AS Presidential Candidate Statements

Brandon Stipe

I AM A CIVIL Engineering major in my fourth year at California State University, Fresno. I will be graduating in the spring of 2007.

There are things that need to be done. The University High School needs to be relocated, but the amphitheater is not the right place. The amphitheater needs to be used as it once was bringing concerts and shows to the Fresno State campus. There needs to be a start to plans for new dorms on our campus.

The newest dorms on campus were renovated in the 1980s. That means that most of the students on campus are living in buildings that are older than the students they hold. The university needs events to bring different majors together to broaden the experience they receive during their college career. These things need to happen. These things are what I will work for during the next year.

I will try over and over and over if I have to, but these are needs, they must be addressed now because they were not addressed previously when the job would have been easier.

I have been here long enough to see the enormous potential that this university has to be great. This is potential that we are not currently living up to as students or as student leadership. It was in a discussion with a good friend of mine that I decided I was not doing my part either. Upon this decision I have decided to run for Associated Students President. It is all well and good to have opinions; however, opinions amount to nothing without action.

This is my action. I am running for office to have the chance to bring new life into a government that needs it, to bring new ideas to a campus that needs them, and to bring new energy into a student body that needs a new voice. Vote for me, Brandon Stipe for AS President.

Juan Pablo Moncayo

HELLO FRESNO STATE students.

Over the last week you have been able to learn about all three candidates for President through two debates (both available online). Last Sunday, during the first debate, we were all asked what is the biggest problem students face. The other two candidates stated that the biggest problem on this campus was the lack of Fresno State traditions.

As a student, is lack of tradition at Fresno State your biggest problem? Do you wake up in the morning thinking, “My life would be easier if we had traditions at Fresno State.”

I think not. I know that the biggest problems facing students are: the lack of funding from the State, the increase of tuition and textbook prices, the parking shortages on campus, and campus security. Tradition is not the biggest problem. As many students, I believe we are overpaying for textbooks. I, like you, also think that parking is terrible, and I know for a fact that it is harder and harder to complete our degrees in a four-year term. It surprised me to see that the other two candidates did not address these as the main concerns for their presidency.

This is how I stand out as a candidate. I work on real problems that affect all students, in a proactive manner, and I look for concrete results. I am confident that textbook prices can be reduced if professors look for, and demand bargains. With parking I will continue to remind administration that student parking should not be used for Save Mart Center overflow event parking. I will also make sure that administration knows that students would rather see the amphitheater used for a university building, and not for University High School.

If you are to trust the experience, trust me. I have been the Vice President of AS for the last year, overseeing the operations of our organization and sitting on key committees along with the AS President.

In these committees I was professional, well prepared, and passionate about making sure that students come first in decisions made. My time will not be spent on learning how to be a President; I have learned this over the past year. Rather, I will be able to step up to the plate from the day I am elected. Last of all trust my commitment. If elected, I will only take 12 units a semester to make the Presidency a priority.

As President, my goal will be to make sure that students come first in the decisions made on campus, make sure student funds are use appropriately, and pursue the best legacy available, your four-year degree.

John Migliazzo

I AM A JUNIOR at Fresno State. I major in Agricultural Communications with hopes of becoming an agricultural lobbyist. I have been involved with Associated Students for more than two years. I have served as the Senator of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and Senator of Athletic Affairs.

As president, we will look for more efficient ways to utilize Associated Students, explore ways for students to be able to graduate in four years, improve campus security, and continue to revive school tradition utilizing the REDZONE.

This is a very important time for Fresno State students. Many changes are being made on campus, and students need to have input on decisions that are made that can directly affect the student body. As president, I will act as a liaison from the students to administration. Improved communication between the executives and university wide committees is a must. I plan to have an executive assistant to the president to keep track of students going to these committee meetings.

We need a strong commitment towards giving students an opportunity to graduate in four years. Here at Fresno State, many students have economic limitations, and can’t afford to go to school without holding multiple jobs. We need to explore new ways for students to graduate in four years, but still give them the resources that they need to be successful once they go out to begin their career. One way we can push towards four-year graduation is through the support for Year-Round Operation, scheduled to start in the summer of 2007.

I also want to improve campus security. We need to identify areas around campus that are unsafe, particularly at night. One example would be the walk from the Campus Courtyard (dorms) to the Recreation Center. There are certain areas around campus that need more lighting. I would also like to address the amount of break-ins around Lot G, and explore ways to keep those vehicles safe.

I will continue to support the growth of the REDZONE, the first student booster club on campus as it molds into a special organization for students. I look to the REDZONE as a great opportunity to get students involved. I hope that the REDZONE will grow to over 5,000 students by the end of 2007. We want to provide activities for students where they can go and have fun in a safe environment at very little cost. Our hope is that the REDZONE can revive school tradition.

I have enjoyed serving students as a senator the last two years. It would be my pleasure to serve the students as the 2006-2007 Associated Students President.

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