Being involved is what Sacramento State student Shaun Lumachi is all about. From senior class president of Pinole Valley High in ’96 to chair of the board for the California State Student Association in 2000, Lumachi has made his mark in student participation.

This past July marked the beginning of Lumachi’s term in CSSA as the chair of the board. Not only does he represent Sac State, but his position allows him to represent 365,000 students statewide. He is the president of the student body for the entire CSU system.

“There’s always pressure,” Lumachi said. But he doesn’t look at it as a bad thing. “How to deal with it is the most important thing,” he said. ” I direct it into action.”

Lumachi’s presence is needed on campus five days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. At 3 p.m. classes are over for him, but not his long list of duties. Lumachi is a member of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Alcohol Abuse, the California Education Roundtable, Associated Students, Inc., and the CSUS Council for University Planning.

“A willingness to work and dedication of time” are some of the qualifications that are needed to be in the chair position, according to Lumachi.

Lumachi is the first chair of the board to take on the goal of visiting all 23 CSU campuses. Since his term in office he has visited 21. He also travels bi-weekly down to the CSU Chancellor’s office located in Long Beach. Locally, he makes a trip downtown to the off-campus CSSA office three times a week.

Being able to communicate with the student body as well as the faculty is one of the most important skills that Lumachi finds necessary for improving overall campus life. Though his positions hold him in high regard, he holds on to the fact that he is an average student.

“I communicate with the people and trust them,” Lumachi said. ” I try to make them feel comfortable with me.”

As a powerful voice for the students, Lumachi has been making tremendous commitments to improve campus life. Some of the issues he feels are important and need more attention on campus are the food costs, shortage of barbecues in the quad, lack of student/faculty communication, and parking problems.

“We need to make students feel more comfortable so they can communicate with the faculty,” Lumachi said. “We need to pay more attention to campus life and improve the image of our campus.”

One issue that Lumachi has found difficult to handle was “formalizing the role of student choice in policy development within campuses.” He has noticed the lack of quality research about the history of campuses, which results in decisions that cannot be made quickly enough. Because of this, Lumachi has taken matters into his own hands.

“I do a lot of research and constantly communicate with people,” Lumachi said. “I seek advice for future developments.”

Lumachi walks around campus everyday and is known for having a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

“I like meeting and talking with people,” Lumachi said.

Being dedicated, honest, trusting, and willing, are what Lumachi feels a chair of the board should acquire.

“I think I’ve met the requirements, but I haven’t perfected them,” Lumachi said. “But I constantly strive to improve.”