ASI grapples with low student government participation at board meeting
Meeting recap for 10/7
Noah Marty, ASI president, discusses his involvement registering students to vote in the upcoming presidential election during the Board of Directors’ meeting Wednesday. Marty said their goal is to register 800 people to vote by the election in November. Screenshot taken via Zoom.
October 8, 2020
The Associated Students, Inc. Board of Directors met Wednesday to discuss their progress on increasing student participation in both on-campus advocacy and in the upcoming presidential election.
Noah Marty, ASI president, said his focus is to work with the Office of Governmental Affairs and ASI board on election preparation and registering students to vote.
Marty said the board is on track to surpass their goal of registering 800 new voters.
“I’m feeling really good about the numbers and that we’re going to easily pass a thousand new registered voters from Sac State,” Marty said. “It’s been good to see that many students getting involved and people really being so motivated to get involved with this election.”
Donna Walters, executive vice president, stressed the importance of participation in student government to allow student voices to be heard and invited students to speak at board meetings during public comment. No public comments were made at this meeting.
She also announced plans for multiple open forums for students to share their opinions regarding the university administration or any issues on campus.
“We really want to hear from you on what Sac State is doing well and also how administration can essentially improve the overall experience for you while you’re on campus,” Walters said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Marty also said there are still open positions on ASI’s internal committees that they are looking to fill in order to increase student participation.
Bill Macriss, associate vice president and interim dean of students, also announced that 8 students in the residence halls have been quarantined in the first month of school due to possible exposure to COVID-19.
RELATED: 8 Sac State students quarantined in American River Courtyard in first month of school
Currently, 403 students live in the residence halls. Macriss said social distancing rules and regulations to keep students safe from COVID-19 are being heavily enforced.
“Some schools like San Diego State or Chico State have had significant issues with outbreaks,” Macriss said. “We hope this will allow us to continue moving forward without having to send people home.”
