Candidates, get ready. Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) elections are only a few months away, and students have the opportunity to apply to run for any ASI student government position.
The application packet describing job requirements can be downloaded from ASI’s website and students can fill out an application form and write a personal statement if they would like to run for office.
Running for an office lets students get involved with their college and all of Cal Poly, said Brianna Mulligan, chair of recruitment and development for ASI. The opportunity is open to all students who want to participate, Mulligan said.
“Anyone with that enthusiasm and dedication will get so much out of it,” she said.
The elections are also a great way to get students’ voices heard on campus, said ASI Board of Directors chair Katie Titus.
“It’s a great opportunity to represent your college, be the voice of the students,” Titus said.
The online application packet may look daunting, Titus said, but most of it is job description, while the application itself is a three-page form plus a 150-word personal statement.
“It may seem intimidating, but it’s really not,” Titus said.
And the rewards from being elected to an ASI position are long lasting, Titus said. Students who serve in the student government make decisions to create projects that will benefit Cal Poly students in the future.
ASI student government officials have had a role in bringing projects like the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) Plaza and Recreation Center into existence.
Those involved with student government also develop ties with students from other colleges, which is another benefit, Titus said. All of the students Titus knows in ASI said their decision to join was the right one, she said.
“The biggest regret people have is, ‘I wish I would have run sooner,’” Titus said.
As far as campaigning for a student government position, the level of commitment depends on the position and how competitive the candidates are, Titus said. Presidential candidates tend to campaign hard, with posters, sandwich boards and T-shirts, but Titus’ position as chair of the Board of Directors, is more laid back during campaigns, she said.
“The level of involvement depends on each candidate,” Titus said. “You can outreach to clubs, outreach to counsels, make posters, sandwich boards.”
Each candidate, regardless of the position they’re campaigning for or how much work they’ve put in, will have the opportunity to speak in the UU Plaza shortly before elections open up on the Cal Poly Portal, Titus said.
But while many students admit to the importance of participating in elections, few are ready to commit to a year holding a position in ASI student government.
Psychology sophomore Lauren Baca said she voted last year in ASI’s elections because she was inspired by the candidates’ passion, but would never consider running herself.
“It just seems like a really big time commitment,” Baca said. “I feel like somebody else would be better who actually wants to make a big difference.”
Business administration sophomore Alyssa Morton agreed ASI elections are an important part of students’ making their voices heard on campus.
She voted last year at the encouragement of her friends, and plans to vote this spring as well. The election process helps ensure that the best people represent the student body, Morton said.
“I believe they’re relatively important because if we didn’t have elections and people who wanted to prove their point and cared, then we’d just have any old schmuck,” Morton said.
Like Baca, though, Morton said she wouldn’t dream of running. Students who “have a heart in leadership” are more qualified, Morton said.
“I don’t have the time nor do I have really the knowledge of what you have to do to be president,” Morton said.
Other students, such as biochemistry sophomore Marcus Regidor, chose not to vote in past elections, but plan to this year. Regidor, who said he was busy with midterms and forgot to vote last spring, plans to vote this upcoming year, even if he won’t be running.
“Definitely it’s important,” Regidor said. “I believe we need good representatives. It’d be a good representation to faculty.”
Applications are due March 2 by 5 p.m. in ASI’s Student Government office.