Associated Students Inc. President Christina Romero began the spring semester with five less board members, four of whom were found ineligible, while one resigned.

Director of Engineering and Computer Science Mohammed Farhad stepped down Jan. 2, said ASI Executive Director Pat Worley.

“Mohammed stated that he was beginning an internship commitment that would require significant time and commitment in the spring semester,” Worley said.

Farhad could not be reached for comment.

Graduate Director Jensen Kile, Director of undeclared Shadi Karajeh, Director of Business Chad Gidel and Director of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies Michael Nguyen did not meet eligibility requirements and were forced to step down.

Kile, Karajeh and Gidel could not be reached for comment.

Nguyen declined to comment.

To be elected as an officer or board member, the student must have an accumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and maintain a 2.0 GPA as long as the cumulative remains at 2.5, according to the ASI Bylaws, Section VII.

Worley was uninformed of the criteria of eligibility that the members did not meet and directed questions to the Office of Student Affairs.

The Office of Student Affairs said it had no details on the matter.

ASI Director of Arts and Letters Felix Barba regarded those members who stepped down as “valuable parts of the team.”

“It is unfortunate that they could not stay with us through the end of their terms,” he said.

Romero said continuing board members will face additional work as a result of those who stepped down.

“The ASI executive board has rallied together and decided to stick with our current projects, thus continuing to fulfill our commitment to students,” Romero said.

One member fell victim to mistakes made by his own department.

Kile said he could not continue to sit on the ASI board of directors due to a mistake made by the Graduate Office.

“The Graduate Office decided mid-semester to change some deadlines for defending the thesis prospectus and turning in paperwork. This caused changes to be made on my end to account for them,” Kile said.

After the Graduate Office realized its mistake, it allowed those students who had planned their semester by the prior deadline to continue, Kile said. At this point, Kile said he was accommodated for the mistakes of the Graduate Office and could not comply with the previous deadlines.

“Since I have completed all the coursework for the master’s degree aside from the thesis writing, I was forced to take a semester leave to write my thesis. In other words, I will now defend in spring and enroll to finish the technicalities in the fall,” he said.

Barba said struggling students should be open to advice.

“Use your resources around you, especially mentors in your teachers, supervisors and anyone that has skills you want to imitate in your own life,” he said.

Students are often at a loss with how to cope with the stresses in life. As a result, students are offered a consultation with an academic adviser upon admission to Sacramento State.

Academic Adviser Kathryn Palmieri offers many solutions to those struggling with time-management issues.

“The best solution is to acknowledge that someone is not working and to find a strategy that works for your learning style. Some students keep a detailed calendar, color code their assignments by class or topic and plot exactly how much time they will need to complete assignments,” Palmieri said.

The Academic Advising Center is available for drop-in undergraduate advising. The center offers a wide variety of workshops and learning labs to those wishing to obtain better management skills.

Senior Jesse Manton said balancing and managing time are challenges every student faces.

“Balance is something you perfect over time. It comes after a lot of failing,” Manton said.

ASI said it is preparing to accept applications to fill the vacant board positions.

“I encourage all students to apply and get involved,” Romero said.

“I will be forwarding my recommendations to the board of directors.”

Amanda Pollard can be reached at [email protected]