Profiles of AS presidential candidates
Jennifer Reimer
By MARTHA MARTINEZ
A challenge is something that a lot of people are out to find. For some, it may be rock climbing, sky diving or any other type of extreme activity. For Jennifer Reimer, challenges come in a completely different form.
Her challenge is to listen to as many students as possible in order to be a good leader. Reimer is trying to prove she can be a good leader by running for Associated Students president.
“All of my personal experiences have made me want to run,” Reimer said.
Not only personal experiences, but political ones as well, inspired Reimer to run for president. She is an active student in various clubs and student government.
Reimer is currently the vice president of finance for AS and was an AS senator for the College of Arts and Humanities last year.
Reimer’s familiarity and involvement with AS, her passion for Fresno State students and her involvement with campus activities have prepared her for the presidency, she said.
“Holding my current office of vice president of finance is perhaps the best preparation I could have received for the presidency,” Reimer said.
Reimer is also a member of Chicanos in law, the clarinet association and the sorority Alpha Xi Delta. She has held several offices in each of those clubs.
“One benefit of being involved in many campus groups is that I am exposed to many different students,” Reimer said. “I think this variety of exposure has helped prepare me for the presidency.”
School government is a wonderful place for involvement and activism, she said. But Reimer has not limited herself to just school government.
Reimer lobbied in Sacramento and is part of a board called the California State Student Association. The board has student representatives from each of the 23 California State University campuses who get together once a month to discusses CSU related issues.
Her association with other school representatives has broadened her views on how to help students at Fresno State. Because of her contact with representatives from other schools, Reimer learned that CSU, Long Beach worked with its bookstore in order to lower textbook prices. Reimer said that as president, she would have the power to propose that Fresno State work with its bookstore to lower prices, as well.
If elected president, Reimer said she would fight tuition increases. Reimer said she would also work on what she called the “parking issue.” She said that a parking structure would likely increase tuition and that she would seek an alternative to tuition increases.
One of the issues that Reimer and her opponent Vianey Nuñez have in common is the desire to increase student involvement and awareness about AS.
Reimer’s approach to increased awareness is by promoting AS accessibility to students and by encouraging clubs to apply for event funding from AS. Reimer has met with students and provided them a better understanding of how AS works.
“I value inclusion of all students,” Reimer said. “I will take a campuswide approach to this belief by doing my best to include students from all walks of campus life.”
Politics are, of course, a major part of Reimer’s life at the moment, but she is not all about politics. She is double majoring in business finance and music performance.
Reimer hopes the diversity in her involvement with different clubs on and off campus is proof to students that she will make a good AS president.
“Overall, I have worked with many students and facets of campus,” Reimer said. “My broad experience has prepared me well to be president.”
Vianey Nunez
By MARTHA MARTINEZ
An 18-year-old woman stood before the state budget committee to talk about how California was spending too much on prisons and not enough on education.
As a 23-year-old junior at Fresno State, the same girl, Vianey Nunez wants to keep her political involvement alive by running for AS president.
“Continuing advocating for students at the student government level is the main reason why I am running for president,” Nunez said.
Her political involvement focuses on, but is not limited to, budget issues, education and diversity. Nunez believes that her political involvement is of great benefit to Fresno State. Her experience includes political conferences in Washington D.C. and at the California’s capitol.
“I began to (be politically involved) since the age of 18 and bring to Fresno State all the contacts and experience I have accumulated since then,” Nunez said.
Nunez also does her share of work locally. She is the senator of the College of Social Sciences, the Law Day committee chair and participates in the Women’s Studies Student Association.
She is organizing the Law Day Conference. The conference is going to bring different law schools that will give free applications to students on campus. That is just one example of how she stays in touch with student needs. Nunez also helps school clubs by attending meetings and events.
She said she will work to get the university to include students in committees making the university policies.
Nunez stresses the importance of being involved and connected to students on campus. She said, if elected, she would not be behind a desk, but participating in campus activities and clubs. This involvement with students is the only way to know about student needs and to go about representing the students, she said.
“I am a firm believer that I cannot perform my AS duties adequately if I am not in constant contact with the students themselves,” Nunez said.
Working for students and other underrepresented people is part of her work ethic that she plans to continue working on after graduation.
Nunez wants to apply to law school after she graduates and practice for non-profit organizations. She feels there is an importance to represent minority groups that often go underrepresented.
“I am very familiar with the need for increased representation of diverse groups as I come from a farm worker background myself,” Nunez said.
Nunez plans on promoting diversity on campus, as well. She wants AS to fund groups that promote diversity such as the Multicultural Center, which AS may stop funding.
Along with minority groups being underepresented, Nunez said she also feels students in general are underrepresented, as well. She plans to increase students’ knowledge and access to student government. She wants students to know that AS meetings are open to everyone who wants to access the information that is discussed.
A busy schedule is ahead for the women’s studies major this semester, and an even busier schedule awaits her if she is elected. Nunez said she often puts in more office hours than AS executives.
“Beyond the quantity of time I commit to representing students,” Nunez said, “the quality of my work is equally bold.”
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