Laura Gonzalez, ASI president

Q: Is there something while working as a volunteer that you wanted to tackle within student government as president?

A: I think all students have something that they want to change. I think there is a misconception that government students or political science students were the only ones running for these positions. One of my roles as volunteer was to advocate students to run. I wanted to change the perception that only government majors that could run. If you have an idea, if you have an issue make sure to bring if forth. That was one of my goals; that Sacramento State students know that they have a voice in ASI and ASI is their voice. It’s a place where dreams become realities.

Q: What do you hope to leave behind through your time as president of the student body?

A: Its become harder and harder to tell students in high school “apply for college.” In the last two years, for the first time ever have students, who have had the qualifications, have been turned down. I am an advocate and I go back to high schools and I talk to students about applying to college. What I hope to leave behind is being a voice for students to get involved. I hope that I leave behind that the idea that I helped, even it was in a small way, the students at Sacramento State. But also that the people who want to run next year also feel encouraged to start up where I ended and do more. This is a time for progress. If your not innovative, you don’t bring some creativity and you don’t look for change, you won’t get progress.

Blake Menezes, ASI executive vice president

Q: What are the pressing issues within student government right now?

A: Right now there is a ton of different things. But obviously students are mad about budget cuts. Their tuitions are rising. Fees are rising. The unfortunate part of student government is we can’t necessary stop those fees from directly rising. That’s just a fact of ASI. But what we can do is make sure ASI’s fees don’t rise, which as right now ASI’s fees have not. The student’s fees have remained solid at the $59 level and some odd cents that they have stayed at now for the last few years.

Q: Is Sacramento State doing enough to become environmentally friendly?

A: ASI has a committee environment protection work team commonly known as the ASI Green Team. We are working with things on campus. We are making strides, working with the Well, working with other campus entities to potentially do a farmers market on campus that we are still in the process of finding out if we can make it feasible. As a whole I think we are doing OK. I am very excited about the Well. It just received gold certified LEED. Basically, when you design a building and it meets a certain amount of qualifications in terms of how sustainable it is, how many things were used in it that were recycled, green technology that was used in it. There is a silver, platinum, and gold ranking. We just received gold ranking of LEED. And this is something that there only a few facilities in the nation have received that kind of ranking. That’s how green we are.

Liz Redford, vice president of University Affairs

Q: What topic did you, within University Affairs, want to cover?

A: One thing about ASI positions is that they are yearlong and so we are actually still finishing our strategic planning right now to kind of narrow down exactly what we want to do. So working on those right now, some of those things we’re thinking about are more bike racks on campus. We are trying to get a farmers market here on campus. We’re trying to strengthen advising in whatever way we can. So these are things we are working on through strategic planning and there actually going to be on the website once we polish it.

Q: What mark do you hope to leave within student government?

A: I think that in the past students have felt that student government is unapproachable and that’s one thing I want to do is break that barrier. I make sure that they know that my door is open. I make sure they know where the student government office is. I don’t just say come and see us. I tell them exactly where it is. I tell them where they can find my office hours. I want to get the board members out into the student body. Again there are so few of us for 28 thousand students that might seem like, oh, where are they, you know. But again it is just about making yourself accessible. I also edited our committee brochure. I added concrete details. You have to work with how people work. You have to make it easy for them to be part of something and you have to make it exciting. If you’re dry and you’re making them do all the work, they are not going to come to you.

Caleb Fountain, director of Engineering and Computer Science

Q:What are the pressing matters or topics within Engineering and Computer Sciences?

A:Clubs are getting their officers and getting ready meetings. Getting the students acquainted with the semester. The engineering department is focused on the Smart grids. Smart girds are a better way to use electricity and remain sustainable.

Q: Is there anything involved within student government that makes you feel like you can make difference?

A: Pretty much, talking on behalf of the students. Getting the opinion of the engineering department. There is around 2,000 students from the engineering department I am representing. This puts me in a place where I really need to step up my game. I really like how we have the board meetings and we can have input from each of the departments around school.

Q: Before you leave, is there anything you want to leave your mark on within student government as Director of Engineering and Computer Sciences?

A: I’ve noticed in some of the student debates or forums during the last semester for campaigning; the students are like ‘you get elected and then we never see you again;’ ‘what’s up with that?’ That’s something I want to improve. Making sure the students know who I am. I want to actually represent the students and have them know what is going on.