] learning curve,” Alvarez said. “But when this opening came, I thought maybe it was time. I was trying to just head out of my comfort zone a little bit to try something new and to really just push myself.” 

Alvarez said she sympathizes with students who are disappointed they weren’t able to vote for the new ASI president after Arriaga- Sanchez’s resignation but wants to reassure them. 

“I’m looking forward to meeting you all, and I hope as the school semester goes on and you hear about me, that you grow to trust me and feel more confident about our senate’s decision,” she said.

Correction: Sept. 22, 2022

In a previous version of this article, Karen Carrillo’s name was spelled incorrectly.