The Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) has welcomed five new faces to its assembly this year.
The student-led committee held its first meeting of the semester this Wednesday, Sept. 10 in the Resnick Student Union (RSU) to determine who out of the 12 nominees would be joining its ranks.
- Senator of Greek Affairs – Brayden Blodgett
- Senator of Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs – Francisco Cardinale
- Senator for College of Science and Mathematics – Rynee Wijesinghe
- Senator for Lyles College of Engineering – Adam Garabedian
- Senator for College of Arts and Humanities – Landon Lee
The new senators were added to represent the colleges of Science and Mathematics, Engineering and Arts and Humanities. Greek Affairs and Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs also received new ambassadors.
ASI elections and voting are conducted in the spring semester before each academic year. However, since the aforementioned positions received no candidates by last semester’s February deadline, the spots remained vacant until now; ASI reported having received over 40 applications to fill them.
“College senators are the key to understanding the complex and diverse needs of our student population,” said newly-appointed Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs Senator Francisco Cardinale. “Students personally elect these senators to represent them and their specific needs, and it’s important to recognize no college and their students’ needs are the same.”
While only five students were ultimately elected senators, all 12 candidates shared similar concerns for the well-being of their constituents.
One candidate, Patricia Holman, advocated for more attention to student safety on campus.
“On campus, drivers don’t yield,” Holman said. “Students are forced to navigate heavy traffic at their own risk. We cannot afford to wait for a tragedy to take action.”
Another big issue that was discussed was the phishing scams that have been a frequent occurrence.
“From fake internship opportunities to the recent attempt telling students that their Fresno State ID was to be deactivated,” Cardinale said. “These attacks utilize Fresno State email domains, which at first glance, can make them appear legitimate.”
ASI President Faith Van Hoven told The Collegian that she is looking forward to implementing the ideas brought forth by the new senators, particularly amid newly announced budget cuts.
“All of our fees and how we pay for things comes from mandatory Category II student fees,” Van Hoven said. “We’re not experiencing the state budget cuts, so that means we’re able to help fund those programs that we see are getting cut.”
According to the ASI website, the council typically awards around $33,000 to Sponsored Activity Grants and New Club Grants.
ASI senate meetings will be held the second and fourth Wednesday of every month through November in Room 207 of the RSU and are open to the public.
To find out more about how to get involved with ASI or its various committees, visit the ASI website.
