New senators and executives for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) have officially been installed for the 2024-25 academic year. Voting was conducted in March, with a new ASI President elected, Faith Van Hoven.

ASI represents the students of Fresno State and aims to support the needs of the students. Its page states that they provide a voice for the student body, protect student rights and interests, stimulate the well-being of the university and fund student services and programs.

“One of my goals this year as a senator for Craig School of Business is to make sure more students, both incoming and current, know about our organizations and resources provided at the Craig School of Business which is also one of the reasons I decided to run for student government, to help students make the most out of their college experience and have their voices heard and change implemented,” said Rhythm Chaudhary, senator for the Craig School of Business.

All tuition-paying students are considered members as ASI receives funding through student fees. According to its website, all members of ASI, including fee-paying students, have the right to vote in elections as well as run for and serve in student government. Elections occur every academic year.

The elected student senators ran to serve their peers, and some were even encouraged by others to take a further step into leadership.

“Running for ASI was something I never thought I would ever do, and honestly, I still don’t think I would be interested in it if I never just jumped into the opportunity off the bat,” said Robert Rivera, senator of Athletics and Recreation. “After a lengthy discussion with the previous ASI president, Karen Carrillo, whom I knew personally, I was convinced that this was something new and interesting I could do.”

Rivera is using previous experiences at Fresno State to succeed in his role. He explained that he has a few semesters of experience working in the intramural sports program at the Student Recreation Center.

“I ended up doing it, turning in my paperwork last minute and beginning campaigning the following week, and to my surprise, I was elected as an at-large senator and eventually appointed to athletic and recreation chair due to my experience at the Rec Center and its staff in the following weeks” Rivera said.

ASI comprises four executive positions, eight college senators and 10 at-large senators. The college senators are elected by students within each respective college campus community to represent one of the eight colleges. The at-large senators are appointed by the executive vice president to make up the voting board for the organization. Each senator has an area of responsibility in order to meet the needs of all students.

The first ASI Senate meeting of this semester will be held Wednesday, Sept. 11 in Resnick Student Union Room 207, and meetings will continue to be held every other Wednesday from 4-6 p.m.

“These meetings are open to the public, providing an opportunity to engage with and participate in student government, as well as address any issues concerning student life and the campus community,” the website says.

There are multiple opportunities for students to stay informed with ASI meetings.

All Senate meeting agendas and minutes can be found at the bottom of the ASI website, where the ASI Senate and Committee meeting schedule can also be downloaded. If students are unable to attend a meeting, the minutes from previous sessions can be reviewed through the provided link.

ASI is also responsible for the Bulldog Blog, its bi-weekly newsletter that brings students with the latest news about upcoming activities, events and opportunities. This student-drive resource and all its previous editions can be found on the Bulldog Blog website.

The 2024-25 ASI staff includes the following members:

Executives:

• President Faith Van Hoven
• Executive Vice President Frederick Lisitsa
• Vice President of Finance Guadalupe Zamudio Telles
• Vice President of External Affairs Marco Florez

Senators of colleges:

• Senator for Health and Human Services Elise Guerra
• Senator for Craig School of Business Rhythm Chaudhary
• Senator for Kremen School of Education and Development Jaselle Camiling
• Senator for Jordan College of Ag Sciences and Tech Maris Prado
• Senator for College of Social Sciences Cindy Jauregui

Senators at large:

• Senator of Health and Wellness Sydney Firstman
• Senator of Athletics and Recreation Robert Rivera
• Senator of Student Affairs and Engagement Dayanara Guzman
• Senator of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ingeborg Kisbye
• Senator of Operations and Resident Affairs Luis Manzo
• Senator of Sustainability Wendy Renteria
• Senator of Veteran and Transfer Affairs Carlie Hall
• Senator of Research and Innovations Melanie Mora

Open positions:

• Senator for College of Art and Humanities
• Senator for College of Science and Mathematics
• Senator for Lyles College of Engineering
• Senator of Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs
• Senator of Greek affairs

“The responsibility of ASI senators include serving students, being a student while maintaining the required GPA and attending our senate and committee meetings,” said Jaselle Camiling, senator for the Kremen School of Education.

Camiling shared her excitement for the new semester, having previously served in the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee.

Students can find that serving in an executive or senator position isn’t the only way to get involved in student government. ASI is also represented by campuswide committees that participate in the shared governance of the university and gain insight to the decisions that directly affect students.

Through the Internal Affairs Committee, students can get appointed to sit on any of the eight committees located on campus. Students interested in joining a committee are encouraged to fill out the ASI Committee Application Form on ENGAGE. Committee meetings times and locations can be found in the 2024-25 meeting schedule.

“I am very excited for this semester,” Camiling said. “My first course of action within ASI will be meeting with Kremen staff and gaining student feedback.”

ASI senators give students the chance to voice their concerns to their peers so that they may be delivered to administration. Senators can serve as another resource for students like providing them with free Bluebooks and Scantrons that are available for students to pick up in the ASI Business Office in Resnick Student Union Room 303-304 year-round.

“I’m thrilled to step into this role of Senator of Health and Wellness. In this position, my goal is to focus on student health and safety,” said Sydney Firstman, senator of Health and Wellness, “I want to ensure that every student has the support needed to thrive academically and personally. I am very optimistic with the start of the new semester.”

More information can be found on the ASI website.

Correction: This story was updated on Sept. 11; Faith Van Hoven was elected as ASI president.