By As part of a series, the Daily 49er brings you the Associated Students Inc. candidates, in their own words. Online elections take place now until Thursday.
Alyssa Gelinas
At last Tuesday’s executive debate, most candidates showed up wearing suits or professional business attire. Presidential candidate Alyssa Gelinas sported a Barack Obama T-shirt.
“Love him or hate him, [Obama] is an inspiration,” Gelinas said. “The man’s got style.”
Gelinas is a freshman pre-nursing major who refers to herself as a fair representation of the average student. She plans on graduating in the spring of 2016 and works part-time as a hostess at Polly’s Pies. Despite having no prior experience in student government, the ambitious 20-year-old freshman is currently campaigning for president of Associated Students Inc.
“I’m really, really enthusiastic and passionate about my school and my community,” Gelinas said. “I run for president because this is how I express my passion for school.”
Q: How do you plan on voicing students’ grievances about the budget cuts?
A: Well, first and foremost, I want students to know that I struggle through the same problems with budget cuts that they do. I have to struggle with student loans and grants. I also have to hold a job and balance school. So their concerns are my concerns. And like the students, I worry about if the budget is cut even further, and how I’m going to pay for next semester. I plan on fighting for [students] and speaking to people who have ideas about how to get this crisis under control and making sure the kids who want an education aren’t denied, just because they can’t afford to pay.
Q: What would be your main focus during your term?
A: My main focus as president of [CSU] Long Beach would be to make this campus a community and, to do that, I want to get kids involved. I’d like kids to meet each other because when you meet your fellow students and you get to know the people around you, you network, you explore new ideas, you gain new perspectives. And you make friends for life, you make relationships that will serve you later in life and it’s extremely important. That’s why we’re here, that’s why we pay this much. So let’s make the best of it.
Q: How is your candidacy different from your competitor?
A: My candidacy is different than my competitor’s because I think I better represent the student body. Lucy [Nguyen] has been involved in student government for a while and she’s vice president right now, but the majority of our campus is just a regular student. When I go to class, I see students who are uninvolved. They just come in, come out and go on their way. I want to change that. I want the student body to understand that they can get more involved in their campus, they can do these activities, and I realize that they need to be reached out to more and we can’t just appeal to the kids who are already involved, we need to reach out to the kids who don’t get the attention that they should.
Q: In your own words, what’s the purpose of your position and the important duties?
A: The purpose of the ASI president is to represent the student body and their best interests. Your ASI president meets with other leaders in the Cal State system and discusses the role of the university, but they also represent the best interests of your particular school. But being the ASI president means a lot more than that. You’re not just involved in student politics; you also need to be involved in your student body. To me, the president needs to showcase the best that Long Beach has to offer. We need to reach out to the students to show them what their school has for them and how they can get involved and how they can get excited and make the best out of their time here.
Q: How would you increase the communication between ASI and the students?
A: I think it’s really important to do more to increase communication between the students and their government. I think that the government in my first year here had very little involvement and I felt disconnected from some of the activities going on in my campus. If I were president, I would find ways to better reach the students. I would come out to their classrooms. I would come out to their clubs and their sororities and their frats and let them know about the goings-on. That’s why we find ways to reach out to students and let them know that there are things that interest them — things that maybe they’ve never tried before — but there’s activities out there for them and it’s in their best interest to get out and explore and to try new things.
Q: How are you qualified for the position?
A: I think it’s a mistake to assume that to be qualified to represent the students as their president you need to have experience in student government. I think, more importantly, it’s about understanding the concerns that students really have and understanding what can be done about them. And I understand that money is a real big issue for students and I understand that creating a more unified and connected school is a concern for students. Feeling like their degree is going to be worth something once they’re done with it is also a concern for students. And that’s what I think qualifies me, is I understand what the students need. I understand what they want and I have the passion and the drive and the fight to try and protect what students are working so hard for.
Q: How do you respond to students who say the ASI execs are paid too much? Would you consider taking a pay cut?
A: If the issue of executive pay really bothered the student body, I would consider looking at it. I haven’t been elected president and I can’t say whether the compensation meets with the demand, but I get the feeling that if you really do want a president who works hard and who works their butt off for you and does everything they possibly can that they’re compensated pretty fairly.
Q: What do you want the students to know about you as a person?
A: I would like the student body to know that I really love Long Beach and that I want to do everything I can to make it the best school. It’s my first year here and the decisions I make are going to affect me and I’d just like to see the campus reach the potential that I know it can reach.
Lucy Nguyen
It’s a sunny Saturday in Long Beach and Lucy Nguyen has just gotten out of her last meeting for the day. Newly 21 years old, she’s a junior business marketing major and political science minor. Later, she’ll be at the Long Beach Rescue Mission feeding the homeless.
“It’s something I like to do,” Nguyen said. “I try to do it each Friday or at least once a month.”
Last month, Nguyen helped build Wrigley Pocket Park in a small neighborhood of Long Beach. Nguyen was shoveling wood chips.
“That stuff, I enjoy doing,” Nguyen said. “I had blisters all over my hands the next day, but it’s fun and I’m in the moment.”
Nguyen is ASI’s current vice president. She dedicates more than 40 hours a week, but stress seems to elude her — she has more drive than the Energizer Bunny. She is in the running to be the next ASI President.
Q: How do you plan on voicing student’ grievances about the budget cuts?
A: The best way to voice student concerns about budget cuts to our representatives in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. is through active student participation. One of the exciting things in ASI this year was the creation of Lobby Corps, which engages students with the hands-on opportunity to fight for higher education both locally and within the state. Furthermore, as a member of the California State Student Association, the official voice of the 23 CSU campuse
s, we have the unique opportunity to collaborate and work as a unified voice for the 433,000 students in the CSU system.
Over the past year, CSSA has been integral in advocating for Pell Grants at the federal level and, more recently, rallying over 20,000 students across the state for the March 14 march in Sacramento. Next month, CSULB will be sending over 30 students, along with hundreds of others throughout California, to lobby in Sacramento. In the wake of massive budget cuts and increased fees, it is important to continue the fight for affordable, quality higher education and the future of California. The CSU graduates 90,000 people into the workforce every year and, for every $1 invested in the system, $5.43 is returned to the state in the form of economic activity. It is integral that the impact that the CSU has on California’s economy be voiced to legislators. To cut higher education is to put the future of California in jeopardy.
Q: What would be your main focus during your term?
A: Advocacy is a big one. After that, I want to make sure students know about the resources available on campus. There’s a lot CSULB has to offer students in order to become involved and make the most out of their college experience. I want CSULB to be a place of learning, but also a place where students can come and hang out. I feel like not enough students know what’s really out there for them and I want to help them find out. So, I guess really making students aware of the programs and resources available to them. Furthermore, I want to empower ASI senators to really communicate with their constituents. I was a senator the previous year and I knew how hard it was to get in touch with people. So what I did was create a contact sheet in order for senators to be more efficient. A lot of what happens is senators are trying to figure out how the senate works or how it fits into ASI and the thing is I really want the senators this year to really hit the ground running.
Q: How is your candidacy different from your competitors?
A: Experience. I have had the opportunity to be a part of many different avenues of ASI. As a freshman, I was doing street team but besides that, I have opportunities to sit on different committees and I learned a lot of how things work. I know the insides and outs of how ASI works, which I think is important in order to better represent students. Furthermore, I genuinely care about students’ concerns. I want to make CSULB better for students, faculty and staff. It warms my heart to think that I can make a difference. I can make something a little better for the students here. Right now it’s tough. Anything I can do to help students round themselves out, including myself, is my motivation, my passion.
Q: In your own words, what’s the purpose of your position and the important duties?
A: The president serves as the chief executive officer of the Associated Students and the official representative of the students. The responsibilities of the position are extensive, with the president participating on a variety of boards ranging from the 49er Shops Board of Directors, which was active in bringing textbook rentals onto campus; Academic Senate, who makes decisions regarding academic requirements such as general education curriculum; to the California Student State Association, which serves as the official voice of the 23 CSU campuses. Beyond the description of presidential duties, however, what is even more important is that the president serves as the bridge for the 35,000 students of CSULB pertaining to the numerous issues that affect students.
Q: How would you increase the communication between ASI and the students?
A: The current administration has taken great strides in improving communication through developments such as a more easy to navigate ASI website that is set to launch soon. I plan on continuing these efforts by providing ASI communications the resources it needs to get students involved in the numerous programs that ASI has to offer. Beyond the handbills, buttons and free energy drinks, what I believe would increase communication is empowering and challenging the 400-plus staff, employees and volunteers of ASI to actively communicate with members of the campus community about what ASI has to offer, whether through presentations or by striking up conversation while in line for Starbucks.
Q: How are you qualified for the position?
A: Besides experience, my dedication. I have had the honor of serving the students of CSULB in a variety of positions within ASI. I currently serve as vice president and chair of the Senate. As chair of the only fully elected board by the students, I work closely with senators to tackle challenging concerns such as fair process by addressing the issue of student grievances and the growing need to make our campus more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Prior to serving as vice president, I represented 5,000 students from the College of Business Administration as Senator, pushing forward resolutions that have resulted in government funding for the recycling bins seen throughout the USU, initiating more effective ways of filling vacancies to ensure full student representation, and changing of the way that grants are allocated to student organizations so that, in times of tight budgets, funds reach the greatest number of students. My continued passion for service and dedication to CSULB students is what allows me to challenge the process and to find innovative solutions so that ASI can continue to grow as an organization and further the mission of ‘Keeping Students First.’
Q: How do you respond to students who say the ASI execs are paid too much? Would you consider taking a pay cut?
A: The ASI execs are required to work 25 hours a week. The thing is a lot of the execs work more than 25 hours a week. When it comes down to it, when you do the breakdown, we’re getting paid less than California minimum wage, but that’s not the main focus. The focus is we’re here to serve the students of CSULB. If it comes down to taking a pay cut, if it comes down to funding a student organization or funding a program for students or paying the executives, student organizations come first. If that situation was to happen, then that’s my answer.
Q: What do you want the students to know about you as a person?
A: I’m learning just like all of you. I’m a student also. I’m learning a lot about myself. I’m learning a lot about my life and I’m learning a lot about what other things I can do to serve the students at CSULB. Everyday is a learning opportunity for me. Everyday, I try to challenge myself to really go above and beyond. I really try to take myself out of my comfort zone in order to learn how to become a better leader. The thought that there’s 35,000 students that trusted me enough to elect me as there current vice president is a very big motivation factor for me to spend an extra two hours in my office or go to a meeting that’s very dull, stuff like that. I’m very dedicated and I enjoy what I do and it would be an honor to have an opportunity to serve the students again as their president.
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