Executive vice president and vice president of finance positions in Associated Students Inc. were not filled by Oct. 5, despite President Angel Barajas’ pledge to do so.

A decision was made late Oct. 4 to delay the board member appointments because more applicants than expected are vying for the spots, Barajas said.

Barajas told board members, “I would like to take my time with the applications because we have many strong candidates.”

Barajas suggested legislation to appoint two current board members to temporarily fill the positions.

If the legislation passes today, Director of Business Angela Arriola would assume the vice president of finance position; and Vice President of University Affairs Christine Hopkins would take over the executive vice president tasks.

The interim candidates will take on extra responsibility for a two-week period. Barajas said he will announce permanent candidates for the two positions on Oct. 19, and they will be up for board approval on Oct. 26.

Robbie Abelon, a junior government-history major, who recently spent three weeks in Baton Rouge, La., volunteering for the American Red Cross, said he is considering applying for the executive vice president position now that the deadline has been extended.

As of Monday night, Barajas said there are three candidates running for each position. He has set a Friday deadline for all applicants.

Abelon ran on the Access slate in last spring’s election and won the unopposed vice president of Academic Affairs position. However, he stepped down from the post when his GPA didn’t meet ASI standards and Oscar Mendoza was appointed in his place.

Abelon said his grades are now up to par and has been encouraged to apply for the executive vice president position by current board members and his former running mates on the Access slate.

“I think it would be a good fit,” said Abelon, who is working to catch up with missed classes and is weighing the pros and cons of jumping back into the ASI scene.

Even if he applied, Abelon said he is sure the process will be competitive because he would be competing against other qualified candidates.

In the meantime, Hopkins, who has already taken over many of the executive vice president roles, will continue to conduct board meetings and will head the DOC/SEL Committee, which allocates money for clubs. If the legislation passes, she may also be the permanent vice chair of the committee.

Arriola will help run the Finance and Budget Committee during her two-week stint as the vice president of finance.

“I don’t mind taking on the extra responsibility for two weeks ?” but it’s with the understanding that the position will be filled by the 26th,” Arriola said.

The Oct. 26 date will mark a six-week vacancy period for both positions.

The positions were originally announced empty when James Shelby II, former executive vice president, and Julio Velazquez, former vice president of finance, resigned before an ASI meeting held outside in the Library Quad on Sept. 14.

Velazquez never gave a public reason for his resignation, but Shelby cited family reasons brought on by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Another deciding factor in Shelby’s decision to leave ASI were concerns about recent actions taken by Student Affairs at Sac State and the department’s treatment of students and staff members, Shelby said.

Shelby said that since he couldn’t use ASI as an effective vehicle to affect change, he wanted to confront the issue as a student.

Barajas denied to comment about specific applicants for the vacant positions, but said he will make sure to appoint only the most qualified individuals to the positions of executive vice president and vice president of finance.

Jessica Weidling can be reached at [email protected]