Chris Missick was an active student and a dedicated member of Associated Students, Inc., for over two years. Then he was abruptly gone. He dropped out of school and was removed from his position of Vice President of University Affairs. Now he is back and wants to be all he can be.

Missick?s work last fall as deputy director of Northern California for the Bush campaign brought memorable experiences and a $5,000 debt that hampered his ability to finance the rest of the semester, so he left school and was subsequently deemed ineligible for ASI.

Missick?s time away from school was well spent. He managed to pay off most of his debt and is back at Sacramento State this semester, with some help from the Army Reserve.

“The George Bush campaign became more of a priority for Chris. It was a great opportunity, but he had to withdraw from school. It was a positive thing and I supported him in that,” said ASI President Jason Bryant.

Missick had been working to pay for his own education in addition to his course load and ASI responsibilities, during which time he incurred a “tragic credit card debt.” When the campaign seat came, he could no longer make the payments.

“I was using credit cards to make credit card payments. I was paying for the semester on the payment plan, my payment did not go through and I was unenrolled. And obviously you have to be a student to be eligible for student government,” Missick said.

Missick will ship out with the reserves at the end of May and spend next fall away from school. In return for his involvement, Missick will receive money for school, including a $3,000 signing bonus and full benefits.

Missick gained a clearer sense of direction during his time away from school. “I am going to take one semester off next fall and then I?ll be back to finish next spring for my MBA and a law degree. And while I?m working for the Army, I?ll be working in telecommunications. I think it will really help when I try to find a job later,” Missick said.Missick still has an interest in politics and said that he would like to continue to be connected to ASI in some capacity.

“I want to do just as much as I can. I cannot re-run because I will not be here in the fall, but I may do some campaigning for

friends. I think I have a lot of experience and a pretty good track record,” Missick saidAs for now, Missick is immersed in 15 units and has a radio show that will be broadcast on KSSU 1580 AM on Tuesday mornings from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Apex is a student-run radio station and Missick would like to use his allotted time to talk about politics.

Missick envisions spending some time talking about student government because of its importance to Sac State students, but he would also like to use his forum to talk about local, state and national government as well.

Regardless of the discussion topics, Missick?s show will be a way for him to continue to be an active part of the student body, something he feels is meaningful.

“The radio station is a great outlet for new music. I want it to be an outlet for new ideas, too. I think everyone should do at least something on campus. If anything, I would like to be an example of that,” Missick said.